Earnings of instructors worldwide: references

[FlyingSquid]

How factors such as location, training level, seasonality, language skills and others influence instructors's revenues worldwide? What are the figures?

What factors tend to set apart a high-earning from a low-earning instructor?

What about full-time versus part-time earnings? How common are instructors who work only on weekends as a second job? Is there a good market for part-time involvement? Where, and in what conditions? Etc.

To make it clearer, I'm wondering if you have seen good sources of research and statistical data published or posted anywhere about this. Does anyone have good sources of relevant data to share?

(Tech instructors too, not only rec)

Much appreciated.

(I tried to find a more specific forum for this question, but couldn't find. If a moderator think I overlooked it and believe somewhere else is more suitable, please feel free to go ahead and move it.)

 

[diveprof]

You ask a seriously important question that more folks should ask before heading down this road. However, I doubt that you will find much in the way of "hard data." I doubt the major training organizations would really want the "cold hard facts" out there as it would impact their ability to bring new instructors into the fold - at least those looking for significant monetary compensation. If this was a lucrative career path, the training organizations would be quick to cite the numbers with hard data. Unless you are a shop owner and get significant revenue from gear sales or charters, you will find it hard to make a living as an instructor. I've heard that the average length of time that a scuba instructor teaches is about 5 years before they move on to something else. So if monetary compensation is your major draw, well... think less about a Porsche in your future and maybe more about a 15 year old Chevy S-10 with bad paint . On the other hand if your drive is that you enjoy teaching and sharing the sport with others and a part-time gig is fine, then this may be something to consider. This has its rewards. I've done it for many years. Just don't give up the day job .

 

[kimbalabala]

I teach and advise at a community college. I frequently use a Federal Gov't website to help students find out how much different occupations will pay and what sort of educational and experience requirements they will have to complete. Here is the results page I got when I typed in "scuba". If my link doesn't work just go to O*NET Code Connector, type in the job you're interested in and click on the job in the results that most closely matches what you're looking for. Once I choose the job I always go directly to the "Summary" page and scroll down to the bottom where you will find educational requirements and then salary and growth of the occupation. PRESUMABLY this is fairly accurate information - it is projected through 2018.

O*NET Code Connector - Search Results

 

[diveprof]

I teach and advise at a community college. I frequently use a Federal Gov't website to help students find out how much different occupations will pay and what sort of educational and experience requirements they will have to complete. Here is the results page I got when I typed in "scuba". If my link doesn't work just go to O*NET Code Connector, type in the job you're interested in and click on the job in the results that most closely matches what you're looking for. Once I choose the job I always go directly to the "Summary" page and scroll down to the bottom where you will find educational requirements and then salary and growth of the occupation. PRESUMABLY this is fairly accurate information - it is projected through 2018.

O*NET Code Connector - Search Results

The scuba profession listed there is "commercial diver." That's a totally different career path than a scuba instructor.

 

[Islandheart]

Don't think there is a definitive source for average income for Scuba Instructors.

 

[j yaeger]

...every now and then.."free beer"!!!!
life IS good!!!!
the perks-don't forget the perks!!!
have fun
yaeg

 

[FlyingSquid]

We could poll, but this would be subject to all sorts of biases.

Can it be proposed that some appropriate scuba-related institution research those numbers? Has it ever been proposed? Seems something many people would be interested in knowing.

 

[Wookie]

Most folks don't become scuba instructors caring what the pay is. Mostly they care about the lifestyle, or as yeag says, the free beer and the perks. I don't know what to say to someone choosing to be a scuba instructor as a career path. Has anyone ever done that?

 

[BDSC]

I don't know what to say to someone choosing to be a scuba instructor as a career path. Has anyone ever done that?

I don't know of a single person. As a matter of fact, not one single instructor I know does it full time.

 

[goflyplanes]

I don't know of a single person. As a matter of fact, not one single instructor I know does it full time.

I know a load of them. Myself being one of them whenever I'm not in school (which as of last week is hopeful never again). I think that the difference is US diving verses European/resort diving. Most instructors around here are full time. The options are somewhere equatorial (aka Caribbean or Asian) or switching between Europe/Mediterranean and Southern Hemisphere/Equatorial in the winter. We don't make much (trust me it's depressing) but if you are happy with a meh apartment and decent food and working hard but diving everyday it's a blast.