Why can't you make a living as an Instructor?

[Thalassamania]

No, but I CAN name quite a few folks that have done so in the DIVE Industry. Lets be honest here for a few minutes. I get so sick of the "can't make a living" comments.

Well, you and I make two ... and of course we know the other "survivors," they are our friends and colleagues of many years. But as I look around at the numbers who've gone aground while we made it ...

... That takes 5 years. (funny it take 5 years in almost any profession to make a living wage at it...)

Might I suggest nursing? You can make that your first year out of school.

The average of LESS than 2 years as a dive instructor is because the MAJORITY who try this are looking to drop out, not work and get paid. Funny how that doesn't seem to last, being poor (or more often fired a few times) gets old and instead of figuring out how to make money they change "careers" again to escape reality. Pay your dues and have a clue basically.

You are likely right, the 50% who drop out biannually (at least the first bunch to go) would likely bail on anything that was "real" work.

Plus there are many jobs in this industry where you get to be an Instructor when you want to but also make a living in an industry that you love (and also hate)

My feeling is that the majority who say "can't make a living" haven't tried or failed at it. Find somebody who says you can and has and adopt them as a mentor, once you do that welcome to my world.

There are always niches, some better, some worse ... you and I each found ours, so we know that they are there, but they do seem to take an combination of drive, ability, and preparation combined with a bit of luck a dash of being in the right place at the right time and more than a little of not realizing that you can't possibly do that.

 

[Stu S.]

http://www.divestation.com/PDFs/FDISPECIAL.pdf

For about $1800 (fees and materials extra) and three weeks time you can become an instructor. You need to know your basic diving first. In Florida, it takes about $6,000 and 30 weeks training to become a hairdresser. To become an engineer or accountant takes about four years and can cost $50,000, or more.

Perhaps that's one reason why a dive instructor gets paid a little less.

 

[Rhone Man]

It is pure supply and demand. As long as there are thousands of young men and women who are happy to lead tours or teach diving in the tropics for peanuts and a good lifestyle, wages will remain, well, peanuts.

I would love to become a full time instructor, but I am guessing if I ever do it, it will be after I retire from my "proper" job, and interest becomes a bigger factor for me than money. That is not to say that instructing is not a serious job, which involves hard work, diligence and risk. But you really need to be doing it for love and not for money. I do actually know a couple of people who have been full time instructors for 25+ years, but they certainly didn't get rich.

 

[TCDiver1]

The question was why instructors can't make a living teaching scuba not those in the "Dive Industry." Either way it's a simple case of supply and demand IMO. There are only so many people who will consider diving. Less who actually pursue it and significantly less who make it a lifes passion.

For those who do decide to start diving there is an endless supply of people (supply side instructornomics) who have decided to try making a living as instructors, dive shop owners etc. And always there is one or two out there who feel they like teaching or selling gear more than they like to actually to make money and not just trade dollars. Someone always willing to do it cheaper and worry about going out of business later.

I've seen it time and time again. For every one that actually makes it, there are significantly more who don't. Sure, some fail because they're slackers but that is typical in most jobs.

I'm an Engineer by training and would love to make my nut teaching scuba but it just ain't there. The potential engineering gigs will always significantly outnumber teach scuba gigs in most places. Even if the student counts were there, i'm not going to teach all day then fix regulators, desiel engines and fill tanks all nite. More power to those who want to but there is more to life than that IMO. That is an extremely tough way to make a living for the pay you get. Not many people will "physically" last very long in a career like that.

 

[Road Guy]

we just got back from a trip to the keys, as we sat on the boat and got ready to go out, watching the boat captain, instructors doing debriefings, boat crew getting ready to get underway, I was watching how much "work" it looked like for them versus a "terrific beach job" Going to the same reefs and wrecks day in day out (although it sure looked great for the 4 days we were down there)

anyways, when you talk about it being work, I wonder if the boat crew and instructors ever dream of sitting in a cubicle for 8 hours a day in Atlanta instead of being on blue water day in day out? somehow I doubt that but I am sure its not all thats cracked up to be either..

But I would be willing to trade for a few months just to make sure ..

 

[String]

Standard med dive resort day

0830 get to work
0830 - 0930 desk work and/or setting up equipment for the days divers, try divers and so on
0930 - 1130 courses or try dive briefs or continuing to set up kit
1130 - confined skills for try divers
1200 - boat leaves
1215 - 1300 first guided dive
1310 - 1350 try dives
1410 - 1500 - second guided dive
1530 - boat returns to dive shop
1530 - 1630 unload boat, clean boat
1630 - 1830 wash, hang, dry all the used gear then put it away
1830 - 1930 paperwork or more classroom or filling tanks
1930 - 2230 kit maintenance or planning for following day or behind desk in shop
2300 - go home. If you're unlucky and its a busy day you'll draw some hours in the night to fill tanks too.

Repeat 7 days a week for 6 months. The actual in-water diving is a tiny tiny percentage of the actual day.

 

[Thalassamania]

Dream of a cubicle ... no, but dream of a nice car (or just new tires, and maybe fixing the brakes and I'm stupid), or a new TV, or dinner out ...

 

[cerich]

Dream of a cubicle ... no, but dream of a nice car (or just new tires, and maybe fixing the brakes and I'm stupid), or a new TV, or dinner out ...

good health insurance so you can get that funny new skin mole looked at.....

 

[torqd]

I have read many posts on this forum today about being a dive instructor and it all seems so negative. Is this just a pipe dream i have that i would come to regret, if i gave up EVERYTHING to be an instructor? would it be something that would last me 2 years and then i would return home with my tail between my legs, thousands of pounds poorer with no home? I would really hope to think not, but the forum has raised a lot of questions and doubts in my mind.

First off, you can make a living doing dive instruction as a profession but only if you are willing to put in the long hours, simplify your lifestyle to the minimums, and are willing to accept living in some parts of Asia. I spent four months legally in Thailand doing an internship and could have stayed on working as a freelance instructor if I were willing to have done the "border runs" to stay in the country. Foreign work permits there are very rare, especially right now.

Consider your time in Koh Lipe. If you are happy living without a television (and maybe even Internet access), air conditioning, and maid service in your room then you can probably do well for yourself and get by on the income of a dive professional. Research here is the key.

Many times I was questioned for taking the leap and quitting my job, selling darn near everything, and moving into a new profession. It boiled down to making the decision to do this when I was healthy and young enough to hump many tanks a day, every day, or to wait until I had a more sizable nest egg to fall back on and not be able to move all those tanks quite as easily.

In the end it was the right decision for me, but it has left me with a lot less money in the bank and the inability to go back into my former career without starting over at the bottom again. In light of all that, today I can proudly look anyone in the eye and tell them "I went for my dreams, why didn't you?".

 

[widget]

. Is it as bad for instructors outside the US? I'm guessing that the pay averages the locale so probably yes.

Pretty much, I have instructed in France, Belgium,The Netherlands,Australia and South Africa - only France had a kind of minimum pay structure which encompassed dive instructors, however almost 60% of French divers are qualified by CMAS which is done by club instructors for free, this left little for the Naui and Padi affiliated operations so jobs are very scarce and if you do get one, usually the only way you will keep it is to agree to be underpaid.