Instructor Traineeships

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Frog

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I have been looking into the possibility of taking a 14 week PADI instructor course. However the fact that diving instructors dont earn much money sort of put me off a little. Either way i wouldnt go for one of these courses until i had a few hundred dives. I saw an advertisement in Diver magazine for Flying fish online who train proffesionals for diving. Let me quote a segment from there webpage:

"A newly qualified divemaster is in demand to lead already-qualified divers. The work is very satisfying and a good way to build experience, but it is poorly paid subsistence level in most places. As a dive instructor you can tell a different story. You will now be making money for your employer and can expect to be paid 300 pounds sterling a week or a salary of 15,000 pounds a year. With experience of course this goes up"

Is this a realistic reflection of what a diving instructor would get paid? I was under the impression that PADI instructors dont get paid this sort of money. Can anyone clarify this please.?

 
There are basically two distinctly different instructor jobs. (obviously there are variances, but in general, two)
(1)Full time employee - also salesman, travel agent, boat driver, equipment repairman, complaint department, hand holder, purchasing agent, inventory control, trip coordinator, tank hauler, filler, VIPer, rental equipment washer, janitor & trash hauler. This is the job that makes about $25,000/year.
(2)Part time instructor - makes a living doing something else, teaches Scuba because it is a passion, does well to break even, funneling all instructor fees back into dive gear and trips.
Rick
 
Rick thanks very much indeed for that info. Yes i was talking about the full time Job and yeh i know that alot of the work doesnt involve getting wet. However $25 sounds ok to me, especially for constantly being around diving. My goal is to teach DIR someday :--)
 
If your goal is to teach DIR, wouldn't it be better to train with GUE? I don't know, I'm just asking.

No, this is not a slam on PADI.
I just thought GUE fits better with that goal in mind.

Tavi
 
I think it all depends on where you plan to teach. Here in Guam, I know instructors that make a GOOD living doing nothin but teaching PADI classes. We have a constant turn over in military, so there are always full open water classes.

As far as DIR is concerned...I'm confused. Do you HAVE to be certified by a specific agency to "Do it Right"? Can't you incorporate that into ANY dive class? From what I have learned about DIR, it is just common sense and can be used by any diver, whatever he decides to teach. Is it some kind of "cult" that I missed out on?

Just asking.
 
Howdy

You've talked of the need for instructors in Guam, What about say DiveMaster?
 
Scubabunny yes, of course ANY instructor can teach DIR if they want regardless of agency. Now whether or not that agency or your employer agrees with that is another matter. There is a lot of common sense in the doing it right philosophy yes but you arnt a DIR diver just because you decide to start diving a long hose etc. Gear config is about 5-10% of DIR so you would be kidding yourself and others you decided to teach if you didnt get certified by the "mothership" of DIR - GUE. Scubabunny i think you greatly underestimate the content of a DIR course. But your correct in saying...it can be used by everydiver. :)
 
I didn't mean it to sound like I was putting DIR down or anything. I just don't know that much about it..thought it was mainly gear configuration. GUE is a training agency? Is there a website I could get familiar with it?
 
Hi Fishkiller!
Divemaster on Guam aren't in as high demand as instructors, although many of the tour shops use them. They seem to prefer instructors though so they can both lead certified divers and do intro dives too.

Our shop uses Divemaster on our boats sometimes, but for classes the instructors use their own divemasters. Basically, it would be really tough to survive on divemastering without having another job.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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