The Instructor Development Course Everything you need to know
Did you (or are you about to) make the decision to take your Instructor Development Course – IDC – and become a PADI instructor? Congratulations! You have made a life-changing decision. Being a PADI instructor gives you the opportunity to do what you love every day and have a fun and rewarding job in the most beautiful places on earth.
Before you start your journey of becoming a PADI Instructor, we would like to tell you everything about the Instructor Development Course you are about to take. If after reading this, you have any more questions. Please feel free to contact our Course Directors. We are more than happy to help.
The Instructor Development Course:
The PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC) is an intense but fun, 2-week course. The course is set up in (inter)active workshops, in which you’ll learn by doing instead of listening in a classroom. In our experience, this is the best way to prepare yourself for teaching and introducing others to the beautiful world of diving.
The Program
On the first day, you will meet your fellow IDC Candidates and the Course Directors and begin with a course orientation—a presentation about the activities planned for the next two weeks. Following this, you’ll take a theory exam on the five subjects you need to have mastered. These same five theory subjects will also be tested at the IE. Afterward, we will immediately review these exams and conclude the day with a fun dive.
On the second day, we’ll start in the classroom, and in the afternoon, we’ll engage in the 24-skill circuit. The ability to execute these skills with demonstration-level quality is necessary for all upcoming teaching sessions. Additionally, you will have to demonstrate five of these skills to the PADI examiner during your IE. This is the same skill circuit as you experienced during your divemaster course, meaning that, as long as you kept yourself up-to-date, you have nothing to worry about.
Generally, our classroom sessions will be in the morning, and to prevent any post-lunch dips, we’ll be in the water in the afternoon. We do our best to keep our days limited in length so that you have time to prepare and rest in the evening. Our IDC days run from 8 am till 5/6 pm.
The IDC consists of many workshops in which you must apply the knowledge acquired from your IDC eLearning. During the workshops, you’ll be encouraged to act and think like an instructor! We also have practical workshops in which we’ll teach you how to instruct the CESA, descents, knot tying, compass use, rigging and lifting, etc. An additional workshop is included to teach you how to position yourself and control your students while performing a skill, all while keeping an eye on your other students. Last but not least, you’ll learn how to teach rescue skills.
On the ninth day of our program, we train you to become an EFR Instructor and Emergency Oxygen Provider instructor. Skills such as primary care CPR, secondary care, and care for children will be practiced, and you’ll learn how to teach them to others. This integrates neatly with the Emergency Oxygen Provider course, as oxygen is the first aid for diving incidents.
The last day and a half are reserved for additional practice of Knowledge Development, Confined Water, and Open Water teaching presentations.
IE (Instructor Examination):
After your IDC, you will complete your IE (Instructor Examination). This is a two-day process of objectively evaluating the skills and knowledge you have developed during the IDC. This evaluation will be conducted by an impartial Instructor Examiner working for PADI.
Passing an IE is necessary to become a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor; however, it’s not the primary focus—it’s a result of preparation. During your IDC, you will be prepared for your life as an instructor. This means that if you put the needed effort into your IDC, the IE will be the easiest part of the process of becoming an instructor.