Instructor Courses
So, you've come this far. What next? Why not give something back to the club by becoming an instructor?
How do I become an instructor?
Instructor training is done on a regional level by the regional coaching team. As a result you must book up for courses on BSAC instructor training services website.
To become fully qualified, you must go through four stages: The instructor foundation course, the open water instructor course and the practical and theory instructor exams. And the good news is that Warwick Sport will pay half of all these course fees.
The IFC
The instructor foundation course (IFC) is the first part of the instructor training progamme. To be eligible, you need to be a sports diver.
This is a weekend course of lectures, theory and pool sessions. It provides you with the rudiments on which to build up the skills required to be a good instructor.
It is a excellent weekend and it helps you raise your own skill level and become a better diver. Nothing is examinable, it is just a case of turning up. However it will knacker you out, just like it did to Marte!
At present the cost is £95. Our local training venue is Coalville but other venues are accessable. One group went to Exeter in Devon.
On completion you will be able to teach lectures, pool sessions under the supervision of a nationally qualified instructor (NQI).
The OWIC
The open water instructor course is the IFC for open water essentially. To be eligible for this, and all following elements, you must be a dive leader.
This is a one day course at an open water site that teaches you how to lead open water lessons.
The current cost is £45.
After completing this course you are able to teach in open water under the indirect supervision of a NQI.
The Theory Instructor Exam (TIE)
This tests you on your ability to teach theory lessions and on your diving theory knowledge.
It consists of a theory paper that tests you on theory knowledge up to and including dive leader and a lecture element. This requires you to produce a 10 minute lecture on a subject specified by BSAC two weeks before the exam.
The current cost for the TIE is £30.
Passing this course allows you to teach theory lessons and supervise exams without supervision. You are given a number that allows you to sign off these sessions.
The Practical Instructor Exam (PIE)
This test your ability to teach in the open water. You must have done An OWIC in order to do this exam.
This requires you to teach a whole 45 minute open water element of any course up to dive leader (including briefing, kit up and debrief). You are told on arrival to the site what your lesson will be. Following that, you have a minimum of 30 minutes in which to plan it.
The current cost of the PIE is £40
Passing this course allows you to teach in the open water unsupervised (as long as you have passed the theory paper on the TIE). You get a number to sign off pool and open water lessons.
Open Water Instructor (OWI)
On completion of all these courses, a quick call to BSAC will get you an OWI number. This means you will be able to supervise assistant diving and open water instructors. You will also be able to teach skills development courses (SDCs), as well as teach divers all the courses up to dive leader and you will probably be as knackered as Marte!
