BSAC

Instructor Training Scheme

GENERAL INTRODUCTION
As well as its many branches in the U.K., the BSAC has a large number of branches overseas. Historically, these branches have been supported from the U.K. in terms of running Skill Development Courses and Instructor Training Scheme courses and exams. These events have been staffed by U.K. based National Instructors who visit the branch on request - often annually. In recent years we have recognised that certain regions have enough branches and enough National/Advanced Instructors to support themselves to some extent. In these regions, the visit from the U.K. National Instructor has changed focus to be oriented more to enabling the local teams to run more events and to updating local skills. The purpose of these notes is to help overseas branches of the BSAC prepare for an overseas visit by setting out some basic ground rules. Please use these notes as a basis for your planning, but bear in mind that with events such as these, there are no hard and fast rules.

THE AIM OF THE BSAC IN RUNNING OVERSEAS EVENTS

1. To stage training courses and examinations that the branch is unable to run themselves.
2. To enable local instructors to run future courses as per their U.K. counterparts.
3. To begin to establish a network of highly qualified local instructors in order to form regional coaching teams and ITS teams.

THE REQUEST
The overseas branch will request the event via the Overseas Development Advisor. Often the request will be made a year in advance but it is not unusual to have only a few months notice. Please note we cannot guarantee to staff events with less than three months notice although we will do our best. This Club Official can be contacted via BSAC HQ, Telford's Quay, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, CH65 4FL, Fax: U.K. +44 (0) 151 350 6215, or e-mail at overseas@bsac.com

STAFFING POLICY
Only National Instructors are normally eligible for staffing overseas events. The exception to this rule is where an event will require more than one person to staff it. In that case, and with the approval of the Overseas Development Advisor and the Branch, the National Instructor may be assisted by approved Advanced Instructors who are either local or U.K. based.
Often one National Instructor will be sufficient to staff an event, obviously depending on numbers of students and the time available. However, if the event includes a National Instructor examination, it will always be necessary for it to be staffed by at least two National Instructors. These National Instructors will need to be approved for the specific event by the National Diving Officer, as they will need to be sufficiently experienced to examine our highest award. Please bear in mind that in-water instructor/student ratios do apply on BSAC courses just as they do in the U.K. The ratio on an IFC/TIE is 1:4, on an OWIC/PIE/AIC/AIE it is 1:3. The numbers can be raised by judicious course timetabling however to some degree. However, in general, one NI would probably not wish to take on more than 12 IFC/TIE, and 6 students on any other course or exam without repeating the event or of course without using outside help. Please discuss this with the NI before taking enormous numbers of bookings. The rules of physics apply on instructional events the same as they do on any dive and the last thing you want is to send your NI home "bent"!
On multi instructor events, one instructor will be appointed as Chief Instructor/Examiner and will act as contact with the branch.
The decision on who will staff a particular event is that of the Overseas Development Advisor and the Branch should not contact a National Instructor with whom they have contacts, or whom they have been allocated in the past before speaking to the ODA.
In general, it is preferable that a particular NI does not visit the same branch for more than two years in succession to allow for a variety of experience within the branch.

THE ROLE OF THE LOCAL ORGANISER
The branch should appoint a person or a group of people to act as local organisers. There is a great deal of planning and preparation work involved in running a successful instructional event and the role of the LO is key as you will see from these notes. It may be that the LO will have to be one of the course delegates but it is probably better if it is not someone who is involved in a great number of examinations as they will have enough to do in preparing for those.
It is important that at least one person is identified as the main contact and that person should ideally have access to either e-mail or fax machine.

JOINING FORCES
It may be that you have enough delegates and enough funds to host the whole event yourself. On the other hand, if there are other branches in your vicinity, it is a good idea to join forces with them and organise a joint event. Perhaps one branch will assume most of the work and therefore have first call on the places. An overseas event is a good opportunity to mix with other branches and perhaps form the basis of future joint teams and potential workshop groups after the event has taken place.

THE EVENT CONTENTS
Most overseas visits revolve around the Instructor Training Scheme events but they can encompass everything. Generally speaking branches overseas, like their counterparts in the U.K. can staff the Diver Training Programme lessons themselves. Where this is not the case, the event may incorporate diver training lessons or Skill Development courses but should also include provision to enable local instructors to be self sufficient in the future. Our aim must be to enable the overseas branch to become as self sufficient as possible in its diver training.

COSTS
The local branch is responsible for the funding of the event, including the expenses of the visiting instructors. In order to help with this process the BSAC does not charge the same fees per student for overseas courses. The BSAC charges the branch a minimal admimistration charge per student per course and/or examination plus the cost of any materials. The cost of materials varies from course to course. The latest costs will be advised by BSAC HQ.
In return, the branch is expected to fund all other costs and charge the students a sufficient fee to cover these expenses and make whatever profit it deems reasonable. The over-riding proviso is that no expense falls on the visiting instructional staff whatsoever.
All expenses reasonably incurred by visiting instructors will be met by the branch and the following is a list of those which most often occur. There may well be others depending upon the specific event and circumstances. In all cases, the instructor should discuss and agree expenses with the branch before the expenditure has been incurred.

• Postage or shipping of course materials to the branch.
• Travel from home to the point of departure. If by car, this should be at the prevailing Instructor Training Scheme rate.
• Car Parking at the point of departure.
• lEconomy air travel to the destination.
• Meals incurred in transit.
• Overnight hotel accommodation at the point of departure if same day travel is not possible.
• Food and drink during the event.
• Transport during the event. If at all legally possible, a car should be provided or hired.
• Accommodation during the event.
• Air fills and diving expenses during the event.
• Any costs incurred in obtaining local visas
• Any costs incurred in sending/receiving documentation for visas.

Costs which are NOT incurred by the branch are those for:

• Instructors personal expenditure
• Alcohol
• Accommodation or travel for persons accompanying the instructor but not actively involved in the event.
• Personal telephone calls or faxes

Arrangements regarding flights and accommodation should be agreed with the branch well ahead of time. Some branches have advantageous arrangements with airlines and will prefer to make flight arrangements themselves. Others, will prefer that the instructor makes the arrangements and notifies them of the details and costs. In the latter event, it is possible to arrange that BSAC HQ pays the costs and the NI recovers them during the event.
The rules for obtaining a local visa may be complex and you will need to guide the NI in what documentation is required and what actions he may need to take. If he needs to bring extra passport photographs or the like with him on the visit, then that needs to be communicated.
If the LO books the flights on behalf of the NI then he should fax them a copy of the tickets and the flight detail confirmation. This will be a help should the actual tickets become lost.
Obviously, it is vital that the National Instructor documents all expenses to be recharged to the branch, and then submit their account for reimbursement towards the end of the course, having given the branch a clear estimate beforehand of what the sum of the expenses is likely to be. The desired form of reimbursement should also be made clear in advance. In some areas of the world it is difficult to obtain hard currency at short notice. It is important to have cleared and been reimbursed for all expenditure by the end of the event, wherever possible, in order to save time and long distance paperwork afterwards.
This is a potentially sensitive area and the key to success is early and complete communication. The visiting instructor should inform the branch of all likely expenditure so that they can ensure that they cost the event to cover the charges. The branch should in turn ensure that they inform the National Instructor of any limitations on expenditure. In case of any doubt as to procedures in this area, please refer to the Overseas Development Advisor who will arbitrate issues in advance.
With proper planning and co-operation between the NI and the Branch, any difficulties should be avoided.

HEALTH
Please advise the National Instructor and the Overseas Development Advisor of any prevalent health problems in the area so that immunisation may be arranged.
If there are any other health related considerations e.g. shortage of particular medicine types and supplies which the NI might expect to be readily available then please advise us of this too.

CLOTHING
Please advise the visiting instructors on the type of dress that will be appropriate to the climate and / or expected of them. Typically, daytimes are casual and the instructor might expect to wear shorts and t-shirt. You should advise them if this is not acceptable or if special dress considerations are necessary i.e. for female instructors.
Many branches arrange a dinner at the end of the event where the certificates are awarded. Please advise the instructor on the standard of dress expected for this.
Military branches often accommodate NIs in the Officer's Mess and they will be expected to dress for dinner and at least wear a tie after 6.00 p.m. It would be useful if laundry facilities are available.

INITIAL CONTACTS
Once you have requested an Instructional Event, the Overseas Development Advisor will set about finding the right staff instructor(s). When they are in place the senior instructor will be given the branch contact details and they will make contact with you. At this time the ODA will also give you, the contact details for the instructors.
If you have not heard from the instructors within a few days, then you should try to contact them. In case of difficulty, please refer back to the ODA. This first contact is important and the instructors will want to try and establish the following information:

• Required dates of the visit.
• The courses/exams you require.
• The times of the day when students will be available.
• How many students are planned for each event. Obviously, this will be a ballpark figure at the moment, but you may need to set a maximum level and you need to know if the numbers are already approaching this limit.
• How many, if any, other instructors will be available to help. (See Using Local Instructors).
• What are the flight arrangements to be?
• Where will they be accommodated? It is better if the instructors are not sharing accommodation with someone who is a candidate on an examination. This can lead to awkwardness.
• If the instructors wish to bring family with them, establish this now and discuss an equitable arrangement for the costs. (See Taking the Family).
• Give advice about local conditions e.g. weather, temperature, dress, food, medical considerations.
• When does the sun rise and set at the time of year they will visit? l What facilities will be available for classroom lessons e.g. rooms, OHP, screen, blackout, chairs etc.
• What facilities will be available for poolwork? Is it a pool or a sheltered area of open water? What are the depths and the likely levels of visibility?
• What facilities will be available for shore lessons?
• What facilities will be available for boat lessons? Are boats available? What type? Can anyone drive them? Are they available every day or do they need to be booked well in advance.
• Are there any particular local customs, bye laws or conditions to be aware of?
• Are there any notable water conditions that might affect planning e.g. calm morning, rough afternoon.

Start to gather this information so that you can have it ready for your first discussion - or send it to the ODA in advance. The instructors will begin to develop an event plan based on the information you give them. You will need to issue this plan in advance to the course delegates so that they will know what to expect and what time they need to allocate. Time keeping is always very crucial on these courses. You will have paid out a lot of money to get the NI to your branch. You do not want to waste it because people are late.
Most importantly in this first contact is to establish the best way for you to communicate in the future. If possible try and set up a fax link as well as a telephone one so that you can send and receive paperwork without having to rely on surface or air mail, both of which are unreliable to some areas of the world. If you both have access to e-mail via the Internet, then that is an excellent method to choose.

LATER CONTACTS
Keep in regular contact with the Instructor. Try and give them names and diver grades of the students for the courses as soon as possible. For planning purposes the instructors will need to know if people are attending multiple events or just one.
BSAC HQ will send out application forms and syllabus sheets for all courses and examinations well in advance so that people can prepare. It is absolutely critical that these forms are available to the Instructor on their arrival. Without a full list of paperwork, the qualifications cannot be processed back in the U.K.

USING LOCAL INSTRUCTORS
It is a great idea to use local Advanced Instructors to assist on courses where at all possible. It will be a means of spreading the numbers and on the other hand it will give the local instructors some wider experience than they would normally gain through the branch.
We realise that many branches are quite isolated except for infrequent visits. We need to use the opportunity to coach local instructors, broaden their experience, use them wherever possible and leave them enabled to teach as many of our courses as we allow. We never forget that for these instructors, our visit is the only chance they have to develop themselves beyond the branch.
They may well not have the opportunity to work in the coaching scheme and Instructor Training Scheme (ITS) that U.K. Advanced Instructors have, and obviously this can lead to instructor boredom and burn out.
Unless the instructor is a member of the local ITS team and has attended an Instructor Training Workshop (ITW), they will not be allowed to examine. An examination is, however, an excellent opportunity for these instructors to attend and observe and broaden their experience.
With planning, it is desirable that such local instructors attend an ITW with the visiting NI before the start of the courses so that they can be shown the necessary skills and methods.
There is no reason why an Advanced Instructor with guidance from the NI, could not give some of the classroom lessons on the IFC. They can act as observers in the group work. If they have a fair amount of experience, they could take a group of their own as long as the branch are happy about this.

TAKING THE FAMILY
The BSAC and the local branch appreciate that the visiting NI is giving up valuable weeks of their limited annual holiday allowance to staff the event. This can present a strain on families. Therefore if personal finances, geographical considerations, timings, local conditions and school holidays permit, it can be a good idea for them to take the family along. The over-riding proviso is of course that the instructors are there to provide maximum value to the branch and not to have a holiday. If the timetable allows them to do this and see enough of the family to make the travel worthwhile, then it ought to be possible to arrange it.
They will need to mention this plan to you at an early stage to get your reaction and advice. There may be local conditions that mean the plan is unworkable or you may not be happy with this arrangement. Obviously, an early decision is required.
If this is acceptable then the instructor will need to agree an equitable means of establishing expenses with you. Obviously, you should not be expected to meet any of the expenses of people travelling with the Instructor or to be inconvenienced in any way. They will need to arrange flights, insurance, food and to pay for the extra accommodation necessary.
On the other hand, if the branch were going to accommodate the instructor in a one bedroom flat or a double bedded room, it probably won't add to the expense at all if it is occupied by two people. Again, communication at an early stage is the key to success. If in any doubt at all then please discuss the issue with the Overseas Development Advisor.

PAPERWORK
There is a lot of paperwork connected with these events. The instructors aim to minimise the amount that they will have to personally carry. To do this, once they have ascertained round numbers for each event, HQ will ship out all the required paperwork direct to the Local Organiser in one consolidated shipment. The packs are really bulky especially the IFC ones.
On some courses and examinations we give advanced notice of lesson topics that they will need to prepare. In these instances, we will either e-mail, or fax the information to a central point in good time. We will issue lesson subjects in enough time for the students to prepare. Again we allow for erratic post or arrange to fax them to a central point.

TIME KEEPING
Time-tabling is always tight during these events. In the U.K. we set timetables and the discipline of keeping to time is part of the course learning experience. It will not be different on overseas instructional events and local organisers need to prepare attendees for the fact that they will be expected to be punctual throughout the course. This process begins with the students being supplied with a timetable in advance and continues with the understanding that if a lesson is due to start at 0900, then that means everyone needs to be there, dressed and ready to start at that time.

ACCOMODATION
The standard of the accommodation provided for the visiting instructors does not need to be luxurious, but it does need to be clean, secure and comfortable. It should be as near as possible to the main teaching venues. It is ideal if it is self catering accommodation. The instructors generally work long days and appreciate being able to prepare a drink or a snack whenever they can.
If necessary, the instructor can be accommodated in the home of a branch member, but it is preferable if the accommodation is elsewhere. The instructors have a great deal of paperwork to write up during the course of the event, and if there are several of them they may wish to discuss aspects of students performances privately. They will frequently need to be at the teaching venues well ahead of the students to prepare and this means that they need to be independent of reliance on others for transport.
If the accommodation is self catering, it would be a good idea to agree a starter pack of groceries to be present on arrival e.g. tea, coffee, sugar etc.

LESSON FACILITIES
As you can see from the planning session, certain facilities are required for each course. Some courses are classroom based; others need swimming pools or sheltered open water; some need boats - large and small. You will need to discuss these requirements with the instructor in the early contacts so that you know when and for how long each facility is required. Some improvisation is always possible with classrooms but other items, for example boats, will tend to be mandatory.

DIVING EQUIPMENT
You can obtain syllabus sheets for all courses from BSAC HQ. These will give you a good idea of course formats and requirements.
Please advise the instructors what diving equipment to take. Bear in mind that you may have acclimatised and will probably wear thicker diving suits than the instructor would feel comfortable in. It is not unusual for people living in the tropics to wear thick wetsuits while visitors are quite content in a lycra diveskin.
You should be able to supply the instructors with cylinders and weights thus relieving them of a heavy luggage problem.
Try and supply the instructor's open water teaching equipment needs. Again the provision and assembly of equipment for the open water lessons will be a valuable teaching point for local instructors.
Check that any equipment that you are supplying will be compatible with the equipment the instructor is bringing from home.

OTHER EQUIPMENT
The instructor will check the specifications of any electrical equipment they may need to bring.

ARRIVAL
You should meet the instructor at the airport or place of arrival. They may be tired, and will be carrying a lot of luggage. If possible, do not organise a social event for the first evening if the arrival is in the late afternoon. On the other hand, if they have a few hours to relax and freshen up after the flight, it can be an excellent idea to have an informal get together with the branch committee and the other instructors before the hard work commences.

DURING THE EVENT
Make sure that the instructor has all the logistical support they need. Amongst other considerations, they will need to have meals provided for them on the course dates as they will not have time to self cater lunch.

AWARDS
It is a great idea to have an Awards Ceremony at the end of the event. Try and get this arranged in advance.
Even people who fail the CIE can be presented with something at the dinner and their achievement marked.

THE FINAL STEPS
Ensure that all paperwork is complete.
Have a meeting with the instructor and go through their expense accounts and issue payment for them.

FINALLY
Hosting an overseas event is a very rewarding and valuable occasion for any branch. It is hard work for those members who act as the Local Organisers and of course for those that attend the courses. With planning and commitment it can also be extremely enjoyable and for many branches it is the highlight of the year.
We hope that you enjoy your overseas event and find that it provides you with the good value and excellent service that you expect from the BSAC.
Thank you.