PADI IDC Course Cost Many people ask us how much an IDC cost. It is sometimes unclear on websites from PADI IDC dive shops. The reason that the PADI Instructor Development Course cost is usually a bit unclear on those websites is that there are many different components of a PADI IDC that make up the total PADI IDC cost.
Here, I would like to break down the PADI IDC cost for you to understand why it is hard for PADI Course Directors to come up with one inclusive IDC price.
Different factors for the PADI IDC cost:
- One inclusive PADI IDC Price vs separate (breakdown) of IDC costings
- Different courses included in the PADI IDC cost
- Whether extra materials and Dive Equipment are included in the PADI IDC cost
- PADI IDC package deals
- Are the PADI fees part of the PADI IDC cost?
- Does your PADI IDC include living costs?
Our PADI IDC Course Cost at Sairee Cottage Diving on Koh Tao
First of all, let’s have a look at our PADI Instructor Development Course cost at the Award Winning Sairee Cottage Diving:
If you do the IDC separately the cost will be:
IDC: 39900 THB
EFR Instructor: 8900 THB
IDC Crewpack (books): 21500 THB
EFRI manual: 4150 THB
Total: 74450 THB
PADI Fees IDC separately:
Instructor Application: $331 AUD
EFR Instructor Application: $228 AUD
Instructor Exam: $1120 AUD
Marcel with his IDC and MSDT Students
Or you could choose to do a PADI IDC / MSDT Course package for the best of all deals. In that case, the Instructor Career Package, this includes the IDC, EFR Instructor, and MSDT Specialties Instructor ratings.
(If you want to add on the 25 MSDT certification Internship, then please check out our IDC Package Page)
Cost Package: 90860 THB
You will receive a 10% package discount on the MSDT Specialties in this package (already included in this price) and all PADI IDC Course materials are also included in this cost.
PADI Fees that are not included in this package:
Instructor Application: $331 AUD
EFR Instructor Application: $228 AUD
Instructor Exam: $1120 AUD
Specialty Instructor Application: $131 AUD/Specialty
MSDT Application: Free if you do it with us
Please CONTACT us if you want to get more information on our PADI IDC costs.
One inclusive PADI IDC Price vs separate (breakdown of) IDC costs
As you can see it might be a bit confusing how much this is in total. Some other dive shops make it easier for you by offering a one inclusive PADI Instructor Development Course price. However, this usually means they round up exchange rates from THB (Thai Bath), AUD (Australian Dollar) to any other currency like GBP, USD, EURO, or other.
As much as getting a one inclusive PADI IDC price, it is usually a better deal for you to book a PADI IDC Course at a place that breaks down the IDC cost per course, materials, PADI fees and in different currencies.
If you look at the example of the PADI IDC cost at Sairee Cottage Diving then the best way to find the total cost for your IDC is to add all the courses and materials together and then Google or use a currency exchange app to know how much the total cost will be in your currency.
If you think that that is too much work, then just get in contact with a PADI Platinum Course Director like myself and I will calculate it all for you to get the most accurate (currency exchange rates change every day) total PADI IDC cost for you. Please email me to get the total IDC cost for you.
Different courses included in the PADI IDC costs
A lot of people think that the PADI IDC is just one course: The Diving Instructor Course. This is not completely true as the PADI IDC is a combination of a few other courses:
- PADI Assistant Instructor (Part 1 of the PADI IDC)
- PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI, part 2 of the PADI IDC)
- EFR Instructor
You can take these PADI courses separately or you follow a full PADI Instructor Development Course that includes the PADI Assistant Instructor Course, OWSI course and the EFR Instructor course.
Most people follow the “normal” full PADI IDC that includes all of these courses. In the Sairee Cottage Diving IDC cost break down we showed you:
IDC: 37900 THB (PADI Assistant Instructor & OWSI (Part 1 and 2)
EFR Instructor: 7400 THB
Total: 43900 THB
You need to have completed the EFR Instructor course to be allowed on the final PADI Instructor Examination. The reason why we don’t include that in a one price IDC is because some people are already an EFR Instructor (or from another organisation that PADI approves) before they even start the IDC. Everyone can be an EFR Instructor, even with no scuba diving experience.
Are extra materials included in the PADI IDC cost?
In our PADI IDC cost breakdown, we separated the PADI IDC Crewpack cost and the EFR Instructor Manual cost. The reason for this is that some people have already bought the PADI IDC Crewpack and EFRi manual somewhere else.
The PADI IDC Crewpack is linked to you as a person in the PADI records, so you can buy this anywhere and use it at any PADI IDC Dive shop around the world. Especially, the new PADI IDC Digital Crewpack is fantastic as you can start studying straight away with the online PADI eLearning section!
PADI’s New Digital Crewpack with eLearning for the IDC Course
Contact us if you would like to start with the PADI IDC Crewpack even before booking you PADI IDC Course
Also, some people do need to order the IDC Crewpack when they book their IDC, but not the EFR Instructor manual as they might already be an EFR Instructor prior to the IDC. All of this will influence how much your total PADI IDC will cost.
PADI IDC Course cost Package Deals
How much the IDC costs also depends on if you just book for the standard PADI IDC or if you also want to include the MSDT Specialties only or also the 25 certification MSDT Internship.
After you completed your PADI Instructor Development Course you can teach the following courses: PADI DSD, Bubble Maker, Seal Team, Open Water Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver, EFR, Rescue Diver, Divemaster, Project AWARE specialties and the Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty.
If you want to also teach PADI Specialty courses and get your PADI MSDT rating, then you can decide to add the MSDT Specialty ratings and/or the 25 cert MSDT Internship to your PADI IDC.
You can book this separately or as part of an IDC package. Our most popular PADI IDC Package at Sairee Cottage Diving is the Instructor Career Package. Which includes the full PADI IDC, EFR Instructor and the PADI Specialties Instructor ratings for Part 1 of your MSDT Course.
Dive Instructor Career Package: 83720 THB
You will receive a 10% package discount on the MSDT Specialties in this package (already included in this price), plus, all PADI IDC course materials are also included in this cost.
If you want to even increase your diving job opportunities more, then adding a diving instructor super yacht course to your IDC Package can open up an incredible part of the dive job industry.
Is dive equipment part of your PADI IDC Course Cost
Most people that want to start the PADI IDC already have a full set of dive equipment in their possession. This means that they don’t have extra IDC costs.
Some people don’t have that luxury just yet before they start the PADI IDC. For this reason, we at Sairee Cottage Diving have decided to include a full set of Dive Equipment (except a dive knife that you can borrow during your PADI IDC and MSDT to reduce your IDC costs.
Having your own Dive Equipment does increases the IDC cost, but also makes you look more professional
If you do want your own dive equipment, then you can purchase dive equipment with us with a 15% discount. This you then have to add to your PADI IDC cost. To give you the best deal we even made 3 amazing dive equipment packages from Aqualung and Scuba Pro for you to further reduce your IDC costs.
PADI fees are part of the PADI IDC cost
There are 2 IDC costs you have to pay. One part is the IDC cost that goes to the Dive Shop you conduct your training with. The other part of the IDC cost goes to PADI to become a PADI member and be able to work as a PADI Instructor worldwide.
Depending on where you do your PADI IDC you will have to pay PADI in a different currency. Like for example if you do your PADI IDC in Europe, you will pay PADI in GBP with the PADI office in the UK and if you do your PADI IDC in Thailand or anywhere else in Asia you will pay the PADI fees in AUD to the PADI Office in Sydney.
Because of the exchange rate, your PADI IDC cost will sometimes be more expensive in some parts in the world than others.
Does your PADI IDC cost include Living costs?
Besides the standard PADI IDC cost that you pay to PADI and the Dive shop, you should also include living costs in your budget.
Our PADI IDC Course on Koh Tao at Sairee Cottage Diving takes 21 days and if you include the MSDT Specialties it would take 1 month to complete. This is what most of our students choose, but like I mentioned before you can also add the 25 certification MSDT Internship which extends your package for 6 more weeks. This means you PADI IDC can be as short as 21 days or up to 6 weeks depending on your IDC package.
At this time you need to find accommodation, have food and drink costs, pay for laundry, transportations and other costs. It is important that you include these costs into your PADI IDC budget.
To help you with these costs, we have included dorm accommodation and free lunch during our IDC at Sairee Cottage Diving in Koh Tao. Please contact us for more information about this.
Conclusion
In this article we explained that it is not always easy to give one PADI IDC cost and if a Dive Shop does offer that then you usually have to pay a bit more. If you would like to get the best deal and have the lowest PADI IDC cost then I recommend to personally contact me so I can create a perfect package for you that has the best PADI IDC cost depending on your career wishes.
Marcel van den Berg
PADI Platinum Course Director
Sairee Cottage Diving
Koh Tao, Thailand
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