The Underwater Centre Vs. Professional Diving Academy

Ok so here's my situation.  I've already payed my deposit on the Standard Career Package (9 weeks) at The Underwater Centre which starts on the 4th of October this year.  I knew about both the diving schoolas mentioned but didn't really check out the Professional Diving Academy until now and what I've seen has kind of made me worry if I've made the right choice.

Basically for The Underwater Centre I'm paying £8,773 which will get me

HSE First Aid at Work
HSE Surface Supplied
HSE Surface Supplied (Top Up)
HSE SCUBA

and also including the full board accomodation I'm paying for thats another £2,488.50 so in total I'm paying £11,261.50


Now I've just check on the Professional Diving Academy that I can do the Premier Career Package (10weeks) for £9985 and I get

HSE First Aid @ Work & 02 Provider (Commercial Diving Endorsement)
HSE Professional SCUBA (Part 4)
HSE Surface Supplied (Part 3)
HSE Surface Supplied Top-Up (Part 1)
Construction and Inspection Diver Award
RYA Powerboat Level II
Lantra HSE Approved Chainsaw Course

these guys don't have accomodation but apparently you can get self catering B&B varying from £100 to £200 a week

I reckon they both will probably work out around the same amount of money but I should I go for The Professional Diving Academy just because of 3 extra qualifications or stick to The Underwater Centre?

I basically have until Friday 27th of this month to cancel my deposit with a 20% administration fee, after that I will lose all my deposit which is £1000.  Would be good to hear from people who have studied at both schools.

Cheers

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Permalink Reply by Simon on August 13, 2010 at 5:15pm
My advice is to give Carol a phone at the PDA office, she will put you right as far as any info you need about this course.

No she won't, she quit the school nearly a year ago.
Permalink Reply by Borat on August 14, 2010 at 2:11am
Sorry to hear Carols left, is Rebecca still there as she was good fun and really helpful?  Don't agree with the chainsaw comment we got busted by the safety officer on a job last year for knocking up wooden shuttering topside. Nobody had a ticket and we were stopped from working and issued with a safety breach warning. Had hire a guy in for a couple of weeks for topside fabrication after that.
Permalink Reply by Jake on August 14, 2010 at 11:00am
Did you also check profesional diving center in south africa?
Permalink Reply by Patrick O Shea on August 14, 2010 at 11:09am
Mike,

to be honest all these add on courses that they give you are scams to get more money out of you. They offer inspection tickets and certs that hold NO WEIGHT WHAT SO EVER in the industry. If you can get a basic course without the "extras" then save your money and try get into a civil's company. They will teach you then about the equipment and how to use it for free and you will need that money for the first 3 years cause you will end up in all the s*** jobs making almost no money until you get experience and a break along the way. I am not trying to put you off but someone should tell the guys this in the beginning and save them a lot of disillusion along the way. You will learn ten times more on a job with a few old divers in 2 weeks than the 10 weeks in school. Get your cert to dive and then the learning begins on the job. Good luck mate with it.
Permalink Reply by Borat on August 15, 2010 at 10:12am
Mike, can't speak for anyone else but I know that I would have did the PDA's Premier course if they had it back when I did my course. It's true that you can only learn so much at five school and they made that clear to us to the point that we were told not to include any of our tools training on our cv's. However where the training really helped was on my first jobsite and that's where a lot of baby divers sink or swim. I think that any training that gives a decent grounding in base working skills has to be a positive. Especially if like me you've never had an outdoors hands on job before. Each to there own though and I suppose it depends on the background you're coming from.
Permalink Reply by swisscommdiver on August 17, 2010 at 12:53am
Hi,

I just finished the premier package at the PDA. I originally signed up to do the basic course but a few weeks into the course the premier package really appealed to me. The rigging course is especially helpful to me as was the welding and burning introduction course. In the 10 weeks I managed to log 78 dives. I had a great time there, no question went unanswered, the staff are totally professional, highly experienced, and good fun (hello Nick!!). I agree with the grounding aspect of these courses. I felt I was missing something beneficial by not doing the extra courses. Fair enough, you get training and experience on the job but I personally feel 100% more prepared.

As far as accommodation goes there are loads of places to stay. I stayed in a B&B for 160 quid a week and it was perfect. Some of the other lads stayed in a caravan park, a bit cheaper, and others in more luxurious B&B´s. A tip, join the local gym as soon as you get there and get into the mountains if you can, stunning!!

You will enjoy your time there!! N.
Permalink Reply by Michael Brennan on August 22, 2010 at 11:51am
Well I went to visit TUC on Wednesday an had a chat with one of the guys and got a tour of the place and it looks pretty awesome and I think I'm just gonna stick with my original decision and do the course with TUC. It's all the same qualification wherever I go and I found out that I can buy equipment through TUC at a discount price as one of the guys just got a brand new dry suit for £350 so now it's just a case of working my ass off and getting qualified. Cheers everyone for giving me your words of wisdom :)
Permalink Reply by Shaun Marais on August 22, 2010 at 2:44pm
Like Simon said, if there are no vacancies, it is a lot of cash to give to someone else!
Permalink Reply by richard allan day on January 20, 2011 at 4:27am

its a lot of money to part with,,especially in these trying times,,

Permalink Reply by Simon on January 20, 2011 at 10:56am

And just to rub salt in the wounds AMC has gone bust again and the lads who worked for them are £0000's out of pocket.

 

http://www.edinburgh-gazette.co.uk/issues/26892/notices/28/all=amc+...

 

 

It doesn't matter where you train if you can't get work or get paid for any work you do get.

Permalink Reply by Philip Sharrocks on January 21, 2011 at 2:10am
I wouldent do diving at all mate both the colleges are lieing bastards and there aint really enough work to go round at the mo for the guys in the game already. Do something brauder if I where you mate.
Permalink Reply by Michael Brennan on January 21, 2011 at 2:48am

Thanks for the advice mate but I finished the course December 3rd.  Havent got a job yet, just keep getting the reply of "theres nothing just yet but we'll keep you on file if a position is available for your qualification" thats if i get a reply at all but I've been told to expect that.  Just need to keep trucking though.

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