Why did YOU choose to become an Instructor?

[Diving Dubai]

I'm interested in hearing the reason different people decided to become and instructor. Has this remained the same, has your view changed etc. And of course individual experiences through the process and beyond.

I ask this question out of interest. For years I've been happy diving and had no ambition nor enthusiasm to be an instructor. The seed has been planted by people I consider to be my peers for differing reasons, and I'm giving it consideration, as to what it will do for me and what I can do for others.

I should say at 50 I know it's not for financial gain nor is it to help me pick up hotties. I do have some thoughts which I'll keep to myself at the moment, but I'm really interested in the experiences of others and what they have got out of it.

 

[Pullmyfinger]

For a few years prior to becoming an instructor, I was organizing dives locally, and taking a lot of people out diving. This was something that I was doing as an enthusiast. Using facebook to organize day trips, and overnight camping trips was what started the growth of the seed that was planted to eventually become an instructor.

I love diving, and enjoy the fact that I have made a lot of friends because of diving. I often say that the people I meet, and the friends I've made, are one of the elements I love about diving. There's more to it than that, but the connections I made from organizing dives, grew into my decision to become an instructor.

I travel a lot for my job (I'm a depot level, aircraft sheet metal mechanic and machinist), which includes months away from home in the desert, or on aircraft carriers. I set aside money from my work trips to fund my diving pursuits.

Regarding your question on has my view changed.......For me, not at all. I am glad I became an instructor. I love doing it.
My "view" also was a factor in which agency I chose.
I could have picked from many agencies, but I decided to become a PADI instructor, because I felt that my original experience as an OW student left a lot to be desired. As I progressed in my personal diving, I felt that I had something to offer in terms of teaching a quality class, proving a great learning/training experience.
I thought to myself...."put up or shut up". So I decided to become a PADI Instructor. My goal is to teach the kind of classes that I wish I had during my OW class, and provide a positive experience for students.

My start (the seed that was planted) came from trying to organize divers, and build a local dive community. As an instructor, it's still all about that for me.

I guess I wanted to make a positive contribution.....that's a driving factor for me.
On a personal level, I have gotten a lot out of diving.

I know it sounds nerdy, but I really do like the feeling of giving back.

I still get a lot back from diving.
I am currently in Spain. I just had lunch with a Navy Corpsman, that I met through my facebook page, and took out diving when he was passing through Iwakuni, Japan, which is where I live.
While sitting in the chow hall, a Marine walks by, and says hello. I had previously taken him out diving about two years ago, when he was passing through Iwakuni.
Pretty great feeling.....all because of diving connections, and from organizing dives locally.

I was in Okinawa last week, and went diving every day after work with some other Marines, that I took out for some local dives when they were in Iwakuni.
When they heard I was going to be in Okinawa, they picked me up each day to go diving.

This is all because of friendships that I have made along the way, due to diving.

That community of diving was what moved me toward becoming an instructor.
I love diving. I love the people, the experiences, the community.

If you are ever passing through Iwakuni, Japan. Look me up on FB...."Iwakuni Divers". I'll take you out for some diving, and some great sushi afterward.


I will say, there's not much financial gain in it. LOL.

Cheers,
Mitch

 

[sheeper]

after many, many years of diving that included being a dive guide and starting a large scuba club, i got annoyed at all the lousy instructors. In my real life i am a tactical instructor for first responders. In diving i found too many instructors that have no real clue on how to teach and many that are lousy divers themselves.

I do not regret going instructor, Sharing the sport that means so much to me has been awesome. And it combines my skills as a trainer with diving. even betterer fun!

 

[Diver0001]

I initially became a DM because I was interested in helping with training. There wasn't really a cosmic goal for it at that time. I liked working as a victim for rescue but the role is limited so becoming a DM just allowed me to get more involved than I was.

After years of working as a DM almost exclusively helping with training I wanted to take on more responsibility. I felt I had a good enough grasp of it to make my own mistakes instead of helping others with theirs

Initially I was just happy to be in the game. At this point I have a different feeling about it. I feel that I'm a darned good instructor for certain things, especially the OW course, and it gives me a lot of personal satisfaction to help novice divers to build a solid foundation from the beginning. I really focus on the OW course despite being a passionate technical diver because that's where I believe I have the most to offer. I guess you could consider that a form of "paying forward" since I definitely don't do it for any tangible gain. I never set out to see it like that, but it's developed into that over time.

R..

 

[kensuf]

I became an instructor 22 years ago because sharing my passion for scuba was something I had wanted to do since I was 12 and the opportunity presented itself.

I started teaching technical and cave diving because I was tired of seeing some of the BS out there.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I became an instructor for two reasons. First, I love to teach ... and I found myself being told over and over by people who knew me that I'd make a good scuba instructor. So I decided to give it a whirl. Second, I thought it would be a nice thing to help me stay busy once I retire from my day job. But after 12 years I retired from scuba instruction a couple years before retiring from my regular job.

Would I do it over again? In a heartbeat. Most of my current dive buddies are former students ... it seems I wasn't just training divers, but also grooming dive buddies ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Macan]

The title (and question) of this thread gave me pause. Although I teach at Anilao in the Philippines, I think Instructors anywhere in the world will agree that you'll never be rich teaching scuba . Divers don't realize that when a good Instructor is on the job with students or fun divers, their focus is not on themselves but 100% on the divers under their care to ensure that skills are learned and safety of their divers is the top priority over anything else.

So why did I become an Instructor? To answer that question, I'll share with you an excerpt of a letter I wrote to a 13 year old and her Dad the day after they completed their PPB course with me.

#######

"Dear Mel, Chloe,

I hope you enjoyed your 2 days at Anilao as much as I did. We were very fortunate. The weather was gorgeous, the water was cold but just right, and the undersea world showcased its beauty with vigor and clarity.

Mel, Chloe, overall, both of you made it through the PPB course with flying colors. What you have learned and achieved in just a few dives, have made you a safer and better diver. You will see the difference when you dive with others or watch their diving videos. Objectively, my assessment is you now have better Buoyancy, Trim and Propulsion skills as compared to other divers, even some with years of diving experience. If there is one area that both of you need to improve on, it's the Reverse Kick. But it'll happen in time with more practice.

As you go back to your regular routine, I hope you will, from time to time, pause and reflect on what you saw, how you felt and what you encountered -- the sky, the breathtaking sunset, the rickety boat of Mang Ponce, the cove where we had our SIT, the clear waters, the amazing aquatic world teeming with life, and the skills you learned as a diver as these are skills that will always be with you for the rest of your life.

While I have trained you on the rudimentary skills of diving (Buoyancy, Trim, Propulsion), I also hope that you appreciate that learning these skills carry with them a deeper meaning that we can take with us no matter what we do and where we go.

These are what I call, the Skills For Life.

CONFIDENCE: Whenever I encounter any stress or difficulty at work, I always tell myself that if I can survive and do well in the world beneath the waves, I can survive and overcome anything. Diving teaches me confidence. As divers, we are also early explorers. Less than 1% of humans are able to experience the underwater world. Amidst its mystery and beauty, the aquatic world is a hostile place for humans. Yet, we overcame the challenges of surviving underwater and surfaced as a more confident and stronger person.

DISCIPLINE: We do a lot of checks when we dive. We Trust but we also Verify that everything is in order when Nempo fills our tanks or when we assemble our gear at the boat. We follow procedures and safety protocols before and during our dives. We are always disciplined. Recklessness has no place in diving. And, when we surface, we are able to smile and laugh and talk about our experiences. The same is true in our daily lives. When we follow the same strict discipline, rules, procedures and checks in our daily lives as we do in diving, we will also "surface" from our school and work endeavors with a smile.

RESPECT: We are careful and sensitive that we don't provoke or hurt the aquatic animals and corals when we dive. The school of Barracudas we saw the week before could be vicious if we provoked them, and the awesome little Frog Fish, we saw last Sunday would have died if our fins trampled it. Yet, we gave the Barracudas and the little Frog Fish respect. I always strive to be respectful and sensitive not just to people who are "bigger" than me but more so to the people who are "less fortunate" than me. Diving teaches us to be sensitive and to always be respectful.

CARE FOR OTHERS: Diving teaches us responsibility. Not just for ourselves, but responsibility for others as well. This is called Duty-Of-Care. Diving teaches us to give without expecting anything in return. That means to give assistance, to share what we have, to watch over our buddies. There is a proverbial saying when I started diving many years ago that when you share air with someone, both of you will be bonded in life forever. As cheesy as it sounds, every diver who has shared air with me, or who I have shared air with, has been my close friend even if years and distance have set us apart.

These are some of the "Skills For Life" that I have learned while diving. I hope that diving will forever enrich your life as it has enriched mine."

#####

So, to answer the OP's question, "why did you choose to be an Instructor?" My answer is to be given the privilege and honor to passionately share what you love with others.

 

[tbone1004]

a lot of it was what was said above, I was sick of seeing subpar instructing so decided that "nut up or shut up" was fitting so I bit the bullet and finished ITC. I don't teach often due to lots of travel for work, but it's extremely rewarding and I truly love it. I make an effort to get back to my"roots" and work with my original instructors at least with the OWT portions whenever possible

 

[Colliam7]

I'm interested in hearing the reason different people decided to become and instructor. Has this remained the same, has your view changed etc. . . . I should say at 50 I know it's not for financial gain nor is it to help me pick up hotties. . . . but I'm really interested in the experiences of others and what they have got out of it.

I became an instructor at an advanced age (59). I really had no interest in going down that path when I started diving, although I had been a university faculty member for 25+ years, and a high school sports coach, so there was some personal history of 'teaching', and it may well be that I had some subconscious predisposition toward becoming a scuba instructor. I 'did' DM because I wanted to improve my dive skills, NOT because I had any intention of functioning as a DM - and that worked for me, although it took me 3 years to finish (my schedule got in the way). Bu, shortly after I finally finished, 2 people who had been in my DM class mentioned that the shop where we had trained was offering an Assistant Instructor course, and it might be fun to do it together. So, we did, and it was. Then, the shop announced an IDC and the same group decided to do it together, again. I figured, 'Why not? It might be fun, maybe it will expand my opportunities, maybe I can make a little money to offset my diving expenses. In essence, I ended up as an Instructor because of the social aspects as much as anything. If I had not had that social relationship, and the particular shop affiliation I had, I very much doubt I would have pursued it.

The outcome: I have loved every minute of teaching scuba! Through teaching, I have expanded my own personal diving horizons. I have found that I am reasonably competent at teaching diving, and I enjoy finding new / different / better ways to help student divers understand principle and concepts (just as i did in university). And, to this day, the personal and professional bonds with my IDC course mates, and the instructors who taught AI and the IDC, remain strong. The one negative - the shop where I/we trained, where I/we taught, where we became good friends and close colleagues, closed not long after the owner died very unexpectedly at a relatively young age. But, what was in some ways a shop 'cult' - both staff and customers - has actually expanded. We thoroughly enjoy diving with each other when the opportunity arises, and we enjoy sharing teaching space (we have 'metastasized' to several area shops after our home base closed) when schedules coincide.

Would I do it again, knowing what I know now? Absolutely!! I wish I had done it sooner. I have probably invested more money than i have made through teaching. But, as an Instructor I have broadened my circle of acquaintances and friends, and learned an enormous amount as a result.

 

[Diving Dubai]

Thanks for all the input thus far. Some predictable responses but other very interesting comments. So why did I ask?

Short story, in that I have rediscovered training. After years of doing no formal training I've been "encouraged" to continue. People I consider my peers have heavily suggested that I consider being an instructor.

Training persons is nothing new to me. I used to train people worldwide in Aircraft Non-Destructive Inspection, and then later trained people to program the lighting for major music concerts and theater shows.

To put this into diving context, I would take OW students, so those who have completed the fundamental basics and take them to say GUE Tech 2.

I know I'm not ready to go into a commercial organisation, I'm not a fan of their course contents. For the moment would remain under the BSAC banner and thus far prefer to teach and mentor people upwards rather than teaching from scratch.

Helping people with their buoyancy and trim is perhaps my favorite pastime other than diving for enjoyment. So intersting possibilities ahead and I wonder what the up coming year will bring.

Advice and tips will be welcome of course