Becoming an SSI Instructor

If you notice that you enjoy educating beginners and you are considering to work for a while in a diving center in any beautiful place in the world, you should do the last step. As an Instructor, you have all the possibilities to work in the best places of the world. You just need to do the last step, the SSI Instructor training course (ITC), and then pass the Instructor Evaluation (IE).

What do I need before starting? - Prerequisites

You can do the Instructor Training course as a Divemaster or equivalent, with a minimum of 100 dives - but for sure, we encourage you to start with more experience. It is a good idea to gain experience in guiding, assist in some Open Water courses, be a good diver on a high skill level with experience in different environments - and then become an Instructor. The Assistant Instructor certification is a good step in between Divemaster and Instructor. Within the SSI training system, the AI can teach a lo already, and therefore is a very usefull part of a Divecenter Team. If you feel you could need a bit more experience, consider to do this and gain practice first.
You need to be confident with all the skills in demonstration quality. If your Divemaster Training is long ago, get into the water and practice - on the ITC, this is required, and it needs training.
And you need to be confident with the whiole diving theory. We recommend to read again all the Manuals, especially the Science of Diving, and you will be required to pass an exam before starting the ITC.
To be able to prepare properly, you will have access to all the digital training material, so once the course starts, you are already perfectly prepared and we can concentrate on your water and training skills.

The Instructor Training Course (ITC)

If until now, you have always been under the supervision of an instructor you will now learn how to give classes on your own.
We will, in several lectures and workshops, carve out together the complete theory, which will be relevant for you as a future SSI instructor. This will not only include how to organize and teach different courses. It will also cover the legal issues of diving, marketing, how to gain new customers and the calculation of cost for a dive course.
In order to get into practice you will hold every day some smaller teaching units, in order to train for single parts of the beginner programs and the “Diver Stress and Rescue” course.
During the course you will give at least 4 demonstration lessons for theory, 3 for pool and 3 for open water. Each lesson will reviewed right after it, so that you have enough time to improve weak points for the next lesson.
As a little bonus you will get the preparation for the Nitrox instructor and the dive guide instructor, that you directly train more experienced divers.

Why train with La Palma Diving?

Instructor Training Courses are offered all around the world - why doing it on La Palma?
One good reason is that you will train with real full-time profesionals, who are doing nithing else than training divers for years and years. We don't want to issue as many certifications as possible, we train real divers and we train real profesionals. You will learn how to get students into neutral buoyancy as soon as possible, you will be able to teach in a neutrally buoyant position, and this way contribute to form a new generation of divers. We prepare you to be an instructor, not only to pass the exam. You will get a lot of real life recommendations, and for sure, once you start working, we are always available to help you through any doubts or questions you may have.
Train with real profesionals and become a part of the family.

The Instructor Evaluation (IE)

After the successful finish of the ITC there is just one step missing: the two day lasting Instructor Evaluation. In presence of an impartial SSI Examiner you will do the Instructor evaluation. Here you will show the things we have trained during the ITC. This means: some skills, 3 demonstration lessons, one for theory, one for pool, one for open water and in the end a written examination.
Never fear – you will be well prepared!

SSI Instructor Training Course

Minimum age: 18 years
Prerequisites: Divemaster or equivalent, 100 logged dives (better much more), First Aid Certificate
Duration: 14 days

Price:
2090 € starting from Divemaster
1290 € starting from Assistant Instructor
learning materials and IE included