becoming a diving master?

I want to make the leap from open water diver to (at least) diving master, if not instructor or better. I'm looking for a career (change) that will allow lots of fun, but, at minimum, will include, teaching the basics of scuba diving. I'm not sure what that money is like, but I'd like to know before I actually make the switch. Also, what the perks are. I love the sport, and hope the delight in work can make up for the drop in pay I expect to face. Also, for those of you who are there, how tough is it to find work (remember, I am planning to leave in a minimum of 2 years)? Any thoughts, ideas, beyond what I asked?
Thanks.
Jen.

Sounds like a good idea to me. For salaries, try the website for The european Diving Centre in Turkey they used to show the salaries on the recruitment part of the site. Sorry, but I cannot seem to find the address.

The thought of becoming a Dive Master/Con or Instructor for a career change is a wonderful prospect. I do not know how many dives you have or how many diving situations you have gone diving in, however I strongly recommend getting as much experience in a variety of situations prior to and working toward your goal. Keep in mind that stores or dive operations generally don't hire on the merits of certification as a DM or Instructor. They want you to have additional skills, such as minor/major maintence skills for general upkeep of boats and facilities, diesel mechanics helps, compressor repair and operation, sales experience helps, so does being able to speak a second language (like spanish),equipment repair skills, and multiple specialities that you would be able to teach. With some of the above, it should not be a problem finding a place to work and one can make a decent living at it after all the hard work and sweat and blood is done. Be willing to relocate too, because some areas are better in the industry than others (ie florida versus some remote location in canada).

Education is Open Water, Advanced, Rescue (with first aid/CPR), Divemaster. Recommended DAN O2 course and well over 100 dives prior to professional level. Just my .02 worth.

Are you independently wealthy?
If not, you will find that the old saw "Q: Know how to make a small fortune in the diving industry? A: Start with a big one." is accurate. The going rates for Divemasters and Instructors are barely above subsistence. And full-time jobs generally involve lots of trash hauling along with the "fun," and (at least in the States) lack long term benefits like health insurance and retirement plans.
All that said, leading and teaching in the dive industry is often great fun, and I highly recommend it as a secondary job (hobby), or as a second career *after* you have your retirement and major medical accounts in order. Or, if you're young enough, you can do it for a few years before getting that "life planning" job.
In other words, by all means get your Divemaster or Instructor rating - just don't have any illusions about it providing a decent living for you (especially if you have a family to support - which brings up the ultimate diving career option... a rich spouse) without supplementing it somehow.
Rick

Originally posted by jlpallanich
I'm looking for a career (change) that will allow lots of fun

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Dive mastering is getting the coffee for the instructors, putting up with crap from clients (who are ALWAYS right, no matter how factually challenged they are), picking up litter, and taking the blame when things go wrong

Instructing is making sure you cover your ass, pressure to get people through ASAP, pressure to pass people who aren't suitable......

I'm not sure what that money is like, but I'd like to know before I actually make the switch.

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Often DM's are not even paid. Some of the big diving centres get all their DM's by charging less for the DM course, and making people work for free for X months after.

A lot of instructors are payed per student certified, often it isn't a lot, and of course it is seasonal.

Also, what the perks are.

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None. Some places might give you a % off the gear price if you are lucky, others free air, but heck I used to get free air anyway.

Resort DMing might come with accomodation, but not always, if it does come with accomodation, then expect to work all hours possible as you 'live on the job'

I love the sport, and hope the delight in work can make up for the drop in pay I expect to face.

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It depends on where you end up DMing, but are you prepared to be the person that mops up the vomit after some-one has been sea-sick? Are you prepared for the fact you might be doing everything but diving (a lot of DM's end up surface supervising most of the time)

Instructing, you might get the odd thank you, but most of the time you receive no grattitude (emotional or financial)

Also, for those of you who are there, how tough is it to find work (remember, I am planning to leave in a minimum of 2 years)? Any thoughts, ideas, beyond what I asked?
Thanks.
Jen.

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Not tough to find work at all. What is tough is finding propper work that pays properly.

Some-one else said the old scuba joke of 'how do you make a small fortune diving - start with a large one'. This is true the world over. I don't think it will change a lot. Making moey through SCUBA is limmited really to manufacturers, and importers. Some LDS's are suffering against mail order and internet sales, although there is still money to be made from running a LDS if you are good.

As for teaching, to be any use you will nead to be an instructor, with multiple specialities, proven experince selling, equipment repair skills, boat handling skills etc... . To get all this will cost you far more that you will reasonably expect to earn in the first year or so (especially if you are only OW at the moment), you will also be responsible for repair and maintenance of your own gear which cxan be expensive.

Equally, if you aren't doing it somewhere exotic, do you really want to de there in the winter when custom is slow, the weather terrible and it is cold?

Don't let anybody sell you a dream. Getting to a suitable level of experience from open water is expensive and hard work. an idea of the price is below. No matter how much experience you have as an OW diver, this isn't much help for courses like rescue. You have to learn completely new skills. Similarly, for DM, it is a whole new way of thinking about diving.

AOW £250
Rescue £250
DM £600
IDC/IE £1000 (inc all books and PADI fees)
specialities 5x £150 = £750
Full set of kit = £1500
O2 admin £100
Boathandling £200

total cost for the MINIMUM you will need = £4650 (or $7905) This includes only 5 specialties, but most places want their nistructors to have more (EANx, photo, equipment, drift, boat, night, deep, navigation, search and rescue, peak performance buoyancy, wreck, naturalist, etc.... the list is endless, and they all cost money) I think to get to DM only including all my gear etc.. I have paid well in excess of £3000 ($5100) and this doesn't include another £4-5000 that I spent getting in all the necessary dives. (I used an exchange rate of 1.7)

Just some (cynical) points to think about

Jon T

"Dive mastering is getting the coffee for the instructors, putting up with crap from clients (who are ALWAYS right, no matter how factually challenged they are), picking up litter, and taking the blame when things go wrong.

Instructing is making sure you cover your ass, pressure to get people through ASAP, pressure to pass people who aren't suitable...... "

I didn't see any smilies attached to the above, so I can only assume that you are being serious, Jon.

If you don't enjoy DMing for a particular Instructor, DON'T DO IT.

It's unprofessional to tar ALL Instructors with the same brush simply because you are not happy working with certain people!

~SubMariner~

I say go for it. You only live once and if you dont do it you will probably regret it. I may well do a simerlar thing in a few years myself. Better pay in the diving industry demands that you be experienced so you need to be diving alot to keep standards high. If i were you i would get myself alot more dives than the bare minimum needed to get your instructor certification. If you want to teach PADI then your probably better off at somewhere like Pro-Dive in the US or Cairns in Australia where you can do an internship. They may then take you on if you are good enough. All the best and good luck.

Originally posted by SubMariner
"Dive mastering is getting the coffee for the instructors, putting up with crap from clients (who are ALWAYS right, no matter how factually challenged they are), picking up litter, and taking the blame when things go wrong.

Instructing is making sure you cover your ass, pressure to get people through ASAP, pressure to pass people who aren't suitable...... "

I didn't see any smilies attached to the above, so I can only assume that you are being serious, Jon.

If you don't enjoy DMing for a particular Instructor, DON'T DO IT.

It's unprofessional to tar ALL Instructors with the same brush simply because you are not happy working with certain people!

~SubMariner~

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Submariner

The reason I said that is that DMing isn't generally a good job. This is what I have observed from the last 5 years of being a DM. If you are looking for a career as a DM you often don't get much choice as to who you DM for. You go to who pays you. If you don't DM that particular day you don't eat. it really is that simple.

There are shops/centres and good instructors that are really nice to work for, but these are the exception rather than the rule.

If you go to the red sea, the vast majority of the DM's are payed very little, they get subsidised accomodation, and about $80-100 a week. This is not a job. Nearly always, the DM is the least qualified person in the operation, and they DO get lumbered with the horrid jobs.

Personally I am VERY choosy about who I DM for, however, if I was trying to make a living from it, I wouldn't really have that choice.

Jon T

"The reason I said that is that DMing isn't generally a good job. This is what I have observed from the last 5 years of being a DM. If you are looking for a career as a DM you often don't get much choice as to who you DM for. You go to who pays you. If you don't DM that particular day you don't eat. it really is that simple."

I guess that begs this question: if you are that unhappy as a DM where you live, why don't you become an Instructor?

Also, DMing is NOT the only job one can have. If the pay is so poor and the working conditions so intolerable, then one can always do something OTHER than DM to put food on the table.

"There are shops/centres and good instructors that are really nice to work for, but these are the exception rather than the rule."

Again, I maintain that you are being very subjective in this matter. It's based on YOUR experience in YOUR LOCAL DIVE COMMUNITY. What you are stating is a MATTER OF OPINION, not FACT.

"If you go to the red sea, the vast majority of the DM's are payed very little, they get subsidised accomodation, and about $80-100 a week. This is not a job. Nearly always, the DM is the least qualified person in the operation, and they DO get lumbered with the horrid jobs."

I don't doubt this is true to a certain extent. However, it is true in the tourist industry world wide, not just in the dive segment. It also happens to be in a developing nation that has a lower standard of living, NOT just for DMs. BTW, if you are talking $80-$100/week then that is one of the higher paying jobs in Egypt!

For the record: I have been an Instructor for 6 years, the last 5 as IDC Staff. (As with all Instructors, I too started as a DM.) My experience includes working with dive operations in Canada, the US and the Caribbean. I have also been part of a small yet successful dive school that ran for a number of years in Canada, as well as co-owner/operator of a dive & sail charter in the Bahamas for 2 years.

~SubMariner~