The PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC) in Thailand runs 65,000–95,000 THB for 10–14 days of training, then you sit the Instructor Examination (IE) for another ~$700 USD directly to PADI. Total to walk away as an Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI): roughly 90,000–125,000 THB all-in. The Course Director (CD) running your IDC matters more than which island you do it on — pick the CD's reputation, not the location's marketing.
What IDC is — and what it isn’t
The Instructor Development Course is the training program PADI requires before you can sit the Instructor Examination (IE). The IDC is taught by a Course Director (CD) at a PADI 5-Star IDC Center. The IE is administered separately by PADI staff examiners over 2 days.
People often conflate the two. They aren’t the same:
- IDC = the training (10–14 days, run by your CD, you pay the dive center)
- IE = the exams (2 days, run by PADI examiners, you pay PADI directly)
Passing IDC doesn’t make you an instructor. Passing IE does. Most candidates from reputable IDC Centers pass IE on the first attempt (>90%), but you can fail. If you fail one section, you can retake just that section. If you fail more, you may need to redo training.
What the IDC includes
The full IDC is actually two stacked courses:
- Assistant Instructor (AI) — first ~5 days. You learn how to teach a confined-water session, demo skills to standard, and present knowledge reviews. At the end, you can teach as an AI under an instructor’s supervision.
- OWSI Program — second ~5 days. Builds on AI, adds open-water teaching, rescue scenarios as the instructor, and the full set of teaching presentations needed to sit IE.
Most candidates do the full IDC (AI + OWSI Program) in one block. You can technically split them, but few do.
Prerequisites
PADI requirements to enroll in IDC, current 2026:
- Divemaster certification (PADI or recognized agency crossover)
- Emergency First Response (EFR) Instructor rating — you teach this to your future OW students
- 100 logged dives minimum
- 6 months minimum since your DM certification date
- Age 18+
- Medical clearance signed by a doctor within the last 12 months
- A working English level sufficient to teach (PADI doesn’t formally test this, but CDs do informally screen)
If you’re a DM-strong candidate but you skipped EFR Instructor, you can take that as a crossover module in 1–2 days during the IDC. Most IDC Centers bundle it in.
If you’re under the 6-month rule, you’ll need to wait. There’s no flexibility here. Use the time to log more dives and gain teaching observation hours.
The numbers
IDC duration
IDC course fee range
IE exam fee (paid to PADI)
IE exam duration
IDC structure
The structure is fixed by PADI globally — your CD doesn’t get to change it. What varies is teaching style, pace, and how much extra prep work you get beyond the standard curriculum.
Days 1–2 — Standards and procedures. Review of every PADI standard you’ll teach against. This is dry but critical: most IE failures are on standards, not in-water skills. You’ll be tested on knowing exact ratios, depths, minimum requirements.
Days 3–4 — Knowledge development presentations. You give classroom-style lectures on dive theory topics. Your CD critiques them. You redo them. You learn to teach without notes.
Days 5–6 — Confined-water teaching. You teach skills (mask clear, regulator recovery, hover, etc.) to fellow candidates pretending to be students. Including realistic student “errors” you must spot and correct.
Days 7–8 — Open-water teaching. Same thing in real conditions. You’ll lead training dives, manage students’ depth and buoyancy, run the dive briefing and debrief.
Days 9–10 — Rescue scenarios as the instructor. You’re not the rescuer anymore. You’re the supervisor. You set up scenarios, watch your “students” respond, and assess.
Days 11–14 — Exam prep and dry runs. Practice tests, mock IE scenarios, fine-tuning. Some CDs do extra days here; some skip if the cohort is strong.
IE (separate, 2 days) — Theory exams (physics, physiology, equipment, environment, RDP/eRDPml, standards, dive theory), open-water and confined-water teaching presentations, rescue scenario, all judged by PADI examiners.
IDC cost: Koh Tao vs Phuket vs Bali
Thailand has two main IDC hubs — Koh Tao in the Gulf and Phuket in the Andaman. Bali (Indonesia) is the third Southeast Asia option many candidates compare. Approximate 2026 pricing for the full IDC + IE prep:
| Location | IDC fee | IE fee (separate) | Total all-in | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koh Tao | 75,000–95,000 THB | ~$700 USD | ~95,000–122,000 THB | Most CDs, most peer candidates, flat sites for teaching practice | Crowded, factory feel, monsoon Oct–Dec |
| Phuket | 65,000–85,000 THB | ~$700 USD | ~85,000–110,000 THB | Slightly cheaper, more varied sites, calmer feel | Fewer CDs, more spread out, October–April only |
| Bali (Indonesia) | 75,000–95,000 THB | ~$700 USD | ~$3,000–4,000 USD | Strong English/Russian/Japanese candidate mix, year-round | Currents at training sites, dive sites further from base |
Phuket tends to come in slightly cheaper than Koh Tao for IDC, often by 5,000–15,000 THB. The trade-off is fewer CD options and a more spread-out scene — you’ll commute to dive sites more.
Koh Tao has higher CD density and the most candidates passing through, which means more peer learning, more practice partners, and faster IE turnaround (IEs happen multiple times per month in high season).
Bali sits between the two on price and infrastructure but offers year-round IDC and a more international candidate pool.
The Course Director matters more than the location
This is the most important thing in this article: pick the CD, not the location.
A great CD will:
- Run their IDC small (4–8 candidates max), so you get real attention
- Have a current PADI Course Director rating with strong IE pass rates
- Teach in clear English (or your language) with patience
- Push you on weaknesses instead of just rubber-stamping presentations
- Maintain a network that helps you find your first instructor job
Some respected CDs working in Thailand in recent years include:
- Camille Lemmens (Phuket / Khao Lak area) — long-tenured, multilingual, strong reputation across Europe, known for thorough preparation
- Marcel van den Berg (Koh Tao, Master Divers / Black Turtle) — SSI-strong but PADI CD as well, smaller-group focus
- Matt Bolton / Crystal Dive IDC team (Koh Tao) — high-volume, organized, strong PADI infrastructure
- Anthony Catt / Ban’s IDC team (Koh Tao) — long history on the island, large IDC pipeline
CD reputations change year to year. Always check recent reviews (last 6 months on TripAdvisor, ScubaBoard, Reddit r/scuba) before committing. Talk to candidates who’ve done IE with that CD in the last year if possible.
A bad CD at a “good” location will train you worse than a great CD at an unfashionable one. Choose accordingly.
Materials and additional costs
Beyond the IDC fee and the IE fee, budget for:
- PADI Crewpack (instructor manual, guide to teaching, training records, slates) — ~$400 USD / ~14,000 THB if you don’t already have one. Some IDC Centers include it; many don’t.
- PADI Instructor application fee after passing IE — ~$200 USD annual renewal fee starts immediately
- Passport photos and document scans — ~500 THB
- Medical exam if required by your home agency — 1,500–3,000 THB on Koh Tao or Phuket
- EFR Instructor crossover if not already held — 6,000–10,000 THB
- Accommodation and food during IDC — budget 15,000–25,000 THB for 2 weeks on Koh Tao or Phuket
- Your own gear — by IE time, most candidates own at least their own mask, fins, reg, and BCD. Add 30,000–60,000 THB if buying.
Total realistic IDC + IE outlay, all-in: 120,000–180,000 THB including accommodation and gear gaps.
Realistic post-IDC career and pay
Becoming an OWSI is the gateway, not the destination. What you actually earn varies hugely by region.
Thailand instructor jobs:
- Pay: 30,000–45,000 THB/month (~$840–1,260 USD) base
- Tips: 5,000–15,000 THB/month in high season at tourist-heavy shops
- Accommodation: usually included for staff instructors
- Food: one meal/day or staff rate
- Work permit: handled by reputable shops; expect to sign a 6-month or 1-year contract
- Realistic take-home: enough to live well on Koh Tao or Phuket, save modestly
Egypt (Red Sea — Hurghada, Sharm, Dahab, Marsa Alam):
- Pay: €800–1,500/month + tips
- Tips culture is significant — divers tip per dive day, can add €200–500/month
- Accommodation: nearly always included
- Year-round work, biggest instructor job market in the world by volume
- Easy visa situation for most nationalities
- Best for: building hours fast, year-round income, no off-season
Caribbean (Cayman, Roatán, Bonaire, Belize, Turks):
- Pay: $1,500–3,000 USD/month + tips
- Tips can be substantial in upscale markets ($500–1,500/month at high-end resorts)
- Work permits harder — many shops want US/Canadian/EU passports
- Best for: experienced instructors with 500+ teaching dives logged
Maldives (resorts and liveaboards):
- Pay: $1,800–3,500 USD/month all-in
- Accommodation: included (you live where you work)
- Tips: variable but can be excellent at luxury resorts
- Months at sea, intense lifestyle, hard to break into as fresh OWSI
- Usually requires 200+ logged dives beyond IDC and recommendations
Europe seasonal (Greek islands, Spain, Malta, Croatia, Italy):
- Pay: €1,200–2,200/month + tips
- Accommodation often included
- 5–7 month season (April/May to October)
- Off-season in Egypt or Asia
- Best for EU passport holders
A common career trajectory: IDC in Thailand → teach in Thailand for 6–12 months → move to Egypt for year-round income and hours → after 2 years, Caribbean or Maldives.
When to do IDC outside Thailand
Thailand is great default, but consider doing IDC elsewhere if:
You have a specific shop you want to work at, somewhere else. If a shop in Greece or Egypt has offered you a job conditional on passing IE, do IDC at their shop or with a CD they recommend. The relationships and local-knowledge transfer matter.
You’ll mostly teach in Europe. Some European shops (especially Mediterranean/Med-Atlantic) prefer instructors trained on European dive sites with cold-water, low-viz experience. IDC in Malta, Croatia, or Spain can be ~30% cheaper than Thailand depending on the season.
You want a smaller cohort. Some boutique IDCs in Bali or Indonesia (Gili Trawangan, Lembongan) run IDCs with 3–4 candidates and a single CD. The intimacy is real, the price comparable to Phuket.
You’re a SSI or RAID candidate considering crossover. Some agencies’ equivalent instructor courses (SSI ITC, RAID Instructor Crossover) run cheaper in Indonesia or the Philippines than in Thailand. PADI specifically is roughly the same price across Southeast Asia.
Ready to start?
We compare Koh Tao dive shops and IDC programs by Course Director, cohort size, IE pass rates, and pricing transparency. Pick where your career actually starts, not just where the marketing is loudest.