The PADI Assistant Instructor Course is the first part of the IDC. Scheduled over 4 days, it can be conducted anytime of the year. This is an excellent preparation for the full IDC and makes you more employable than a Divemaster. The AI rating will allow you teach the academic portions of all PADI courses as well as the Peak Performance Buoyancy and Project Aware Speciality courses. Assistant Instructors can conduct the PADI Bubblemaker and Discover Scuba Diving programs on their own.
 

Upon completion of the IDC, you can become a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor to independently teach all PADI course till Divemaster level.