Many people consider an Internship as a route to becoming a Scuba Instructor, if the company is professional / well established and staffed with great people then it can be a great way to learn lots while living and ‘working’ in a different country. If you make a good impression while living and working with the company they might see fit to employ you once your Internship is completed, although you shouldn’t assume this. Here is a sample request that shows the common worries and concerns when someone considers an Internship placement.
[PADI Divemaster] At the moment I’m searching for the right dive center for me and my budget. What I’m looking to do is a dive instructor internship beginning in early to mid July. Currently, I’m a Naui certified open water scuba diver but looking to convert to Padi for business and job opportunity reasons. Being already Open water certified with +200 dives, in varying locations, environments and diving activities (recreational and research), this should reduce time and cost of any internship, I’m assuming, as I really need to plan around my budget. My Budget is important but not the most important thing for me, of more importance is a dive center that is more personal and focused on its students safety and education. The result I’m looking for is to be working as an instructor in the industry and to be reliable and safe.
At this stage I’m focused on going to Thailand, probably Koh Tao but I’m open to other locations in South East Asia (at this stage, it fits my budget and accessibility). My choice all depends on the what the CD’s or centers offers are like. Below are the 3 dive centers I have narrowed my search too but I haven’t contacted them as of yet (prefer the 1st 2 most). Information I’m interested in at the moment is: internship duration, cost, dive center quality and facilities, accommodation, visa assistance (by the way I’m Australian) or info, etc.
- Simple Life Divers
- Big Blue Diving
- Crystal Dive Resort
Here is some added information to help assess my dive history and experience to help you or a CD with assessing my internship prospects :
- Verification link for Naui certification
- Formally a certified DAN’s Senior first aid and O2 for dive accidents.
- Hold an Australia boating licence.
- Bsc in Archaeology: Major in Maritime Archaeology.
One area that I personally need to work on is the mathematics of diving physics for courses like Dive Master. I have read a lot about diving physics and I understand the concepts and its application to diving, maths is just not my best subject. Is there any Padi manual that helps work through the maths or could you point me in a good direction to help me work on this, please.
Any assistance you can provide would be appreciated in helping me make a good choice. Sorry if I’m asking to much but I would rather give you this info to help you provide me with appropriate feedback or information.
[IDC Guide] Having lived and worked in Thailand and can only recommend one Phuket Dive Centre and Course Director (Scubacat with Sarah Kench). You will have fun, great to work with and she will help you iron out any problems you have with Physics, do you want me to put you personally in touch with her? She should be emailing you soon anyway