After completing his SSI instructor course with Big Blue Pro last month, Big Tom wisely decided to do an internship with us too, and he’s almost finished it. Just one or two more courses and he’ll be signed off as a highly competent SSI dive professional. The instructor course qualifies you to be able to teach SSI courses, but the internship will quite simply make you a much better dive instructor. During the internship you will shadow one or two Big Blue instructors, in order to learn how courses are run and pick up some essential skills, such as how to look after your students effectively underwater, and how best to impart the information they need to know to become good divers. We also drill into you exactly what needs to be taught at what stage so that SSI standards are fully adhered to on all courses- something we are very strict about.
On the first course you’ll just observe how your mentor teaches. On the second course you will maybe teach some academics and lead one or more dives. With each course you sit in on, you will take over more and more aspects of it until, when your mentor feels you are ready you will teach an entire course on your own, and the mentor will be the one in the background observing how you do it. You will get constant advice and feedback from your mentor at every stage of your internship. When the mentor feels you are ready they will sign you off, and away you go, teaching courses and earning money!
After completing an open water course this morning, Tom is now busy consolidating everything he has learned, as the next course he teaches will be all his own work, with mentor Gus not having to say or do anything, the lazy sod! He’s worked hard, and his timing is perfect; he’ll be teaching his own courses just in time for high season in December, and any dive school will be lucky to have him.
If you’re interested in becoming a diving instructor, or are maybe already a PADI, RAID, SDI or BSAC instructor and want to be able to teach SSI, contact us here or check out our website for more info on the Instructor Internship Program.
