PADI Staff Instructor Course
Become a PADI Staff Instructor

Deliver PADI Assistant Instructor Courses.

Support your Course Director on IDCs.

Level up your teaching skills.

You've been teaching baby divers for a while now, you've delivered some cracking Divemaster training and you've been busy sharing your passion with divers through your favourite specialty courses.

Ready for a new challenge?

As a qualified PADI Staff Instructor, you'll be able to create brand new Assistant Instructors and you'll have the skills to support your Course Director by delivering training during IDCs.

You'll learn how to evaluate Instructor Candidates during their teaching presentations and give feedback that will set them up for success during their diving careers.

That's the bones of the program, but it's actually sooo much more than that.

The PADI Staff Instructor Course forces you to look at your own teaching and you must approach it with an open mind. If you're willing to analyse the way you do your job right now, you'll identify the good, kick out the bad and add new techniques to your repertoire because you'll understand the PADI System on a whole new level.

After your PADI Staff Instructor Course, you will be an even better dive pro.

 

What does the PADI Instructor Course look like?

Apply to train.

Fill in a short application form to apply to attend the PADI Staff Instructor Course at The Fifth Point, working alongside our Course Director Nic.

This process allows both you and Nic to make sure that The Fifth Point is the best fit for your Staff Instructor training.

Find out more about why we do that here.

PADI Staff Instructor Course Preassessment.

In the run-up to your PADI Staff Instructor Course, you'll be guided through some independent study with Nic and the team over Zoom.

They will create a plan to help you swot up on Dive Theory and Standards & Procedures. They'll also help jog your memory about delivering PADI style teaching presentations so you're ready to smash the assignments when they see you in person.

As part of your prep, you'll complete The Essentials of Human Factors in Diving course, which sets the tone for how communication and cooperation skills will be used throughout your PADI Staff Instructor Course and our IDCs at The Fifth Point.

When we see you in person, you'll spend 1 day completing your PADI Staff Instructor Course Preassessment. You'll take those familiar dive theory and standards & procedures exams. You'll also deliver various teaching presentations and skill demos.

The PADI Staff Instructor Course.

During your two day course, just before the start of a real IDC, you'll spend time with Nic diving deeper into the PADI System.

You'll learn more about the Instructor Development Curriculum and how to organise instructor level training.

You'll also practice evaluating, scoring and giving feedback for teaching presentations.

Our Master Instructor Laura (also a clinical psychologist) will help you understand how to develop a culture of psychological safety so that your candidates feel open to receiving constructive criticism.

Staff an entire IDC.

Now that you're prepped as a PADI Staff Instructor, it's time to put your new skills into practice!

You'll staff a full 14 day Instructor Development Course alongside Nic and the team. You'll take part in discussions, share your experiences and support your new instructors.

You'll practice evaluating real teaching presentations and share your feedback with your candidates.

Each day, you'll debrief with Nic, Laura and James as you compare scores and shape the plan to help candidates excel during the following day.

You also have the opportunity to take a regulated Emergency First Aid at Work qualification alongside your candidates as they prepare for their ERFi qualification.

After the IDC you can even join your candidates at the Instructor Exam, cheering them on from the sidelines (and sticking around for the big party!)

Become a PADI Staff Instructor in the UK

Meet Nic, your PADI Course Director

Nic will be your Course Director and mentor throughout your PADI Staff Instructor Course and a constant source of support during your instructor career.

She's been teaching people how to dive for over a decade and is completely committed to protecting the ocean. As co-founder of The Fifth Point, marine conservation is at the heart of everything we do and her passion is infectious! Nic has been creating an army of eco-conscious PADI Instructors and Staff Instructors who now work all over the globe, implementing the techniques they've learnt from her.

She's the creator of The Dive Pro Hub - a whole bunch of resources aimed at Divemasters and Instructors to help them become the best Dive Pro they can be.

And it's not just Nic you'll meet.

Nic's created a specialist team around her who are experts in their respective fields. You'll meet this incredible bunch during your PADI Staff Instructor Course.

Laura

Founder of Fit To Dive, Laura is Clinical Psychologist as well as a PADI Master Instructor. She offers amazing insights into how to handle the psychological aspects of scuba diving and teaching.

Jim

Jim is a self-confessed kit nerd and PADI Master Instructor. Channel his wisdom regarding modern diving techniques like using wings, longhoses and even sidemount while teaching.

Helena & Ian

Founders of award-winning Life Saving Training, Helena and Ian are specialists in outdoor first aid training. They'll show you how to teach first aid and make sure you can help anyone in trouble.

PADI Staff Instructor with full IDC audit

What's involved in the PADI Staff Instructor Course?

The PADI Staff Instructor course gives you the skills you need to be able to teach the Assistant Instructor Course and also deliver training in IDCs to support a Course Director.

But it's not just about being able to certify the next level of dive pros. It's so much more than that.

The skills you'll develop during the PADI Staff Instructor course will change the way you teach EVERY level of diver.

You will learn how to create a culture of psychological safety that will be a game changer for your students, mentored candidates and the teams that you work with at your dive centre. You'll practice giving thoughtful and informed feedback to help dive pros develop professionally. You'll learn that there's more than one way to deliver PADI training and that your way is not necessarily the best way.

Right now, you probably spend a lot of time with your head in the PADI Instructor Manual, making sure you stick to the standards. You'll be well practiced at this. During your PADI Staff Instructor course, you'll take a birdseye view of the whole PADI System of Education. With this heightened understanding of the PADI curriculum, you'll be able to deliver improved training to every student you teach.

 

Your PADI Staff Instructor course costs £1,500.00 and includes all materials plus...

 

Online prep.

In the weeks running up to your PADI Staff Instructor Course, Nic and the team will help you analyse your current strengths and weaknesses and form a plan to help you develop your skills. 

You'll revise the 5 areas of Dive Theory (physics, physiology, skills & environment, equipment and RDP) plus practice answering Standards & Procedures questions.

You'll remind yourself how to deliver PADI style teaching presentations for knowledge development, confined water and open water.

Before your PADI Staff Instructor course begins, you'll also take the Human Factors in Diving Essentials course.

 

1 day PADI Staff Instructor Preassessment.

Before your PADI Staff Instructor Course kicks off, you'll spend the day doing some preassessment activities. As a PADI Staff Instructor, you'll be qualified to teach and evaluate AI and IDC candidates, so there's a certain benchmark you have to achieve before starting the course. 

During your preassessment, you'll complete Dive Theory and Standards & Procedures exams (scoring at least 80% on each). You'll deliver a knowledge development and a confined water teaching presentation (scoring at least 4.0 on each). You'll also work through a skills circuit (scoring at least 96 points)

 

2 day PADI Staff Instructor Course. 

After smashing the preassessment, you'll move on to the PADI Staff Instructor Course. You'll spend 2 days taking a deep dive into the PADI Instructor Development curriculum and you'll learn how to organise and conduct the AI program.

You'll learn how to evaluate candidate teaching presentations by analysing the assessment criteria and scoring mock presentations. You'll also work on giving feedback and learn more about creating psychological safety when teaching.

 

14 day IDC audit.

You will work alongside the Instructor Development team to mentor real candidates through their IDC. You'll take part in classroom discussions and coach candidates through any barriers they're hitting with knowledge or skills. You'll also be evaluating their teaching presentations for knowledge development, confined water and open water.

At the end of each day, you'll debrief with Nic and the team. You'll compare your evaluation scores and discuss your thoughts. You'll also have input into the plan of action for the next day to help candidates develop and excel.

 

1 day Emergency First Aid at Work Course.

As part of their IDC, your candidates will also become Emergency First Response Instructors. You have the opportunity to take a regulated First Aid at Work course alongside them. It's a great opportunity to refresh your own first aid skills and learn from our friends at Life Saving Training. Helena and Ian are avid rescue divers and Mountain Rescue volunteers and your training will be tailored to diving. 

Next PADI Staff Instructor Course dates

FAQs

We schedule PADI Staff Instructor Courses to coincide with our IDCs. Your training will take place in the 3 days before the IDC starts.

While we're keen to get instructor candidates signed up for every program, sometimes it doesn't work out the way we're expecting and an IDC audit isn't available.

Give us a shout if you'd like to chat about this more, we may be able to come up with a backup plan!

Your PADI Staff Instructor course will cost £1,500.00.

This includes...

  • Your IDC Staff Instructor crewpak (RRP £366.00)
  • Online prep with personalised action plan
  • 1 day PADI Staff Instructor Course preassessment
  • 2 day PADI Staff Instructor Course
  • 12 day IDC audit
  • 1 day regulated Emergency First Aid at Work course

You also have to pay your application fee to PADI. Your IDC Staff Instructor application is currently £109.20.

Now then, it's time to address the elephant in the room!

We know that our PADI Staff Instructor Course is probably more expensive than others you've seen.

There's a few reasons for this.

Firstly, your PADI materials are included. There's a sneaky tactic in the diving industry where centres don't include materials in their PADI Staff Instructor Course packages. This makes them appear cheaper when they're advertised. It's a pretty brutal sting in the tail when you turn up for your course and there's at least another £366 to pay.

Secondly, although the bones of the course are similar to every other PADI Staff Instructor Course you'll see, this is not a ticky box exercise. You won't just learn how to deliver an AI course or how to evaluate teaching presentations. You're going to learn and practice skills that will take your teaching to another level.

That's why we include extra stuff to help you develop as a dive pro like:

  • Human Factors in Diving Essentials Course
  • How to create a psychologically safe culture
  • How to give feedback that is thoughtful and useful
  • A regulated Emergency First Aid at Work course (not just another EFR course - this is delivered by outdoor care professionals)
  • Daily debriefs and dedicated time with your Course Director each day

 

Choosing where to do your PADI Staff instructor Course is a big deal.

This training is expensive, and you need to make sure that you're making a good investment in yourself. What you learn during your course will set you up for your future success as a PADI Staff Instructor. You need to make sure you're getting the best training you can.

That's why we urge you to do your research! We hope that we're the perfect match for you, but it might be that The Fifth Point just isn't right.

And it's not just about what's included in the training. You need to make sure that you click with your mentors and the dive centre team. You're going to be spending A LOT of time with them during your PADI Staff Instructor Course, and they will be there to support you throughout your diving career. Find mentors that you get along with. You might find this blog post useful "5 tips to help choose a dive centre".

This is also the reason that we ask you to apply to take your PADI Staff Instructor Course with us as it helps both you and Nic decide if The Fifth Point is the best fit for you. You can read more about that here.

Our credentials.

We are a PADI 5* Instructor Development Centre which means our team train everyone from beginner divers, all the way up to Master Instructor level.

Nic and Jim (the co-founders of The Fifth Point) have been teaching people to dive for over a decade. They have created a very special team that will help you during your PADI Staff Instructor Course.

Our commitment to protecting the ocean.

The ocean is a very special place. It's our playground, our office, our happy place. It's also the world's life support system. Without it, there would be no life on Earth.

Divers witness first-hand the pressures that the ocean face. From the devastating impact of climate change on underwater habitats to the issues caused by marine debris.

As a PADI Staff Instructor, you have the skills to do something about it!

Your actions on land and underwater can directly protect the ocean. You are the ultimate role model to your divers. You can inspire them to protect the ocean and then equip them with the skills to do just that. You're joining an army of eco-conscious dive pros that are working all over the world using the techniques they learnt at The Fifth Point.

 

To start the PADI Staff Instructor Course, you need to be...

  • A teaching status PADI Instructor
  • A PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer
  • An Emergency First Response Instructor
  • Medically evaluated and cleared for diving by a physician within 12 months

You must also...

  • Agree to conduct all levels of diver training consistent with the standards and philosophy outlined in the PADI Instructor Manual, PADI’s Guide to Teaching and the PADI Course Director Manual.
  • Agree to use the PADI System and its components in their entirety.

Your PADI Staff Instructor Course starts with independent learning. In the weeks running up to your training, Nic will help you create an action plan to fill in any gaps you both think are relevant. This might include swotting up on dive theory or standards & procedures, or running through how to deliver PADI style teaching presentations. You'll also take the Human Factors in Diving Essentials course during this time.

3 days before a real IDC starts, you'll come to the dive centre for your  PADI Staff Instructor Course.

Day 1 will be your preassessment where you'll take some exams, deliver some presentations and demo some skills.

Days 2 and 3 will focus on the PADI Staff Instructor curriculum, how to evaluate teaching presentations and give good feedback.

Then you'll audit a full 14 day IDC with Nic and the team. During this time you'll also take your regulated Emergency First Aid at Work course.

The Fifth Point is not your typical dive centre. We've created a really special learning environment with everything you need to make your PADI Staff Instructor Course awesome!

  • Onsite classroom and training tank
  • Nearby swimming pool for bigger confined sessions
  • Local shore dive sites on our doorstep
  • Kit dunking area, drying room and storage
  • Wood burner stove and snug area to warm up after water sessions
  • Service centre with technician available to help with whatever you need
  • Clean kitchen with fridge, kettle, microwave, toaster and oven
  • Spotless changing rooms and showers
  • Washing machine and tumble drier
  • Free wifi
  • and of course Dive Dogs Haldane and Buoy for cuddles

 

Everything you need for your PADI Staff Instructor Course is included. PADI materials, equipment, and training.

You'll also have access to the kitchen for drinks and snacks.

There is a fee that will be paid directly to PADI. You need to pay this if you want to become a PADI Staff Instructor, there's no getting around it. This will cost £121.20 (as per PADI's 2023 pricelist but it is subject to change).

Other expenses that are not included:

  • Accommodation - if you need somewhere to stay, please let us know and we can recommend some places nearby
  • Entry to inland sites
  • Meals