Tipping for diving class?

[MauiScubaSteve]

I don't see it as a grey area, it's black and white to me; some places you tip the instructor, some places you don't, some people tip generously, some people are cheap, some people are educated, some people are ignorant! :shocked2:

Even a plumber who is an employee is likely making 3-5 times the hourly pay of a dive instructor, and if he makes a midnight house call to fix a backed up toilet he probably gets a tip.

Most resorts in Hawaii are Union, so the waitress at the pool is being paid as much hourly as the dive instructor across the pool (contract vendor employee); you then give her a tip even though everything she has given you is gone in an hour.

Most people who compare dive instructors to college professors just don't want dive instructors to get a tip. How many full time college professors get paid less than $30,000/year?

I guess if you don't tip the part time hobby weekend 'Jersey instructor with a real job for teaching you dry doubles limited vis wreck diving no one thinks you are cheap, but if you don't tip the full time tropical resort instructor on his/her way to wait tables that night to pay the car insurance after s/he turns your kids into little smiling tad poles, you are most likely cheap.

 

[Herk_Man]

If a plumber shows up after hours or on a weekend, he's going to charge you a premium rate, not the normal rate. Tipping a plumber??? Come on.

 

[TMHeimer]

I don't see it as a grey area, it's black and white to me; some places you tip the instructor, some places you don't, some people tip generously, some people are cheap, some people are educated, some people are ignorant! :shocked2:

Even a plumber who is an employee is likely making 3-5 times the hourly pay of a dive instructor, and if he makes a midnight house call to fix a backed up toilet he probably gets a tip.

Most resorts in Hawaii are Union, so the waitress at the pool is being paid as much hourly as the dive instructor across the pool (contract vendor employee); you then give her a tip even though everything she has given you is gone in an hour.

Most people who compare dive instructors to college professors just don't want dive instructors to get a tip. How many full time college professors get paid less than $30,000/year?

I guess if you don't tip the part time hobby weekend 'Jersey instructor with a real job for teaching you dry doubles limited vis wreck diving no one thinks you are cheap, but if you don't tip the full time tropical resort instructor on his/her way to wait tables that night to pay the car insurance after s/he turns your kids into little smiling tad poles, you are most likely cheap.

Agreed that in some places people tip instructors and some places they don't. That's black and white. How being a dive instructors rates compared to other jobs where people do or don't get tipped is the grey area. You can't thrown salary into it without clarification. As a public school music teacher I made $60K per year. When I taught private lessons for a year I made $10K, if that. Nobody tipped me either case.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

If a plumber shows up after hours or on a weekend, he's going to charge you a premium rate, not the normal rate. Tipping a plumber??? Come on.

Location, location, location! I know plumbers who have been tipped; below are just situations that come to mind.

If you are staying at a dive resort and accidentally flush your mask light, before flushing some of your luau, the night shift plumber is on salary: a tip for a good clean up would be appropriate in my eyes.

If your morning sickness new bride accidently loses her wedding ring in the crapper, and the plumber takes it all apart to successfully fish it back out, in less than the 1 hour minimum premium charge, would you consider tipping him?

How much is a better nights sleep worth?

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Will you look at the lengths some will go to not tip!

In many tropical resorts it is common practice to tip your kids dive instructor!

It is not surprising a retired Canadian public school music teacher, who may have retirement from a $60K/year career, does not get tipped for teaching private music lessons in Canada. The fact that one never tipped retired Canadian music teacher would post over and over and over that tipping dive instructors in Coz (or Hawaii) is a grey area is also not surprising.

 

[oly5050user]

Another way of looking at it: If you signed up for a college course you wouldn't tip the professor regardless of whether he did a great job teaching or not. You have paid for the course and the prof. should get a decent salary. Dive instructors do not get paid much, but that may be something dive instructors have to address as a group-I know that may be a fairy tale scenario, but that's life. You pay for a plumber, but no one ever tips him, even if he is not the boss and works for a company. On the other hand, you'd tip a waitress because you are paying the boss for the food and the waitress takes care of the service. I guess the waitress could be compared to the dive instructor, but then again, the instructor, I think is more akin to the professor. Probably a divemaster is more like a waitress in that his service can range from doing the minimum to making sure your dive experience is the best possible. It''s a grey area, I guess, but maybe that explains why I never gave thought to tipping an instructor after a class. His job is to make sure everyone is as safe as possible to begin diving.

I tipped my plumber,I also tip my telephone repair person,furniture delivery people,electrican etc,..they worked for a company on a salary.They did a good job,cleaned up upon completion of his job and were polite.They performed a service for me and like all people in a service industry they should be rewarded/thanked for their efforts by receiving a tip!. I tip the waiter/waitress and they are not responsible for a lifelong activity I am undertaking that can be a enjoyable rewarding thing you can do but be dangerous if not done correctly..So an instructor should be rewarded as well or better than a waitress.I know waitresses that make $200.in tips-and no its not at a "gentlemans club" for a 6 hour day..
Tipping a instructor is NOT a grey area ,he performed a service,its a service industry,he deserves a tip for a job well done.
If an instructor can have you complete skills and understand material in a timely manner, and you leave feeling that he did a great or even good job the instructor should be rewarded with more than a handshake/thankyou ..you pay $270. for a standard group ow course in a class with 6 people,its not asking much to reward that instructor with a tip of $30. from each person presented to him as a group gift.Thats only like a 10% tip,so whats the big deal? It sure would make me feel appreciated!
Sorry people but I have a tough time understanding when people do not reward good service.Tips I have received range from a $20. and a handshake,and thats is appreciated, --to trips to Grand Cayman and Star Island resort in Florida for my high end clients-still waiting for the private jet ride though.-they only flew me in coach..

 

[TMHeimer]

Well, guess I've gotten my comuppence(sp??). It all started from me just saying I've never tipped for a course and never seen it done. The OP just asked for opinions. Incidentally, I have always tipped the DM on the charters I've been on because A. There was a jar there B. In some cases there was a sign C. It seemed to be the protocol and D. I have been lucky to have had good service every time from the DM, both on the boat and as a dive buddy in my "early" days. It had nothing to do with how much a DM made, as when I started out I hadn't the foggiest idea what that was (or I should say, wasn't). When I finish DM I hope someone will reward me if I do a good job as well. Never considered myself cheap, or generous when it comes to tipping. Just never thought of it all for a class. Maybe part of it is that I've never been to a Resort class, and should have mentioned that right off. My bad.

 

[Dave1981]

I've been tipped on a course before as an assistant, from people that are really grateful for the help they've gotten when otherwise they wanted to quit, or thought they couldn't do it. It's been a lunch, a few beers, bottle of rum or something which to me I'm really appreciative of, much more so than I would be of cash.

I don't expect to be tipped, and wouldn't be comfortable working in an environment where the management pushed for us to be tipped. I do this because I love diving, the shops already push the hard sell and It's expensive for anyone to dive. We know what we got ourselves in for before we became pro's and it wasn't about the cash, there's none to be had.

Tip only if you really think you got service above and beyond imo. Our tip is being able to dive for free any time and the lifestyle that goes along with that.

 

[TMHeimer]

I couldn't agree more Dave. Money certainly isn't why I'm a DMC. When folks ask about "going pro", the jist of SB responses is usually "don't quit your day job". I know that's the case with most instructors and DMs I've known. Too bad it has to be that way, but it's akin to someone trying to eek out a living as a freelance musician. You have to be living on Mars to not know what your getting into.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

If the edit button was still available on my last post I would put this there, so there would not be this never ending got to get the last post on a thread that should have ended pages ago.

If we would all refrain from posting in threads where we have nothing of value to post, there would be way less train wrecks. The OP knew a tip was part of the deal; the question was how much at Grand Cayman. There was no request for opinions on tipping!

My kids will take complete the diving cert after eLearning at Grand Cayman. The cost is $399 each kids for two days. How much should I prepare to tip? I'd like to find out the baseline. Of course, I'd add more for good service.

Thank you so much!

Well, guess I've gotten my comuppence(sp??). It all started from me just saying I've never tipped for a course and never seen it done. The OP just asked for opinions.