There are two places in the world where, only once per year in each, professional divers can participate in the most prestigious course and join the most valued professionals in scuba dive community.
This course is called PADI Course Director Training Course (CDTC) and is organized on March in Malaysia (Kota Kinabalu, Borneo) and on June in Dominican Republic (Punta Cana). Maximum capacity is 40 students and is the course is in PADI offer for the last 35 years. That doesn’t mean there are plenty od Course Directors worldwide. The program of the course is unique from the very beginning. First of all it is not just paying and getting in. All candidates have to face a competitive application process, which examines their experience and individual training goals.
There is long list of requirements to apply for the course. PADI Master Instructors with solid teaching and IDC’s assisting experience may be ready to apply. However it is necessary to be an EFR Instructor Trainer, have 250 logged dives minimum, have experience in working for PADI Dive Centre or Resort, pass several exams with minimum score defined and within defined timeframe, present proven record of active participation in Project AWARE and many others.
So, Course Director training is not for everybody. And not everybody is interested in reaching this highest instructor lever obviously.
After successful application and challenging interview with PADI staff member, approved candidates can start their lifetime educational experience. Next 9 days brings the broadest scope of dive training and education available. The course has two phases – a training phase and an evaluation phase. Candidates must successfully complete both phases to be certified as PADI Course Directors.
From the first day they learn from a variety of presentations, workshops and exercises, and complete intensive classroom and in-water evaluations. All participants are also assigned to a chosen marketing project, which has to be presented during complex course evaluation days.
The cost of CDTC is relatively high (close to 10k USD), but Course Directors are among the dive industry’s most influential opinion makers, play a critical role in shaping the attitudes and abilities of PADI Instructors and serve as role models. All in all the money are worth to pay if one seriously think about working in “scuba dive industry”.
