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

This is a question that has been bothering me since I started reading this forum. Every time someone gets on and asks about going to the instructor level or becomming a dive pro as being their dream job, 90% of the people tell them its not possible or that they should only do it as a hobby for the love of teaching and diving. So I ask myself, how can this be? There are obviously thousands of people throughout the world making a living as dive instructors/dm's. Why shoot the idea down? Yes, I understand that often times the comments are geared toward mentioning the low pay but usually are followed by "don't do it as a career or for a living". Yes, there probably isn't a 401k or great health benefits. You won't be able to buy that ferrari that you wanted. But if you live in a great dive destination and get to do something you love, that, to me, is better than having the big house in suburbia with the BMW and a fat paycheck.

So, chime in. Let me know why you think that being a dive pro should be more of a hobby than an actual career. What do you base these statements on? And then alternately, post up what would be the ideal candidate for making a career as a dive instructor/dm/guide/captain whatever the case may be.

For those on the board that are instructors or dm's and make a living doing so, post up the path that you took and how you got there. Your likes and dislikes and suggestions for those that may want to give it a shot. I just think that it would be refreshing to see a thread about "how to become a succesfull dive pro" as opposed to the typical "don't even bother you'll be broke" style threads I keep reading.

Step #1: define "make a living" ...

I would call "a living" being able to afford the basic standards of life that accompany the area you live. You may not be able to eat out every day or buy a luxury vehicle but you don't have to have a second job just to keep from starving. People "make a living" working at mcdonalds or walmart. Jobs that they don't even like, in hopes that they may be able to spend a week on vacation. An income comparable to those, while living in paradise and diving every day, I would consider "making a living". Then again, I'm in the Army and spend years at a time living in a tent or on the side of a mountain or crowded into a room with 12 other people. All for the fabulous lifestyle that 34k a year affords me. So my idea of "a living" may be a bit scewed from others.

"a Living" costs much more as a civilian. Least in the Military you can opt not to pay for Meals, roof over your head, Electric, Water, Property taxes and the list goes on. I had a rude awakening when I found out that Cpl pay ment nothing in the Civi world.
But hey, I would take a pay cut to have room and board on an Island destination and I don't like Luxury cars anywho. Here is how I see it, If you find a job you really love, you never work a day in your life. Fortunantly, I get paid well for my Hobbies.

Well, some folk do make a living diving and instructing, but generally they WORK for an operation and are not independants.

This I think is the crucial differance.

Working for a dive company is much like working anywhere, once the novelty wears off you realise quickly this is a tough job.

As a young single diver it may do fine,you have a great quality of life and possibly a stress free existance, but sooner or later you will get tired of living in a one bedroom apartment possibly with another struggeling instructor and start to think about the future, and, realistically where can you go - the ceiling is very low.

Teaching diving is very repetitive, diving the same reefs day in and day out is very boring, couple this with a low pay structure and you can see why its difficult to make a long term living.

The pro dive operations in dive resort enviroments have a massive staff turnover simply because of this reason (repetitive burnout and low pay).

I have been in the diving game for the better part of 30 years, I have worked all over the world as a saturation diver working on pipe lines and ship salvage, I have been and have kept up my instructor rating in the recreational market, and now own a commercial / saturation dive operation - (recreational diving) is one of the toughest games to be in, its highly competitive, there is a very small pool to pick from and is still to a degree considered a "cottage industry" where people work for almost no money but the "love of the sport".

I am sure there are some hardy souls hacking it out as instructors in great tropical enviroments, but I cannot see it as a long term job proposition for the above reasons.

You've got ~7 years in the Army? Why not give them 13 more? During that time you will have plenty of opportunity to develop your skills as an instructor. When the Army is not at war all you do is train.

Anyway, at least then you would have a retirement check and might be able to do pretty well if you land a solid instructor job.

I know that money isn't everything but honestly, a lack of funds can be very frustrating at times. Especially as priorities in life change (i.e. marriage, kids, etc)

Listen to Widget, you're looking at a field that almost Every new diver wants to teach. . . With a military background, are you in the Navy? Navy UDT experience will give you a selling point that will mean a few extra dive students per year. Navy Seal? I've known 3 that became Seals after I help get them started in diving, great background for an instructor. My 3 friends are out of the Seals because of injuries, but all 3 still work with a mysterious P.O Box.

If you can buy into a dive shop, that combined with teaching might get you by. . . I deal with two dive shops that have celebrated 50 years in business, No luxury cars, seldom a fun dive for their own pleasure. . . they both take lots of divers to tropical destinations, and then work to make it a fun trip for their customers.

I had one friend managing a drilling platform. His company sent him around the world. He worked 30 days on, when he was not permitted to get in the water. And, 30 days off where he could fly anywhere in the world to dive for fun. Another friend was an underwater welder, with the required paperwork to weld high preassure pipe. He chooses to work only shallow, mild conditions and is working for lower pay, but always working. . . During the winter months he often takes long vacations to tropical resorts, and loves diving.

The diving industry is full of young instructors that think they can reverse these trends, but there are very few instructors that have tried to be full time, that still are doing this after 3 years. Dive students once they get their C-cards, will shop the internet for the lowest prices on gear, and will send their friends needing a beginning class to the cheapest instructor they can find. There is little loyalty in the crop of new divers.

Beach, I think you are right, it is possible, it all depends on the lifestyle you wish to live. For a lot of people living in a storeroom in the back of the shop you work at isn't making a living. If you have a family and want to support it, it would be a tough one. On the other hand, if I was 25, had spent 5 years in Uncle Sam's army and wanted to try something for a while, it would be great. Heck, if I could put the rest of my life on hold for a while, that would be a great couple years....wife and kids might not be too thrilled with me though.

It is possible, it is just unlikely. The average life of a new instructor in the field is a bit over two years. That flow through assures that wages stay low and that benefits are nonexistent. There are a few that find a way to carve out a niche for themselves and to do better, very few. Can you think of a single person here on ScubaBoard who has gone off and become an instructor and done nothing other than teach diving while they married, had kids, paid for the orthodontist and the kid's college and retired in any sort of comfort at all?

How many can you name who lasted more than 5 years as full time dive instructors? Not very many.

I'm a full-time instructor and am fortunate that my wife has a good job to pay the bills. It is possible to eek out a meager living by teaching, selling, and repairing equipment. But you'll put in 60 hours or more a week. After a few months of that, it will start to feel much more like work than fun. After all, if work was meant to be fun, it wouldn't be called work.