What to expect on your IDC

WHAT TO EXPECT ON YOUR IDC

What to Expect on your IDC

Hello future instructors!

Get ready for a challenging, rewarding, and surprisingly fun ride. Our IDC is all about building real skills, growing your confidence, and setting you up for success as a dive pro. We’ll push you, support you, and make sure you’re more than ready.

What we expect from you

Check out How to prepare for more information.

How to prepare

What you can expect from us

Experienced and Passionate Team
Personalized attention
Inclusive teamwork environment
Constructive feedback
Innovative solutions
Unforgettable moments

What to expect from an IDC

The IDC can be divided into five sections:

1. IDC e-Learning

PADI’s IDC eLearning is a self-study program designed to help you get familiar with the PADI system and prepare you for the workshops that we will run together. It includes 16 interactive segments that you read through on your personal tablet, phone, or computer.

You can get credit for passing the IDC Theory Exam if you complete PADI’s Dive Theory eLearning within 12 months of your IDC.

Start PADI eLearning now

IDC e-learning covers:

PADI standards

What they are, how to find them and stay up-to-date, how to interpret them and why we must follow them.

Risk management

Understanding what is expected of a PADI instructor, your duty of care, what professional judgement is and how to apply it.

PADI core courses and programs

Familiarise yourself with courses from the instructor’s point of view.

Dive industry business and marketing

How to promote yourself as an instructor, using PADI materials to market yourself and sell more courses, equipment and trips.

2. Workshops

Interactive workshops help you learn by doing. After we demonstrate or discuss concepts you apply the knowledge that you gained from the IDC eLearning.

The IDC Workshops will cover:

Skill Development
Confined Water Training
Knowledge Development
Core Courses (Open Water, Advanced, Rescue & Divemaster)
Dive Theory
PADY System
Risk Management
Business and Marketing Techniques

We provide tips, techniques and guidance, but we also expect you to try out your ideas. You’ll be encouraged to take initiative and grow through hands-on experience. This IDC is about becoming the kind of instructor you’d want to learn from.

3. Waterwork

(Confined & Open Water)

Waterwork assessments give you the opportunity to fine-tune your in-water teaching style. You prepare and give an in-water microteaching presentation (1 or 2 assigned skills), which we will evaluate and discuss during the debrief. This is also fantastic opportunity to learn from your fellow candidates!

You will get feedback on your:

Quick reminder: the “D” in IDC stands for Development. You will start with teaching easy skills before progressing to complex ones. Step by step, you’ll level up control, awareness, judgment, and how to handle student issues safely and confidently.

MORE IDC ASSESSMENTS

MORE WORKSHOPS

MORE EXTRAS

MAXIMUM VALUE

4. Classroom

(Knowledge development)

Classroom assessments challenge you to teach dive theory in an exciting way. A way that your students will remember and apply in the water.

You’ll practice prescriptive teaching with real exam-style questions and learn how to bring concepts to life.

You will improve your ability to:

Grab your student divers' attention
Make concepts relevant by giving examples
Demonstrate your understanding of the PADI curriculum and materials
Be clear and precise when interacting with students
Use dive equipment and props to clarify concepts

Let’s be real, students often lose concentration during dive theory sessions. They may even feel that theory is unimportant in order to go diving. Theory doesn’t have to be boring. We’ll teach you how to make it stick — and make it matter — so your students stay focused and actually get it.

5. Exams

PADI standards & procedures

During the workshops, we’ll guide you through the PADI standards, showing you how to find and understand them in the PADI Instructor Manual. Next, you’ll take an open-book exam (yep, open-book) to prove your understanding. A 75% pass mark is all you need.

Dive theory

Dive Theory is not scheduled into the IDC, so we expect you to come prepared. Please arrive before the EFRI and we’ll help you get a solid grasp of the concepts and knowledge you need. We’ll also give you plenty of practice exams to get you ready. The final exam is closed-book, and you’ll need a 75% to pass the IDC.

Sample of a full IDC training schedule

We give you value for money and pride ourselves on properly preparing you for your new career, that’s why our schedule maybe longer than our competitors.

ARRIVE (DAY1)

These is time to settle in, get prepared and meet your fellow candidates.

PREPARE (DAYS 2-5)

Benefit from our preparation sessions.

EFRI (DAYS 6-7)

Become a EFR Instructor and learn to Teach EFR Primary & Secondary Care, Care For Children and Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) Courses.

DAY OFF (DAY 8)

Relax and fun dive.

IDC (DAYS 9-19)

Our Instructor Development Course is an intense yet fun-packed course that ensures you become the best PADI Pro you can be.

IE (DAYS 20-21)

One and half days, with some well-deserved drinks in the evening.

DAY OFF (DAY 22)

There is nothing like waking up realizing you are a PADI Instructor then going back to sleep!

SPECIALTY COURSES (DAYS 23-25)

There is no better way to finish your IDC experience than with a MSDT PREP.

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What to Expect on your IE

Are you ready to teach?

The Instructor Examination (IE) is one and a half days. It takes place in Dahab at a hotel in Masbat Bay, the same area where we train during the IDC.

Most candidates really enjoy their IE. There is nothing new on the IE, we cover everything on the IDC multiple times before you go to the IE.

The examiners work directly for PADI, they understand you may be nervous and are great at getting you to relax.

If you pass my IDC, I’ve made the decision that you are ready to teach students. PADI just wants to check they agree. That’s why I see the IE as a test of my judgement and training rather than an examination of my instructor candidates

IE Schedule

You have to be flexible to work in the dive industry. As the examiners vary, IEs are often slightly different.

DAY 1

Written Exams

Theory / PADI Standard & Procedures

Confined Water

Demonstrate five skills / Teach one skill

Knowledge Development

Teach one question

DAY 2

Open Water

Rescue Exercise

Unresponsive diver at the surface

Teach two skills

Of course, we are here to answer any questions you have about the IE, but ensuring you’re the best instructor you can be is our focus, NOT the IE. For this reason, we schedule IE Q&A sessions.