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So You Have Decided to Become a Professional Diving Instructor.
Now you need to choose which Diver Training Agency is best for you.
Becoming a diving instructor can be a life changing experience for many people. This fact means making the best choices from the beginning will influence how that change works out for you.
The normal path is that you carry on in the training agency you "grew up" in; a PADI DM becomes a PADI Instructor, an SSI DM becomes an SSI instructor and so on and so fort. However is this the right way to go about things? Below we will have a look at the different things to consider and then compare the worlds two largest diver training agencies.
Now sit back, grab a glass of your preferred beverage and spend the next 10 minutes having a read that my change the rest of your life.
The normal path is that you carry on in the training agency you "grew up" in; a PADI DM becomes a PADI Instructor, an SSI DM becomes an SSI instructor and so on and so fort. However is this the right way to go about things? Below we will have a look at the different things to consider and then compare the worlds two largest diver training agencies.
Now sit back, grab a glass of your preferred beverage and spend the next 10 minutes having a read that my change the rest of your life.
3 Key Factors to Consider when choosing a Diver Training Agency
1. Are they RSTC, CMAS or ISO/EN approved?
This may seem a strange thing to be the first consideration, however there are a multitude of "agencies" forming on a weekly basis offering diver training which do not meet any of these basic requirements and as such will not be recognized if you should choose to crossover to a another agency at a later date.
To find out if the agency is ISO approved just look at your DM card and it will normally state that the training complies to ISO 24801-3. You can also have a look at the WRSTC website for a list of approved agencies by region. Or the CMAS website to see if the agency is Coded. The Wikipedia list includes many non-recognised agencies so it should not be used as a reference.
To find out if the agency is ISO approved just look at your DM card and it will normally state that the training complies to ISO 24801-3. You can also have a look at the WRSTC website for a list of approved agencies by region. Or the CMAS website to see if the agency is Coded. The Wikipedia list includes many non-recognised agencies so it should not be used as a reference.
2. Where do you want to live the Pro life?
Where you plan on teaching should have an effect on which agency you choose.
If you plan on teaching at home the best thing you can do is have a look around the dive shops and clubs within your area, choose the ones which suit your style and requirements, strike up a conversation and become an instructor in the agency they teach.
If on the other hand your Pro ticket is your way to work around the world you should only be considering SSI or PADI as your main agency. You can add smaller agencies at a later date however finding work internationally with a Pro ticket from a smaller agency will be difficult.
If you plan on teaching at home the best thing you can do is have a look around the dive shops and clubs within your area, choose the ones which suit your style and requirements, strike up a conversation and become an instructor in the agency they teach.
If on the other hand your Pro ticket is your way to work around the world you should only be considering SSI or PADI as your main agency. You can add smaller agencies at a later date however finding work internationally with a Pro ticket from a smaller agency will be difficult.
3. Long term goals, Rec or Tec?
If your aspirations are to remain a recreational diving instructor then stick to SSI, PADI or CMAS. If however your recreational instructor certification is only a pathway to becoming a Technical Instructor than getting your instructor certification from SDI/TDI, NAUI or IANTD may be the way forward as they are currently the market leaders in technical diver training.
SSI Or PADI It Is Then
You have looked at the above 3 points and the decision is now between the "big two" SSI and PADI. In the next section we will dispel some misconceptions thus hopefully answering some of the big questions and then cover the costs.
3 Biggest Misconceptions.
1. If I am not a PADI Pro I won't find work in resort destinations.
Ten years ago that may well have been true, however at the beginning of the 2020s the diving industry is very different.
At the beginning of the 21st century PADI could comfortably claim that they issued around 85% of all diver certifications. Now at the dawn of the 2020s this has changed to 55% PADI, 25% SSI,10% NAUI and the remaining 10% divided between the 150 or so other recognised diver training agencies and CMAS coded federations.
Among the top three SSI is by far the fastest growing in terms of certifications and number of Diver Centres.
At the beginning of the 21st century PADI could comfortably claim that they issued around 85% of all diver certifications. Now at the dawn of the 2020s this has changed to 55% PADI, 25% SSI,10% NAUI and the remaining 10% divided between the 150 or so other recognised diver training agencies and CMAS coded federations.
Among the top three SSI is by far the fastest growing in terms of certifications and number of Diver Centres.
2. You can not cross over to PADI later.
Yes you can, PADI does not promote the fact and it is expensive, however they cannot refuse to cross over RSTC/ISO/CMAS instructors.
Up to now it has been the case that most instructors did the PADI IDC and then did a low cost and quick crossover to another agency. In fact this is how the majority of non-CMAS agencies gained the majority new instructors up to now.
This too is changing, for example an SSI crossover will now cost around €600 depending on where you do it and will take 4-5 days. Established SSI centres are also becoming less likely to subsidise crossovers, as was the case in the past, and today are searching for SSI Instructors which can walk through the door and work from day one.
(A side thought, why are so many instructors crossing over to SSI from PADI????)
Up to now it has been the case that most instructors did the PADI IDC and then did a low cost and quick crossover to another agency. In fact this is how the majority of non-CMAS agencies gained the majority new instructors up to now.
This too is changing, for example an SSI crossover will now cost around €600 depending on where you do it and will take 4-5 days. Established SSI centres are also becoming less likely to subsidise crossovers, as was the case in the past, and today are searching for SSI Instructors which can walk through the door and work from day one.
(A side thought, why are so many instructors crossing over to SSI from PADI????)
3. SSI Instructors must work in a dive centre and cannot freelance.
Absolutely false.
The truth is SSI Instructors cannot certify divers, that is the responsibility of the dive centre. That being said there is nothing stopping an SSI instructor being affiliated to as many dive centres as they want and work just like a freelance PADI Instructor.
The other side of this would be "fully" independent instructors, as a PADI instructor you can sit in a cafe and sell an Open Water Diver Course that you will run outside a dive centre or club. If you have made the investment to be able to not have to rent equipment, or get fills from a centre then you could become an SSI Dive School. If on the other hand you need the facilities of a dive centre to be "fully" independent why not just affiliate to the dive centre and take advantage of all it offers?
The truth is SSI Instructors cannot certify divers, that is the responsibility of the dive centre. That being said there is nothing stopping an SSI instructor being affiliated to as many dive centres as they want and work just like a freelance PADI Instructor.
The other side of this would be "fully" independent instructors, as a PADI instructor you can sit in a cafe and sell an Open Water Diver Course that you will run outside a dive centre or club. If you have made the investment to be able to not have to rent equipment, or get fills from a centre then you could become an SSI Dive School. If on the other hand you need the facilities of a dive centre to be "fully" independent why not just affiliate to the dive centre and take advantage of all it offers?
Price, what you get for your money.
First, well done on getting this far on a web page with no interactive content, videos, infographics or cat gifs ;-)
Now money. You have decided that SSI or PADI could work for you, you dispelled some misconceptions and possibly made some inquires.
Now onto price, the ITC/IDC will cost anything from €500 (if you are already an Assistant Instructor, are a First Aid instructor and do not want any other specialties) up to €2700 depending on where you do it and what the dive centre includes and the duration of the course. Many PADI centres are now running 6 day ITC cutting your time with the Training staff since you will do all the theory as self study online before arriving.
Keep in mind this is the fee a Dive Centre is charging to get you ready for the Instructor Examination which will follow and any add-on instructor levels they may offer and not the total cost of being certified as an Instructor.
Below you will find a comparison between our SSI ITC and a PADI IDC run on Malta. As you will see we offer the same things over the same period of time.
Where things get interesting is the next chart with the fees and costs payable to the agency to become an instructor with the add-ons.
These are followed by a conclusion and then a chart that details what you get from your renewal fees from each agency. This is a real eye opener considering one agency is supposedly about Professional Instructors and the other is centered around Scuba Schools.
Now money. You have decided that SSI or PADI could work for you, you dispelled some misconceptions and possibly made some inquires.
Now onto price, the ITC/IDC will cost anything from €500 (if you are already an Assistant Instructor, are a First Aid instructor and do not want any other specialties) up to €2700 depending on where you do it and what the dive centre includes and the duration of the course. Many PADI centres are now running 6 day ITC cutting your time with the Training staff since you will do all the theory as self study online before arriving.
Keep in mind this is the fee a Dive Centre is charging to get you ready for the Instructor Examination which will follow and any add-on instructor levels they may offer and not the total cost of being certified as an Instructor.
Below you will find a comparison between our SSI ITC and a PADI IDC run on Malta. As you will see we offer the same things over the same period of time.
Where things get interesting is the next chart with the fees and costs payable to the agency to become an instructor with the add-ons.
These are followed by a conclusion and then a chart that details what you get from your renewal fees from each agency. This is a real eye opener considering one agency is supposedly about Professional Instructors and the other is centered around Scuba Schools.
SSI ITC vs PADI ITC on Gozo
Endless Oceans "ALL-IN" SSI ITC + First Aid Instructor + DMI Prep |
Whats Included |
Comparable PADI IDC + EFRI + MSDT Prep on Malta |
Yes |
Assistant Instructor |
Yes |
Yes |
Open Water Instructor |
Yes |
Yes |
First Aid Instructor |
Yes |
Yes, Buoyancy and Nitrox |
Basic Specialties |
Yes, Buoyancy |
Yes |
Additional Specialties Needed For DMI/MSDT |
Yes |
€2300 |
Price |
€1199 |
Fees are based on the 2022 price lists for an instructor in the Euro Zone and include VAT at the standard rate in Malta.
SSI Fees vs PADI Fees
SSI Fee |
Item |
Padi Fee |
Included |
Course Materials including e-learning |
615 |
Included |
ITC/IDC Application |
222 |
Included |
First Aid Instructor Materials |
200 |
Included |
First Aid instructor Application |
138 |
571 |
Instructor Examination |
755 |
Included |
5 Spec Instructor Certifications |
258 |
Included |
Specialty Instructor Manuals |
395 |
€571 |
Total of Manditory Fees and Course Materials Not Included in The ITC/IDC Price |
€2583 |
€2300 |
Price of ITC/IDC |
€1199 |
€2871 |
TOTAL |
€3782 |
Conclusion
If your only consideration is money the choice is easy. You will have around €1000 to use elsewhere from the beginning by becoming an SSI Instructor.
However if you are still concerned that you won't find work as an SSI instructor go to diveSSI.com and have a look at the dealer locator, zoom in on the area where you want to work and then go to PADI.com and do the same thing in a second window. Now compare them side by side and I think you may be surprised by the result, especially if you plan on working in Europe or Asia.
In the end one agency is growing year on year and will be needing more instructors to fill the positions in dive centres. Also more dive centre owners are looking for SSI Instructors who can walk in and work from day one.
If you want to be part of the future of diver training then SSI is the obvious choice.
One final thought from our side, and then the Renewal fee chart as a final bit information for you.
As a dive centre we rely on our instructors being the best we can find to ensure we offer the best training we can. Currently our team of full time, freelance (yes we use freelance SSI Instructors) and guest instructors, includes former PADI Course Director, Master Instructor, IDC Staff Instructors and MSDT, all of whom invested a lot of time, money and effort in the PADI system and are all now SSI instructors. More than that they are happy with their choice to cross over to SSI.
Why? Because of the way SSI look after and reward their instructors, allow us to tailor our classes to our students and provide the best digital learning platform in the industry today.
In short they make it easy for us to do our job well knowing we have a great system and organisation behind us.
And now the final piece in the puzzle.
However if you are still concerned that you won't find work as an SSI instructor go to diveSSI.com and have a look at the dealer locator, zoom in on the area where you want to work and then go to PADI.com and do the same thing in a second window. Now compare them side by side and I think you may be surprised by the result, especially if you plan on working in Europe or Asia.
In the end one agency is growing year on year and will be needing more instructors to fill the positions in dive centres. Also more dive centre owners are looking for SSI Instructors who can walk in and work from day one.
If you want to be part of the future of diver training then SSI is the obvious choice.
One final thought from our side, and then the Renewal fee chart as a final bit information for you.
As a dive centre we rely on our instructors being the best we can find to ensure we offer the best training we can. Currently our team of full time, freelance (yes we use freelance SSI Instructors) and guest instructors, includes former PADI Course Director, Master Instructor, IDC Staff Instructors and MSDT, all of whom invested a lot of time, money and effort in the PADI system and are all now SSI instructors. More than that they are happy with their choice to cross over to SSI.
Why? Because of the way SSI look after and reward their instructors, allow us to tailor our classes to our students and provide the best digital learning platform in the industry today.
In short they make it easy for us to do our job well knowing we have a great system and organisation behind us.
And now the final piece in the puzzle.
SSI |
Item |
PADI |
€160 + VAT |
Annual ONLINE SCUBA Instructor Renewal Fee in Europe |
€280 + VAT |
Included |
Annual ONLINE First Aid Instructor Renewal Fee |
€80 + VAT |
Included in all languages always up to date |
Digital Student Level Materials |
From €120 per course per language |
Included in all languages always up to date |
Student Final Exams |
From €15 per course per language |
Included in all languages always up to date |
Digital Instructor manuals |
Not Available |
Included in all languages always up to date |
Other Instructor Digital Materials |
From €70 to €200 per course, non-updated |
Included |
Instructor E-cards |
1 Time fee of €20 per e-card, replacement €25 |
Included |
Pro App access |
Not Available |
- |
Link to Official List of what you get with your renewal. |
|
Link to cash back and Pro Rewards |
NOT OFFERED |
