how to get to instructor level and making a living from diving...

[birdwrasse]

i really love diving! i am really thinking about doing it to make some money from it. what are the considerations? i've seen schools that you can go for a month straight to get all the way through to instructor, but is that worth it. i know that some people are better at running businesses than others, too. not sure if i would open a shop or teach privately.

why do it? why to not do it?


thanks,



--carlos

 

[jbd]

Getting to the instructor level is fairly straight forward. Start with OW and move though the course progression of your chosen agency. You will generally need close to 100 logged dives before becoming an instructor.

Making a living at it is a whole nuther kettle of fish. Probably best to sell everything you have and move to another country that is a popular dive location for vacation/holiday.

 

[ShakaZulu]

Marry rich........

 

[birdwrasse]

what i've seen the most is that shops don't call their customers... i come from years of banking and investmenting, follow-up is what made me a lot of money... i don't think finding customers is the problem...

i just don't know about the logistics of setting up dive training. not particularly interested in equipment... would rather let the local shops sell the equipment and deal with the overhead... i just want to be in the water!

as a sales person, i've been successful at sharing and selling my interest in my fields of interest! just want to get more feedback from those that wanted to become a dive instructor, too, and what worked, or didn't for you.

--c

 

[birdwrasse]

Getting to the instructor level is fairly straight forward. Start with OW and move though the course progression of your chosen agency. You will generally need close to 100 logged dives before becoming an instructor.

Making a living at it is a whole nuther kettle of fish. Probably best to sell everything you have and move to another country that is a popular dive location for vacation/holiday.

do you like being an instructor...? i would say that i had great customers, and then there were others that drove me out of it. i'm sure that is true in a lot of fields, but it's time that i spend some time doing what i like, and if i can make a few bucks doing it, too, even better! nothing is set in stone, but i'm here now, so we'll see how it all pans i out, i guess...



--c

 

[Ron Brandt]

Start your own LDS and get hooked up with Pat and Drew.....(I see you live in Vegas)

There is a way to make money at it and it will not be overnight. It might not be alot of money but it's possible.

Book comming soon.....

Ron

 

[Mark_J]

what i've seen the most is that shops don't call their customers... i come from years of banking and investmenting, follow-up is what made me a lot of money... i don't think finding customers is the problem...

i just don't know about the logistics of setting up dive training. not particularly interested in equipment... would rather let the local shops sell the equipment and deal with the overhead... i just want to be in the water!

as a sales person, i've been successful at sharing and selling my interest in my fields of interest! just want to get more feedback from those that wanted to become a dive instructor, too, and what worked, or didn't for you.

--c

If you just want to be in the water, I'd suggest becoming a Dive Master on your own boat as the way to go. Work with all the local dive shops and provide the best possible charters. To accomplish this you'll need to have detailed information of the sites you'll dive and you get that by being in the water

With your professional background you probably have the skills to create and keep quite a following of loyal divers if you choose the dive locations well.

You can make a good living doing what you love, calculate the risks vs rewards and literally jump in!

Best of luck!!

 

[mislav]

Good instructor should be more of a good teacher than a good salesman, IMO.

You never mention the desire to pass the knowledge and teach others to dive. You have to have it in you - if you seriously wish to last more than a few months going through the same dives with new students over and over.

 

[LavaSurfer]

As already stated, its very straight forward getting to instructor, the issue is making $$.
You will never make big $$ working for someone else.
You will have to start your own business and advertise, get referrals and word of mouth.

Figure out what you could offer that nobody else offers, set yourself apart
Do end to end training and certification trips to some cool place.

• Arrange the trips on discount and upcharge your fees or take a percentage
• Make arrangements at these locations to have rooms and meels comp'd for you if you bring people, it reduces your costs and increases profit.
• Negotiate discounts on the boats and air and charge students full price or an additional % to supplement your income.
• Make the trips a profit center
• Make the trips worth the extra cost to students so they see the value

Arrange dive charters to Lake Mead
Teach advanced courses, Tech, Wreck, Deco, Drysuit, Nitrox, Adv. Nitrox, Trimix etc.
Advertise to existing customers these advanced courses. Work your backend.

Just a few ideas to start you tinking
Its going to take time being that you have relatively little experience.

Or as stated sell everything and move to an exotic location and be a DM/Instructor. Not a ton of money but a good lifestyle.

 

[Jamie_r]

im intrested about these schools that had been mentioned? about starting at open water and moving up to instructor, does this exsit?