going pro? Economics of diving

[discrepancy]

like your suggestion, but the 'instructor to instructor' forum, if that's the one you're referring to, is a private one... open only to DM's and instructors.

The gentle web guy might be in a kind mood and arrange things.

 

[SwimJim]

How about the intructors panel above the basic scuba forum. I would like to see something other then intructor sex when I log onto this forum anyway. Ha Perhaps a few discrete pm's to those who hang the instructor shingle next to thier personal info.
Another and perhaps better way to approach this would be to work your way up through your instructor rating through your LDS(if thats possible) Then do it part time to see if you like it. As with anything else you will find the more you get involved the more contacts you will make. If people see your serious about what your doing, word will naturally get around and thats the best source of oppurtunity. If you really enjoy what your doing and your good at it, you won't be looking for work too long, it will find you. Thats what its like in any field really.

Best of luck

Jim

 

[Martini]

I am a new instructor. I maintain a day job and teach scuba on the side. Most instructor in the my area do this. Only the instructors who are shop owners do this full time in my area. If you want to move to the islands you can find full time work, however a captain's liscence, the abilty to service gear, being bilingual, and a sales background will all make you more marketable to a resort. That being said I do it becasue I like to teach and I love diving. For me it is fun and if I make a few dollars in the process that even better.

 

[jopperdepopper]

@slimjim and discrepancy: I'm new here, and haven't quite figured out this board yet... must say that I find it a bit odd that the DM/Instructotr forum is private (although I understand the reason for this). A separate DM/instructor forum that'a public would make sense to me...

@Martini: I'm a bit in the following situation: Just been to Egypt, Red Sea, which was absolutely fabulous! One thing I took home is a severe case of the diving-virus... making me want to dive again asap. I live in holland, and so far I fail to enjoy diving here: I know a lot of people like, love and enjoy it, but coldish-dim-murky-green-with-bits-in-it is not my favorite...

Maybe I need a bucket of very cold water and a firm reality-check, but I can't help thinking about becoming a DM, and find work at some resort some place sunny. I've been waking up from sleep dreaming about diving for about 2 weeks in a row now... I have little ties in holland, so I could sort of pack-and-go, do a 3 month training, and hello Maldives! (or someplace like that)

Only thing is, that I have no clue as to how realistic this is. Is working fulltime in a resort still fun after 3 months? Do you need 20000+ dives before you get a proper job somewhere? Is working in a resort 3 dives a day 24/7?
Basically, 1000 questions, and looking for stories from DM's working in situations like this...

Job

 

[toodive4]

Jobs in the Scuba industry fall into one of three pay categories...

1. Volunteer - this is the most often found job
2. Minimum Wage or less - this is the next most often found job... you usually still lose money each year by the time you pay for insurance, gear maintenance and expenses. You might get lucky and break even.
3. Scraps - This is often found at resorts or on cruise ships. You may live there free or really cheap... you may get free meals and you will be able to survive... but by the end of your employment you'll barely have enough money to get a plane ticket home

Hope that helps...

Ken

Hi, I'm wondering how the economics of a pro diver works. Say, you got up to assistant instructor... (or one of the higher instructor levels) then what? Is there some sort of system to deploy newbie instructors? Like a "help wanted list"? Or is going "pro" a sort of hype that takes much more than simple training to achieve?

Here's the thing. I'm just a newbie open water, but I currently have the luxury of spending lots of time to train, and also some money to spare. So, I was guessing that it may be possible to go pro if the job awaits at the end of the line. But, I've not seen enough of the business side of the industry to make a good judgement of whether my investment of time and money will actually lead to a job. (with an okay income)

So, if someone can fill me in on the general atmosphere of the industry, I'll be more than happy. Slap me in the face if I'm making a joke of myself.

 

[Martini]

For The time being why not get some experience and continue your training. You have some time to go before you get to the instructor level. One thing to keep in mind is that being an instructor in the islands is not all diving and having fun. It involves lugging tanks on and off the boat, filling tanks, working in store doing sales, fixing gear, fixing and maitaining boat, teaching pool sessions, and then o yeah you get to dive. I have looked at doing what you are talking about and maybe down the road I will. Many of the resorts want experienced instructors who can teach more than the basics. Plus all the other skills I mentioned before. However, if you really want to do so it can be very rewarding to teach scuba and a very agreeable lifestyle.

 

[kensuguro]

whoa, that's a reality slap right there.. perhaps the combo job sounds like a realistic solution... anyway, the bottom line? It's tough, like any other market. I just wanted to make sure what the competition was like.. I mean, it's a lifestyle that takes a certain amount of commitment and risk taking to live, so I was thinking not too many people to down the road. Apparently, many people do, and the world has an abundant supply of instructors. Of course, the choice may be more realistic with a combo job, as many have suggested.

Jobs in the Scuba industry fall into one of three pay categories...

1. Volunteer - this is the most often found job
2. Minimum Wage or less - this is the next most often found job... you usually still lose money each year by the time you pay for insurance, gear maintenance and expenses. You might get lucky and break even.
3. Scraps - This is often found at resorts or on cruise ships. You may live there free or really cheap... you may get free meals and you will be able to survive... but by the end of your employment you'll barely have enough money to get a plane ticket home

Hope that helps...