1. Be a leader.
As a PADI Pro you’ll have some responsibilities that can’t be taken lightly. Looking after the safety of your student divers is paramount. You will learn how to deal with many different emergency situations. More importantly, you will learn how to recognize and anticipate potential problems and how to avoid them. As a dive instructor you will be a role model for all other divers. Even when you are not teaching a course, other divers will follow your example and may come to you for advice.
2. Improve your communication and management qualities.
As a PADI instructor you will gain tremendous experience in communicating with different people in different ways. Try to explain the effects of pressure to someone, or how to control your buoyancy. You will learn that every student needs a different approach. When you are taking a group of student divers on their first dive, you will be able to make the dive fun whilst keeping student divers safe. You will probable take many safety meassures that your students are not even aware of. If teaching people to dive is just a hobby for you, you will learn a lot of skills that are very useful in your ‘daily’ job. Actually it should make your employer very happy if you become a dive instructor!
3. Share what you love with like-minded people.
Think about your favourite Divemaster or Instructor and think about how they sparked the fuse in you. You’ll probably find that the word “passion” comes to mind. Someone who loves what they do and has a genuine passion for it is infectious. As a PADI Pro you’ll be able to share your passion for the ocean and that’s what will make you great at your job!
4. Find Out What You’re Truly Capable Of.
Becoming a scuba instructor isn’t easy—otherwise everyone would do it. Even if you are an experienced diver, your instructor training will test your limits, mentally and physically. Some of the physical requirements, from the swim tests to the underwater gear exchange, will be challenging. But overcoming each and every challenge makes the overall victory so much sweeter. For some students, becoming a PADI instructor is their proudest life accomplishment.
5. Make a difference in marine conservation.
Are you worried about what is happening to our oceans? You will find it difficult to change people’s attitudes if they have never seen a coral reef for themselves. As a dive instructor you can make a real difference when it comes to marine education. It’s rewarding to educate people about what they’re seeing and experiencing on the reef, but even more rewarding is promoting a awareness about the marine environment that hopefully sticks with your divers long after their course.
6. Fall in love with a fellow marine-loving adventurous soul.
Diving is a very social activity! As a diving instructor you will meet fellow divers and student divers from all over the world. You can be sure that you have lots of things incommon! As a start; your love for adventure and love for the ocean. It may be not your first reason to become a dive instructor but it is certainly one of the advantages!
7. Or just fall in love with the world.
For many PADI pros, the instructor rating comes with the chance to work overseas. Carrebian, Asia, Maldives or Mallorca, the choice is yours. Some like to work and travel across the globe, taking on short term contracts. When you are working in a tropical paradise, you will get to know the place from the inside and you will see it totally different than an avarage tourist.
8. Be someone’s hero.
When most of us learn how to dive there’s a skill that we find tricky or uncomfortable. For some divers it is taking off the mask, for others it’s the breathing. As a PADI Pro you’ll be trained to teach these skills effectively and help student divers to overcome learning difficulties. Breathing underwater can feel very unnatural at first and for some student divers, taking their first breaths with scuba can be a real challenge. If you can help to change people’s fears into feelings of accomplishment and pride, you will be their hero for the rest of their lives!
9. It can open the door to other water-related careers of science and exploration.
Once you’re a scuba instructor, you can use these credentials for other careers, such as marine science. There are many options to volenteer for marine science or marine protection organizations. Like the Bimini Sharklab or SeaShepherd, to name just two. Also if your ambition is to work for marine science institution or aquarium, being an PADI instructor will help you to find a job.
10. Get an active life.
Getting bored of staring at your computer every day? As a PADI instructor your office will be the ocean! You can change your life by turning your hobby in to you job. It’s a cliché, but it is true. Off course there are also classroom sessions but it is your job to make that fun too! And you will get fit. A PADI Pro enjoys an active life which involves plenty of swimming and activity. You’ll be developing a 6 pack without even trying!
Interested in becoming a PADI Pro? Why not do it in a holiday environment? Asia Scuba Instructors runs PADI IDC’s – Instructor Development Courses, in Phuket, Thailand once every month. If you meet all the prerequisites, you can complete your Instructor Course in two weeks. Phuket is a great holiday location. It offers awesome diving and many other activities. You can bring your family too!