PADI IDC Asia - Must-Ask Questions
Choosing the right PADI IDC is an important decision. Our PADI Course Directors and Master Instructors here at Blue Season Bali understand the decision you are facing. We have each been in your exact position at some point. Knowing you have chosen the best training organization for your PADI IDC will not only affect your immediate satisfaction during your course, but also your employability after your PADI IDC is complete.
Below you will find a list of questions you should ask every PADI Career Development Center you are considering. Blue Season's answers are included for your convenience. After that, you will find another MAQ without our answers. Please feel free to cut and paste this into your enquiry for every PADI Instructor Course you are contacting. This will help you compare apples to apples. When the smoke clears, you will see why Blue Season Bali is a very attractive option for quality PADI instructor training.
PADI IDC - Costs and Considerations
1. What's included in your PADI IDC?
BSB: Our 4 week special PADI IDC program includes the 6 day IDC preparation course, 10 day IDC, Emergency First Response Instructor course, the PADI Mock IE, the MSDT prep course including Deep, Wreck, Drift, EANx and O2 specialty instructor ratings, 28 nights twin share accommodation, breakfast, lunch, soft drinks, tea and coffee through the IDC. We also give you lots of added workshops including our intro to tec diving.
We also provide you with transfers and support during the PADI IE in Bali. You will need to pay for your own flight to and from Bali. You will also need to pay for the accommodation outside of the 28 free nights.
As part of the Special 28 Day IDC we also include the eLearning and dive theory components that are normally extra. This is a saving of USD420.
If you choose the standard 12 day IDC then the cost only covers the course itself; there are then many other extras associated with the course.
2. What extra costs are involved with the IDC?
BSB: We have two options to consider here.
28 Day Special IDC Offer:
With the 28 Day IDC you need also to consider the application costs to PADI. You have to pay for the Instructor application, IE fee, EFR Instructor application and any Specialty Instructor Applications. The prices for these can be seen here.
You will also need to have all the PADI materials required for the course. You will need to have all of the diver manuals from Open Water up to Divemaster with you during the IDC in Bali. You also then need to have a complete IDC crew pak.
For the EFR Instructor course you will need to ensure that your current CPR rating is valid within 24 months from the date of the course. You will also need to ensure that you have the EFR instructor manual which is a requirement for the EFR Instructor course. We canhelp you to purchase this when you are here in Bali.
Standard 12 day IDC:
You will need to make sure that you have completed the PADI IDC eLearning and PADI Dive Theory online prior to arriving in Bali. If you are not already and EFR Instructor then you will be required to undertake that prior to starting the IDC.
Accommodation and airport transfers are not included although we are happy to help you arrange these. We also do not include the preparation course so you will need to be refreshed and ready to go with the IDC. There will not be so much time for remedial work on the 12 day IDC.
As with the 28 Day Special IDC offer you will also need to be aware of the PADI Materials and EFR Instructor requirments.
You can have a look at our price comparison to see how the two options compare.
3. How much does it cost to live in Bali?
BSB: Not much. A good western-standard meal is around USD3-5. You can get Nasi Goreng (fried rice), a local favorite, for under USD0.50. A film at the local cinema is USD2. Ice-cold Bintang beer is available everywhere for about USD1.5.
PADI - Quality of Training
1. How many of your PADI IDC candidates have not been successful at the PADI Instructor Examination?
BSB: Zero. When you finish with your PADI IDC with Blue Season, you will also be that good. This is our mission and we take it seriously.
2. How many of your Bali IDC candidates have gotten decompression sickness and gone into a recompression chamber?
BSB: Zero. As opposed to some of the "instructor factories" out there, our small course ratios and respect for safe diving procedures make our commitment to safety impossible to surpass.
3. How accessible are your course directors and master instructors to help me before my IDC?
BSB: Always. We have a PADI Course Director or Master Instructor in the shop available for help and consultation seven days a week, 365 days a year.
4. How accessible are your course directors and master instructors to help me during my IDC?
BSB: During the IDC our PADI Course Directors and IDC Staff Instructors will be there at all times to assist you. We do not finish at 5pm and then go home. We will stay with you all the time you need during the IDC and IE. Our goal is to see you succeed and become professional dive instructors. That takes dedication and commitment from our IDC team; we are here for you!
5. How successful are you at training PADI Instructors?
BSB: To this day, Blue Season Bali has a success rate unmatched by any IDC center in Indonesia. In the last 4 years all of our Blue Season Bali IDC candidates have passed their PADI IE. We are proud of our record that demonstrates our commitment to Instructor level training. There is no IDC center more dedicated to your success than Blue Season Bali.
6. How experienced are your Course Directors?
BSB: The PADI IDC team at Blue Season Bali consists of three PADI Course Directors and a team of Master Instructors and IDC Staff Instructors. The PADI CD team have trained hundreds of IDC candidates for over 10 years with an unmatchable success rate in Asia. In February 2010, our head Course Director, Jonathan Cross, won the PADI Member Award for his commitment to Instructor Development along with obtaining the PADI Platinum Course Director rating.
Blue Season Bali also provides language support in many languages including English, Japanese, Dutch, German, French, Chinese, Indonesian and Russian.
7. What does it mean to be a "PADI CDC"?
BSB: As a PADI CDC Blue Season Bali has been recognised by PADI as one of the elite training facilities in the world. Only a handful of centers will ever enjoy this rating. By achieving this rating Blue Season Bali has shown dedication to training new divers and producing the industries finest dive instructors. Blue Season Bali has just won the PADI Member Award for "Outstanding Dive Business 2010"!
8. Do you provide me with work placement opportunities?
BSB: Yes. Blue Season Bali has numerous employment opportunities for those Instructors looking for full or part time work. We can assist with resume building and putting you into contact with potential employees. Blue Season Bali also offers employment for certain individuals.
PADI IDC - Quality of Life
1. What's it like to live there?
BSB: The historically Hindu-Buddhist people of Bali are possibly the most friendly and accommodating in the world. We are located in the city of Sanur, a suburb of Denpasar, the capital of Bali Province. Sanur offers a peaceful yet conveniently-located place to do your PADI IDC internship. There are gyms, water parks, malls, cinemas, nightclubs, and surfing beaches either right here in Sanur or only a short ride away.
2. How is the food?
BSB: Great! Balinese food blends some of the finest cultural dishes in Asia into a very delicious and eclectic offering. Within walking distance of our shop there are traditional Balinese, Chinese, Thai, Indian, Italian, German and Dutch restaurants. The standard western offerings are also available at every turn. If you desperately need McDonalds or KFC after a hard night out, we've got them locally too.
3. Is there anything to do at night?
BSB: Sanur is dotted with high-quality affordable restaurants, pubs and sports bars. And if you want to shake your money maker, the world-famous nightclubs of Kuta are only a short taxi ride away!
4. How many brothels and girly-bars are located on the same street as your dive shop?
BSB: None. You may be surprised at the response of some other shops! What you do with your free time is up to you; we couldn't care less. These ubiquitous southeast-Asian establishments are located across town. Our location here in Sanur is more low-key, letting you focus on diving when you want to.
PADI IDC - Quality of Diving
1. How's the diving there?
BSB: Awesome! Well, it's only awesome if you like things like cuttlefish, octopi, nudibranchs, great barracuda, schooling jacks, mantas, sunfish, and giant cod. Our permanent instructor development staff members have dived all over the world. We each originally came here for one reason- the diving.
2. Is there any of the "big stuff"?
BSB: Yep. We have schooling Manta Rays year-round, and seasonal Oceanic Sunfish (Mola-Mola). Unfortunately, the pelagic species in places like the Bay of Thailand and the East Coast of Australia have been nearly wiped out.
3. What about the "small stuff?"
BSB: The Indonesian Archipelago is considered to be the global cradle of marine diversity. Thousands of species of nudibranchs, crabs and shrimp inhabit the region, making Bali a world-renowned macro photography destination.
4. Is there wreck diving?
BSB: Yep! The wreck of the USAT Liberty is nearby and we visited it more than 200 days last year alone. This huge ship was beached after being rendered inoperable by a Japanese torpedo impact in 1945. 22 years later, the magma flow from the eruption of Mt. Agung in 1967 pushed her into the water, making it a surprisingly well-preserved WWII era wreck. Ranging from 5m-30m in depth, this is an excellent dive site and offers perfect conditions for wreck training!
5. How diverse are your dive sites?
BSB: Very diverse. We have walls, reefs, wrecks and volcanoes (yes, I said volcanoes). We have drift sites, deep sites, shallow sites, easy sites, challenging sites- just about anything you can imagine! Part of being a competent dive professional is having experience in a wide variety of diving sites and conditions. The natural diversity of Bali offers the opportunity to gain this valuable experience in one location.
PADI IDC - Commitment to IDC Candidates
1. When was the last time you were recognized for excellence by PADI?
Our head Course Director Jonathan Cross was (most recently) awarded PADI's certificate of recognition for excellence in 2010. He has had multiple certificates of recognition from PADI. In this case, it was awarded in recognition of his ongoing mentoring and developing of dive professionals long after his initial commitment to them was fulfilled. This commitment is shared by our entire instructor development team here at Blue Season Bali.
2. How do you help candidates get jobs after the PADI IE?
BSB: We include our exclusive Professional CV Development Seminar with every PADI Instructor internship. Our experienced staff has worked all over, and we also work hard to utilize our personal networks of dive centers and resort owners to help interns find professional placement.
3. Are you just going to give me access to a "job listing" web site and send me on my way?
BSB No. There are plenty of web sites available out there, and we can point you in the right direction. However, we take a personal approach to helping each IDC candidate find placement after becoming a PADI professional. We do this with the goal that our commitment to excellence will inspire you conduct yourself the same when you are out there representing PADI and BSB.
PADI IDC - Facilities
1. What makes your facilities special?
BSB: Our dive base in Sanur has the IDC classroom and swimming pool all in one location. That means you spend so much more time concentrating on your IDC and less time traveling between locations. The open water training sites are also only a few minutes from the beach which makes life very easy.
2. How well equipped are your classrooms?
BSB: We provide our IDC candidates with the best possible environment in which to study and develop into PADI Instructors. The IDC Classroom is fully equipped with the latest technology allowing IDC candidates to utilize the full range of PADI multimedia, such as the prescriptive lesson guides. The classroom has the complete inventory of PADI materials for reference. Free Wifi internet access and power points are available to all IDC candidates.
3. What is the accommodation like where I will stay?
BSB: IDC candidates will normally stay in one of the local losmen style accommodation throughout the internship. These rooms are clean yet basic rooms with en suite toilet and shower rooms. Upgrades are available for those candidates wanting a more luxurious environment.
4. What about lunches and drinks?
BSB we supply you will lunch every day during the IDC (28 days) which caters for all cultures. Vegetarians do not need to worry as our lunch is varied to cater for all. .
During the IDC we provide tea, coffee and cold water free of charge throughout. Canned drinks are available to buy from our shop.
We also have the occasional BBQ to help you settle into the IDC.
So, here's a simple cut-and-paste question list that you can feel free to send to any of our competitors. You can even use the google search links provided below to find them. You already have our answers above, listed above. We provide this information knowing full well that Blue Season Bali is the most cost effective all-inclusive professional training available world wide. All we're trying to do is help you discover that for yourself.
Dear Sirs:
Before coming and booking my professional training with your dive center, I have a few questions:
1. How many of your PADI IDC candidates have ever failed the PADI Instructor Examination?
2. How many of your candidates have gotten decompression sickness and gone into a recompression chamber?
3. How accessible are your course directors and master instructors to help me before my IDC?
4. Do you provide other specialty courses included in my package?
5. What's it like to live there?
6. How is the food?
7. Is there anything to do at night?
8. Is your dive shop surrounded by girly-bars and brothels? I've heard some are...
9. How's the diving there?
10. Is there any of the "big stuff"?
11. What about the "small stuff?"
12. Is there wreck diving?
13. How diverse are your dive sites?
14. When was the last time you were recognized for excellence by PADI?
15. How do you help IDC candidates get jobs after the PADI IE?
16. Are you just going to give me access to a "job listing" web site and send me on my way?
I appreciate any information you can provide. This is a big decision for me.
GOOGLE LINKS FOR SEARCHES:
"PADI IDC Asia"
"PADI Instructor Course"
"Diving Instructor Training"
If you are not sure about what PADI Instructor course is right for you then please let us know - we are here to help you make the right decision for you! we are always happy to give you a call, or email you about any questions you have.