DM work and liability Insurance

[buddhasummer]

Im heading to SEA and am hoping to pick up some DM work along the way, does anyone know if Public Liability Insurance is required as a rule and how easy it is to pick up work?Cheers

[Kiwi303]

Can't help on the liability bit, but from lurking here, finding work is easy, finding Paying work is hard.

You're competing with gap year, funded up globe trotters working for the working visa that lets them hang around after their tourist one expires, and not much else.


Are you a gap year globetrotter with cash in the bank for a years playing the foreign guide or are you looking for serious work with the salary to match?

[lord khram]

Not easy in Thailand to earn money as a DM, work permits are required for any paid employment and are not easy to obtain if the work can be done by locals.
On top of that you have all of those that are on the infamous zero to hero courses and these are often the 'professionals' that are used by shops to look after diving customers etc. So when these shops that specialise in such courses have people paying them that are carying out the DM duties, you will no doubt appreciate why they will not give others paid positions.
I myself a few years ago having moved to Thailand and having a lot of spare time was offering to dive shops my services to work as a dive guide in the Pattaya area for free, and was actually asked by two shops for quite a substantial cash payment to work for them??? Puzzled by this I declined the offers and gave up on the idea..
Best of luck in your search.

John

[Krazytomdiver]

As a dive guide, I'm finding it more difficult each year to find a dive shop to hire 'just' a dive guide. Usually I get my foot in the door by applying one of my many dive related skills such as marine mechanic,compressor tech,dive equipment repair,general contractor,generator tech,bartender,boat captain,resort manager,sales staff,chef,or security. Liability issurance,work visa's,passport extensions are the last thing on my mind but they're usually covered by($$$) the employer IF required. I do not work in the States....rules,taxes,insurance,cold weather,ex-wife,ex-GF's, etc. Being an old,white,bald,male,diver named KrazyTom does not help much either.

"living life without a hard bottom"
KT

[zivva]

Liability Insurance is not required in Thaïland. Especially as a seasonal DM.

If you're lucky enought to get a paid job (it's doable : just be in the right spot at the right time ...), I doubt your employer will get into the trouble to give you an official job (contract + work permit) especially for just a few weeks. He will not even bother about your personnal insurance.

[buddhasummer]

Can't help on the liability bit, but from lurking here, finding work is easy, finding Paying work is hard.

You're competing with gap year, funded up globe trotters working for the working visa that lets them hang around after their tourist one expires, and not much else.


Are you a gap year globetrotter with cash in the bank for a years playing the foreign guide or are you looking for serious work with the salary to match?

thanks for your reply. Im not quite a gap year globetrotter a little older in years, have cash and am more looking for work to be able to hang somewhere and not eat too much into savings, perhaps earn my keep so to speak, dont really expect to earn anything enough to save but if I could cover living expenses then that would be great.

[stevenl]

Liability Insurance is not required in Thaïland. Especially as a seasonal DM.

If you're lucky enought to get a paid job (it's doable : just be in the right spot at the right time ...), I doubt your employer will get into the trouble to give you an official job (contract + work permit) especially for just a few weeks. He will not even bother about your personnal insurance.

For a DM the employer can not get you a workpermit.

To the OP: quite often the employer will have liability insurance, but not always. Sometimes this insurance will also cover DM's/instructors, sometimes it won't. Your insurance is for you, the employer won't care whether you have it yes or no.

In retrospect, in SEA, I doubt 'quite often' is correct, should be 'sometimes the employer will have liability insurance', but more often he will not.

[Kiwi303]

hmm, have a look at ESL teaching if you have a degree and come from an english speaking country with the passport to match, Vietnam, Thailand, etc have TESOL/TEFL vacancies which will cover accom and living costs with a little local currency spending money extra, and leave you time to go diving when not teaching.

Not much savings in it, but you can live.


I looked at there, but decided to go teach English in China instead, While again there's no savings potential to speak of after Yuan to Dollar exchange rates, the relative income of at TESOL teacher in China to what the Chinese locals earn means while I am there, I can live comfortably, better than in Thailand and other SEA areas.