The PADI educational design process

As a college lecturer and instructional designer, I view the PADI educational system as actually pretty good. As the college system is competency-based and not time-based, I see many similarities in the concepts and application. 

PADI has expelled considerable time and effort to design functional dive courses based on contemporary learning theories, their learning materials are linked to course objectives and are naturally of a high quality.

As an instructor, you don't need to qualify to become an instructional designer; you just need to qualify to become an instructor in the world of PADI. This will not allow you to teach at college, it won't even allow you to teach scuba programs from other scuba certification agencies. 

At the end of your seven day instructor course, you must attend a two day instructor evaluation run by PADI and you are off and running, your career as a recreational dive instructor just hit hyperdrive.

Armed with slightly below a rudimentary level of teaching knowledge, you are now slightly more knowledgeable than a layman and able to earn a living as a dive instructor.

Naturally the hours are long and the pay is low, but hey, you can't complain, in seven days you went from a novice diver to a certified and qualified professional. Try doing that with a law, engineering or medical degree.

But in all fairness, most instructors already have a profession such as a marine biologist, retail assistant, boat skipper or trade. What you are purchasing from PADI is a lifestyle change and the former occupations of dive instructors are pretty diverse.

I do feel for the young guys straight out of school who have no other background to fall back on when they burnout - you certainly do burnout.

Stuff up and injure or kill someone, you will be deemed and held accountable just as any other professional, don't expect PADI to come running to your rescue, they will throw you under a bus at first opportunity.

As a PADI instructor for 15 years, I may not teach dive courses anymore as time constraints required to undertake further study now are just too great. Just finding the time to go and dive is difficult enough.

Committing to teaching people to dive is unfortunately unattainable for the next couple of years at least. I went from a part-time instructor to a full-time instructor right back to a part-time instructor again.

During my time as a full-time instructor, I was a dive centre manager, tour guide and retail salesperson. Actually, I wasn't a full-time instructor for all that long, six months actually.

After I resigned my full time dive centre manager position, I went on holiday for half a year before going and working for a rival full-time for six months before heading back overseas again for another six months. I then returned and started my own dive business that was ironically part-time too.

I maintain a degree of isolation from the recreational dive industry now; I do view courses and programs from afar these days. PADI courses offer college level credits in the United States and other nations for a reason.

They had to be evaluated to qualify for the program and their eligibility has to be renewed every couple of years. This can only be a positive, as you will never hear a PADI instructor reciting educational theory and application unless they are a qualified teacher that is burnt out and seeking a lifestyle change.