how many volunteer hours to complete your dive con or assist instr "internship"

rick00001967 · Aug 20, 2014

i thought i would ask around here to get a sense of how many hours people typically work for free while doing an "internship" type training program to become an ssi dive control specialist or perhaps a padi assistant instructor.

i started my road from open water diver in january 2013 and just recently completed the requirements for ssi dive con cert. when i started i had enough dives to qualify but needed some extra specialties, had to update first aid, etc. i completed all dive guide/dive master requirements in nov 2013. now i am just waiting for my dive con card to be processed.

so far i am up to almost 300 hours of volunteer time. that would be primarily pool work and ow work along with some guide work. is this typical ?? it seems to be an extreme case to me but i have nothing to compare to. i had been told i could do the "internship" in lieu of paying for dive guide/dive master/dive con

thx

kmurray719 · Aug 20, 2014

I didn't "work for free" at all to get my DM or Divecon rating. As a divemaster in training I attended several shop sponsored shore dives and guided some customers at them, as well as co-leading a few. Once certified, all of the work I do as a DM is paid. For Divecon I was required to observe all 5 pool sessions plus a try scuba and a refresher and did some demos and assisting during those sessions. I observed a few sessions more than once (partially due to taking a break before teaching them), but it wasn't mandatory. I then taught each session while being observed until my instructors and I felt I was proficient enough to do it on my own. I observed/assisted with OW dives one weekend. All of these were directly related to what I would be teaching/assisting with once certified. While I helped with every aspect of the sessions I observed and assisted with--carrying tanks and gear, cleaning up after, etc--that's part of what we all do as instructors anyway, so I don't consider any of it to be "volunteer time." It was time spent making sure I was prepared to independently do everything I would be doing once certified.

What exactly have you been doing as "volunteer time"?

Wait, I just saw you saying you didn't pay for the courses, that it was an internship arrangement. Did you not agree to something specific before you started?

TMHeimer · Aug 20, 2014

300 hours??? wow. During the DM course we " shadowed" an OW and Rescue course. I had to "audit" 3 other OW courses as my demo skills were not up to par. But normally there is no "internship", just start out & get paid. Much like any teaching position, the real learning starts when you are on the job. Of course, I paid for the course, so that is a big factor.

tursiops · Aug 20, 2014

Hey, you are getting free training and certification in return for some work. You really should have sorted out the barter arrangement first!

At 300h, supposing your training might have cost $1000, that is $3 an hour.
I'd say you've completed your part of the deal.

DeepSeaExplorer · Aug 20, 2014

Wow, that's a modern day equivalent of indentured servitude...

rick00001967 · Aug 20, 2014

kmurray719:
What exactly have you been doing as "volunteer time"?

Wait, I just saw you saying you didn't pay for the courses, that it was an internship arrangement. Did you not agree to something specific before you started?

what have i been doing ??.......what haven't i been doing.....haha. i haven't been working in the store itself (i have a career). but i have taught a bunch of snorkeling classes, attended/assisted with countless pool sessions for ow diver training (we have pool classes 2 days /wk), as well as observed a whole bunch and (participated in some) dry land classroom sessions, helped out with ow dives/shore dives/boat dives, guided on numerous shore dives/boat dives. i have even been a regular at our "once a week" winter pool sessions that are open to any divers and snorkelers that wish to come and play. i guess pretty much what you have done. but at no point have i been paid as of yet.
to be honest the pay is not really the issue. it is more a case of just wondering how long most people in my situation keep "interning" before they receive their dive con or asst instr. as i stated, i think the amount of time i have spent doing this is becoming quite excessive even if it is supposed to cover dive guide and dive con costs. btw i paid for all my specialties needed with a discount.
to answer your last question....."no" there were no specific guide lines laid out as far as time required when i began. i was told this is what all their trainees do. i had asked at one point about roughly how long the process would take and was told it usually takes a few months. i'm into month #20

kmurray719 · Aug 20, 2014

rick00001967:
what have i been doing ??.......what haven't i been doing.....haha. i haven't been working in the store itself (i have a career). but i have taught a bunch of snorkeling classes, attended/assisted with countless pool sessions for ow diver training (we have pool classes 2 days /wk), as well as observed a whole bunch and (participated in some) dry land classroom sessions, helped out with ow dives/shore dives/boat dives, guided on numerous shore dives/boat dives. i have even been a regular at our "once a week" winter pool sessions that are open to any divers and snorkelers that wish to come and play. i guess pretty much what you have done. but at no point have i been paid as of yet.
to be honest the pay is not really the issue. it is more a case of just wondering how long most people in my situation keep "interning" before they receive their dive con or asst instr. as i stated, i think the amount of time i have spent doing this is becoming quite excessive even if it is supposed to cover dive guide and dive con costs. btw i paid for all my specialties needed with a discount.
to answer your last question....."no" there were no specific guide lines laid out as far as time required when i began. i was told this is what all their trainees do. i had asked at one point about roughly how long the process would take and was told it usually takes a few months. i'm into month #20

Are those all things they've put forth as requirements of your internship, or just things you've done voluntarily? I did more than I had to for my DM and Divecon certs, but it was always presented as "If you're interested, you're welcome to come help/join/participate in.." whatever was happening. It was never mandatory. I think the extra participation and learning made me a better DM and instructor, which is obviously to my benefit in the end. I'm not sure how it will work for you, but is it possible that because you've done so much "extra" that you'll get some preference for what/when you teach and guide over people who haven't contributed as much?

I have been offered "deals" on classes by the shop I work for and I always clarify what the expectations are on both sides. It's just too easy to have different expectations and end up frustrated (on either side) if you don't have the same understanding of something. I know that's not helpful at this point, but it's something to think about for the future.

rick00001967 · Aug 20, 2014

kmurray719:
I think the extra participation and learning made me a better DM and instructor, which is obviously to my benefit in the end

I have been offered "deals" on classes by the shop I work for and I always clarify what the expectations are on both sides. It's just too easy to have different expectations and end up frustrated (on either side) if you don't have the same understanding of something. I know that's not helpful at this point, but it's something to think about for the future.

i agree 100% about the extra time being a benefit to becoming (hopefully) a better instructor. and you are absolutely right that i should have insisted things were made clear and made sure i knew what i was in for when i got involved.

just two points.....i have numerous times over the past year and a half or so, sat down with the owner and asked why things were taking so long and tried to make it clear i couldn't just keep doing this.
as a specific example.......at the start of april this year (i had finished my dive master requirements in nov 2013 and was still waiting to start my dive con training) i approached the owner with the idea that i might want to continue past dive con to full instructor. i told him i was only willing to do it if it was done in a reasonable amount of time. i would not agree to do it if it was going to take another 6 months to a year. i was told we could get dive con and instructor done by the end of june with my exam being on or about aug 16th. so i figured it would easily be done by end of july. that would give him 4 more months. well, we just completed the dive con requirements a few weeks ago and haven't even started the instructor portion. i still haven't even received my instr materials yet.

MaxBottomtime · Aug 20, 2014

I had to work most weekends and one weeknight with students for two years. That time included helping my instructor move twice and house sitting with his sock-eating doge a couple of times.

spthomas · Aug 21, 2014

I helped a couple of weekends and taught a first aid class (I'm a cpr/first master IT) as part of my Divecon. Just to show how I taught and interacted in the water.

how many volunteer hours to complete your dive con or assist instr "internship"

Please register or login

rick00001967

Contributor

kmurray719

Contributor

TMHeimer

Contributor

tursiops

Marine Scientist and Master Instructor (retired)

DeepSeaExplorer

Contributor

rick00001967

Contributor

kmurray719

Contributor

rick00001967

Contributor

MaxBottomtime

Contributor

spthomas

Contributor

Similar threads