Job opportunities in Maldives?

[oreocookie]

I'm not sure how frequented this forum is by people currently living/working in the Maldives, so this is directed at people who have worked there in the past as well.

I'm currently job hunting and it was suggested to me that I look into the Maldives. I've seen several posts recently on the padi pro site employment board looking for instructors, but often wanting languages I don't speak. Is there much available for an English/French speaking female MSDT with only a few certs? How easy/difficult is the process of getting a work visa? Thanks in advance

 

[acsomos]

Hi oreocookie,
I am currently working in Maldives.
French is a well demanded language, especially in higher-end resorts or busy dive centers, where they can afford to employ many instructors with many different languages. In smaller resorts, German and Chinese/Japanese might be more of a priority for Dive Center managers, but of course this depends a lot on the resorts' mix of clientele and DC needs. So keep looking, something will pop up at some point!

Some DCs ask for a minimum of 1 year experience as instructor, but in general I have found that it is much more important to be able to provide excellent service, and be able to live on a small remote island.
As for being female/single, this again depends a lot on each resort. Very often the accommodation will be in shared rooms, so the DCs will be looking for either couples, or specifically male/female instructors to fit into a room where they already have a male/female instructor.

Once the DC has agreed to hire you, they will take care of the visa, which is not difficult to get, but it takes some time.

Good luck!

 

[supergaijin]

acsomos has said it all really, but to add:
Opportunities arise but you need a bit of luck. Most dive teams are small as in 4-6 instructors which cover a range of European languages and (depending on marketing) Asian languages.

Some dive centers employ only couples... however some explicitly state that they don't want couples- especially in a smaller team where taking vacation/days off together could mean they're losing a third of their workforce.