Question about dive academies?

[AGRDiver]

I was just wondering if anyone has ever attended or knows anything about places like Hall's career institute or S.S.I., because I was thinking about pursuing a further career in the world of SCUBA but am not quite sure of where to start.

[scubanoob69]

I just saw an ad for them yesterday in Dive Training Magazine & was curious as well. Hopefully someone has some information on them, good, or bad. I would like to know cost, careers, types of jobs they place you in & rate of pay, etc.

Thanks In Advance

[PlatypusMan]

I'm going to take a swing at this by giving you a list of questions that I suspect you should be asking any "Dive Academy":

1. If I fail to complete your curriculum or course, am I still obligated to pay the full amount, or, if prepaid, will I receive a prorated refund of the monies I have paid you?

2. How many graduates per year do you produce, and in which agencies? May I contact any of the agencies concerning your graduates? Why or why not?

3. Of your graduates, how many have you placed in the dive industry? May I contact any of your graduates on file? Why or why not?

4. After completing your course, exactly what services can I expect from you in terms of job placement?

Hope this helps.

PPM

[Zyxistal]

There was an instructor at our LDS for a short time that had graduated from one of these (not sure which one). He didn't stay long mostly because while he had all the technical knowledge of a SCUBA instructor he didn't have the skills or practical knowledge that comes from years of diving/working your way up through the courses the 'standard' way.

Now, this is not to say that they are bad, lack in training, etc. Just my personal experience with one of their graduates.

[Mtrewyn]

Originally Posted by Zyxistal

There was an instructor at our LDS for a short time that had graduated from one of these (not sure which one). He didn't stay long mostly because while he had all the technical knowledge of a SCUBA instructor he didn't have the skills or practical knowledge that comes from years of diving/working your way up through the courses the 'standard' way.

Now, this is not to say that they are bad, lack in training, etc. Just my personal experience with one of their graduates.

Good point, some timed the fast track is not the best, one more thing for on the job training

[cummings66]

I don't know how it applies, but in pilot training the faster and more often you hit it the quicker and better you are because you're not forgetting and repeating things.

It takes at least 40 hours of work for a PP-ASEL certificate. Has anybody ever figured out how many hows on average the diving instructor has by the time he's done? Hows of actual diving that is, not counting classroom instruction which in my example above is not included.