To go PRO or not?

[ScubaDocER]

Seahound,

You have been given excellent advice from those who have posted. I agree that taking a Rescue course is your next best option. You can progress through being an AI/DM and then towards being an Instructor if that is still your wish. TSandM gives great advice about acquiring the diving skills needed to be a diving professional. Like her, I started out being certified as an OW diver in 1999. Fell in love with it completely and hung out at the dive shop after work most every day I could. I progressed through AOW and Nitrox and had my eyes set on being a DM one day. I continued to dive with the people who trained me on fun dives and was amazed at how fluid they were in the water. Outstanding buoyancy control, effortless movement in the water. They could hover 6-12 inches off the coral and not move!! I would spend the dive just watching them dive. I finally asked them how that got that good and it turns out they were all cave divers. I thought to myself "WOW... So that is what cave diving can do for your diving skills huh?" I was hooked again!! I then took my Cavern/Intro course through NSS-CDS. I was so impressed with the level of skill required to hover, run a reel, effectively use a light, what to do when the lights went out, etc. It was an eye opener. I went to a different Instructor to complete my Apprentice and took a year to complete my Full Cave (my Instructor required all of us to dive for a year before he would sign us off. Incredible!!) I truly enjoyed my training and felt MUCH better as a diver. I understood buoyancy control, anti-silting techniques, gas management, and air planning. Oddly enough, I never went into the cave diving course to cave diver. I took it to be a better diver. And that's what I got out of it.

I was feeling pretty good about myself until I met a future dive buddy who had just finished his Cave 1 with GUE. He was amazing!! He was obviously a skilled diver and had a comfort in the water that I had not achieved yet. He convinced me to take the Cave 2 class and it was the best diving educational experience I have ever had. Better than my DM training. Better than my Instructor training. Absolutely incredible!! I felt confident, skilled, challenged, proficient, and that I had been put through the ringer on every dive. Best time I have ever had diving!! I was too excited to be scared.

I eventually came back to wanting to be an Instructor and accomplished that on my birthday in 2007 and have been happy ever since

This was a long winded way of saying that your ultimate path to diving happiness may take many twists and turns until you find your place in the diving community. Allow yourself to be educated about as many aspects of diving as you can absorb. It will make you a better Instructor, diver, and educator.

Like you, I have another full time job so I cannot devote a great deal of time to being in a shop or owning a shop at this point. I became an independent Instructor by default when the shop that trained me went out of business. It actually worked out for the best for me. I can teach at my convenience. I am flexible in my hours. I prefer teaching smaller classes. Most of my costs are covered through the teaching I do. I love it. I am not in it for the money. I enjoy teaching and introducing people to the sport I love. The training I have received from other outstanding Instructors helps to make me a better educator. I am fortunate in that regard.

To answer your question (sorry for the monologue) yes it is worth it if you have a passion for diving AND a passion for teaching. Some days are rough. Some students can be difficult (in many ways). Some days you may question why you bothered with it at all. In the end, the positives far outweigh the negatives for me and I am doing what I love to do. The beauty of the sport is that diving can lead anywhere you want it to go. I never envisioned I would be a diver. I thought cave diving was an insane thing to contemplate (isn't it ). I thought being an Instructor would be too time consuming and too overwhelming. Yet here I am. And if you are committed to enjoying diving at its highest level, you can be there as well. Good luck with your decision.

 

[I Dive]

Been pondering over this for some time now. I would like to know everyones thoughts and opinions:

I am a working professional and my bread and butter comes from sources other than diving. Right now I hold AOW card with two more specialties (Nitrox and Photography).I was wondering what should be the next step in my diving education and evolution.

Should I go the instructor path? I love teaching and I think I would make a good instructor. It would cost around 4000 $ from where I am presently to end up there. After training a dozen open water students, that money can be recovered.

I do not see myself owning a full-dive operation. Like I said diving is not anything I am depending on to make my bread and butter. There are free-lance scuba instructors who take a handful of students here and there to make some cash. That I believe I could do just to meet new people and share my passion for the sport.

Since I am not looking to make a business out of my instructor certification, is it something worth spending the time and money for? If not what are the other areas in SCUBA where you can grow as a diver? Diving is fun but I would like it to lead to something.

Thanks very much for your thoughts.

You plan on earning $4,000 with 12 certs? That's $333 per cert. Where do you plan on earning that kind of money per student?

 

[Louie]

I think you answered your own question when you said:

• You love teaching
• You think you'll make a good instructor (confidence and self-belief is vital)
• Could do to meet new people and share your passion

I got into the field "accidentally" more on an impulse than on careful planning. I was a working professional prior to getting my professional certs and I had absolutely no desire to own a dive operation or to make a permanent career out of diving when I did the IDC. BUT the professional certification has been invaluable for me NOT for making great riches but for subsidising my travels and lifestyle, having a great time and living in some interesting places with interesting people.

Presently, I'm back to the "professional" indoor life but I'm now I'm combining my experience and background in both the indoor and diving lives to run a business that I am committed to. So overall, the professional certs were very good value for money.

I do agree that it's worth doing the rescue cert and going from there.

So all the best whatever you decide.

 

[SeaHound]

You plan on earning $4,000 with 12 certs? That's $333 per cert. Where do you plan on earning that kind of money per student?

Correct me if this math is wrong but I was talking to someone who was going for her DM certification. She said that it takes over $ 500 to certifiy an OW student. Take out 150 for course material and gear rental etc and the rest is what an free lance instructor would make. Make sense? No?

 

[Diver0001]

$500 may be what it costs to certify an OW student but most students are only charged $375 for the course. The rest is paid by the instructor and/or shop.

The fact is that the OW course is often sold as a loss-leader in the hopes that students will buy gear, which has a much bigger profit margin.

R..

 

[Louie]

Yes absolutely right. The standard OW course does not make the retailers money but it's equipment and continuing education that the retailers and the certifying agencies are after.

So instructors who are good with sales, continuing education and repeat custom are always desirable to shops and the certification agencies place a great deal of emphasis on salespersonship. Many candidates going into the professional certs are put back when they see the significant chapters in the DM or IDC manual on "business" and "sales".

$500 may be what it costs to certify an OW student but most students are only charged $375 for the course. The rest is paid by the instructor and/or shop.

The fact is that the OW course is often sold as a loss-leader in the hopes that students will buy gear, which has a much bigger profit margin.

R..

 

[I Dive]

The main point of my post is that the OP needs to be very certain of his math. I find it nearly impossible (bordering on ridicilous) that he found a shop offering him $333 per student. I also find it highly unlikely that he will profit $333 per student if he plans on being an indy. If he assumes a rate per student that students will be willing to pay, and then considers all of his costs (direct and indirect), the likelihood of netting $333 is slim. However, it is possible. I just wanted to spark the thought for him. I'd hate for him to think he could recover his invesment with 12 certs but find out the hard way later on that his assumptions were wrong.

 

[ScubaDocER]

Correct me if this math is wrong but I was talking to someone who was going for her DM certification. She said that it takes over $ 500 to certifiy an OW student. Take out 150 for course material and gear rental etc and the rest is what an free lance instructor would make. Make sense? No?

To me your math is correct. While there may be overhead costs for a shop, as an independent Instructor your costs may be lower. It depends on how much of an investment you want to make in obtaining rental gear, pool time, air fills, etc. So your charge may be $500 for the OW course, but you also have to factor in your personal costs. Since you are not a shop, you don't have to worry about pushing gear or necessarily pushing other diving courses. Two concerns I don't have. I teach when it's convenient for me and direct my students to shops I have worked with or even the Internet. Your numbers aren't necessarily wrong, just may need to be adjusted depending on your individual costs.

 

[ScubaDocER]

The main point of my post is that the OP needs to be very certain of his math. I find it nearly impossible (bordering on ridicilous) that he found a shop offering him $333 per student. I also find it highly unlikely that he will profit $333 per student if he plans on being an indy. If he assumes a rate per student that students will be willing to pay, and then considers all of his costs (direct and indirect), the likelihood of netting $333 is slim. However, it is possible. I just wanted to spark the thought for him. I'd hate for him to think he could recover his invesment with 12 certs but find out the hard way later on that his assumptions were wrong.

I am sure that if he needs 15 or 20 instead of 12 certifications to recoup his investment that he'll be ok doing that. He stated that he's not in it for the money so I am sure he'll have the time to make up his costs. I agree that you need to be realistic about what your Instructor costs are versus the income you take in teaching the courses, but I don't think his plan is unreasonable nor unobtainable.

 

[Louie]

Seahound,

It's best to NOT get fixated on the numbers. It doesn't matter if it takes 12 or 13 certs for you to recoup your investment. What IS important is:

You really want to do a professional certification(s)
You are willing to commit some time
You have enough funds

A dive professional's earning will vary depending on where s/he is working, the volume of work and the type of work s/he is engaged in. Also bear in mind things like tipping (in some countries, it's non-existent for dive pros whereas in others, staff depend on customer tipping), seasonal variations in diver traffic, weather/seasons and circumstances beyond your control - such as natural disasters, political unrest and terrorism.