PADI IDC Staff Instructor

Catching a problem but failing to correct it earns a 2.0 for Problem Solving on the PADI evaluation slate. A 1.0 is given if the problem is neither caught nor corrected, while a 3.0 or 4.0 indicates the problem was caught and corrected with varying degrees of ease.

PADI IDC Staff Instructors are authorized to independently teach and certify Assistant Instructors. They may only assist a Course Director during an OWSI program and cannot independently teach Specialty Instructor courses unless they hold specific Course Director authorization.

A score of 2.0 is awarded for Training Aids if the aid is used but is ineffective, distracting, or unrelated to the objective. A 1.0 would mean no training aid was used at all, while a 3.0 means it was adequate but lacked imagination.

Effective counseling involves guiding candidates to discover their own errors and develop solutions, which builds their instructional judgment. Dictating exact positions or threatening dismissal undermines the mentoring process and fails to develop independent problem-solving skills.

PADI General Standards require a candidate to be a certified diver for at least 6 months and have 100 logged dives to attend the Instructor Examination (IE), but they only need 60 logged dives to begin the IDC. Therefore, they can start the IDC but must wait to meet the IE prerequisites.

Violating a PADI Standard during a teaching presentation automatically results in an overall score of 1.0 for that presentation. The candidate must be counseled on the standard violation and will need to repeat a presentation to achieve a passing score.

The ‘Value’ criteria evaluates the candidate’s ability to explain why the objective is important and how it applies to the students’ diving activities. Failing to provide this real-world application directly lowers the Value score, even if the objective itself was stated correctly.

Omitting a key element of the briefing, such as hand signals, limits the Briefing score to a maximum of 2.0. A score of 1.0 is reserved for when the briefing is entirely omitted or completely unrelated to the skill being taught.

IDC Staff Instructors may deliver IDC curriculum presentations under the direct supervision of a Course Director. They cannot teach these components independently, as the Course Director remains ultimately responsible for the IDC.

As a mentor, the IDC Staff Instructor should provide emotional support and build candidate confidence by reminding them of their proven competence during the IDC. Suggesting they quit or falsely promising examiner leniency does not help the candidate manage their anxiety constructively.

A debriefing that identifies problems but lacks suggestions for improvement earns a 2.0. To earn a 3.0 or higher, the candidate must actively provide constructive feedback and specific corrective actions for the students to improve their skills.

According to PADI Instructor training standards, an Assistant Instructor candidate must successfully complete at least two Knowledge Development teaching presentations. They must also complete at least two confined water and two open water teaching presentations.

Positioning students so they are looking into the sun or a distraction negatively impacts the ‘Organization/Positioning’ score. The candidate should position themselves so the students have their backs to the sun, ensuring clear visibility of the demonstration.

A score of 4.0 on the Skill Evaluation requires the demonstration to be correct, slow, and emphasize critical attributes to ensure high demonstration quality. A score of 3.0 is given for a skill performed correctly but at a normal speed, lacking the emphasis needed for teaching.

Prescriptive teaching assumes students have already completed independent study. The instructor focuses only on the specific knowledge gaps identified by missed questions on quizzes or exams, making the session highly efficient and learner-centered.

Allowing a student to violate a safety standard or perform an unsafe act without intervention compromises safety. According to PADI evaluation criteria, any presentation where safety is compromised must receive an overall score of 1.0.

During Confined Water and Open Water teaching presentation evaluations, the maximum ratio is 8 candidates per qualified evaluator (Course Director or IDC Staff Instructor). This ensures each candidate receives adequate attention and accurate scoring.

Defensive candidates usually react to subjective feelings of failure. Using the standardized evaluation slate objectively removes personal bias, and private, empathetic counseling helps de-escalate the situation and refocuses the candidate on the standardized criteria.

IDC Staff Instructor candidates must demonstrate mastery of dive theory by scoring at least 80% on each of the five dive theory exams. This is the same baseline standard required of Instructor candidates at an IE.

Instructors must maintain global awareness and control of all students, even when evaluating a single student. Turning their back and allowing students to drift away demonstrates poor control and supervision, resulting in a low score for the ‘Control’ criteria on the evaluation slate.