If you are thinking about or have recently made the decision to take the plunge and become a PADI Divemaster or Instructor, you may still be wondering what it is going to be like and how everything works.
Whilst many people who complete their diving internships simply “fall into” a program, usually when they are travelling and they get bitten by the diving bug, many other people make a conscious advance decision to become a dive pro and book before they start. And unless you have already spent some time in a similar place watching other interns learning, you don’t generally know what to expect or what it will be like.
There are many aspects to your training with us, but I recently received a thank you email from a prior intern, Stephen Shaw. Stephen came to us earlier this year as a newly certified PADI Instructor. He is giving up his current profession – as a doctor no less – to be a dive pro! In light of his own experience in hospitals, he put a unique spin on life as an intern at Thresher Shark Divers. Whilst most of you are not doctors, you have probably – like myself – seen TV shows like House and ER and can perhaps recognise some of his analogies. I thought it would be great to share his comments with you in order to help you understand a bit more about how the internship program works at TSD.
I want to again express how outstanding my experience at TSD was in so many ways. First, the people. Your instructor team was welcoming, professional, motivating, and exuded experience and competence. Your ancillary team (office, boats, tanks/equipment, restaurant, etc.) were an absolute delight to interact with. And, of course, local Islanders were always gracious, patient, and accommodating.
Second, the TSD training infrastructure. I have described TSD to many of my friends as being akin to a busy “teaching hospital,” in that there exists multiple levels of training concurrently and transparently being undertaken. So, you have attending physicians (experienced scuba instructors), teaching residents (MSDT Candidates), teaching interns (Rescue & DMs), all of whom are also treating “real” patients (DSDs to Advanced). And in the mix, you have people graduating as newly qualified doctors (IDC Candidates). Everyone gets stronger not just by “being trained” but also by participating in and observing the training of others. What you have epitomizes the difference between a “teaching” paradigm and a “learning” paradigm (yours being the latter, and the one that has been shown time and again to support real growth and integration of skills, abilities, and attitudes).
Just as in teaching hospitals, It’s always an “interesting” experience when TSD interns role play being new divers – aka muppets (or, in my analogy, “real patients”) and fellow interns have to “manage” them … But then it’s “payback” time when the roles are reversed .
… It is so important to me that I find a good “fit” in terms of philosophy (such as work ethic, training value, safety, customer satisfaction, etc.). And TSD’s people, infrastructure, and location offer exactly what I am looking for regarding a long-term career opportunity.
So there you have it. One doctor’s view of life as an intern at TSD!
Stephen has gone on to secure a great position as PADI Instructor in Tanzania and we wish him all the best in his future career. We are looking forward to seeing him back again to complete his PADI IDC Staff Instructor Course!
Find out more about our diving internships and instructor training!