A career as a dive instructor - realistic or idealistic?

[Bruciebabe]

I am just starting out in my journey to train as an instructor, which involves me selling up everything in the UK, and moving out to Thailand with a one way ticket in just a couple of weeks to study at an IDC. I have this sort of wildly optimistic, blind faith in the idea that if I work hard I will succeed and be happy, (and hopefully earn a living!) but after reading these forums, I am a little worried that I am being too idealistic? Do I need to take off my rose tinted mask?

Many people here seem to be saying that it's just not possible to earn a living teaching diving, and I was hoping to hear from any people who have success stories, to prove it is possible? (I am willing to work seasonally in different places around the world, at least while I'm still young, footloose and fancy free!)

While I don't expect to be a wealthy playgirl, I have been entertaining this romantic notion of leaving the materialistic world behind, living by the ocean, and sticking a white picket fence into the sand around my front door

It is possible, look at Terry and Tracy's web site:
http://www.tntdiventures.com/
Thailand can be incredibly cheap if you go native. If you can do without aircon, alcohol and king prawns life becomes a lot cheaper. A very useful qualification to have before you go is Teaching English As A Foreign Language, possibly the TOEFL system.
http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/...toid=69c0197a484f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD
People all over the world want to learn English and you can teach it in the evening when you are not diving. Also teaching is teaching so it will help you learn to be a better dive instructor.
A very important part of being a dive professional is salesmanship. Getting people to buy kit, courses and dive trips. If they don't you have no income. The more they do the more income you have. It may be worth your while getting some sales experience before you go. Maybe a Saturday job in UK retail and some book study.
Another thing that is good is to make yourself more employable. Get lots of PADI specialities so your employer can offer them to the public. Learn to service regulators, it is not rocket science and you can do it in the UK before you go. Learn to blend Nitrox and if there is any tech around Trimix as well, once again learn here. Being able to drive a boat is a good skill. In Asia this is done by the locals but in many places this is done by the dive school staff.
Also you need to concentrate on networking. Like many trades, dive instructing is a village. Get to know your fellow diving professionals and get a good reputation with them for being a good, hard working member of the team who doesn't cause trouble. Then when the good jobs come up your reputation will travel ahead of you. Starting with your IDC you need to win friends and influence people!
The problem with teaching diving is that it is very badly paid so it is just a lifestyle thing rather than a serious career. You can earn more if you can teach more that just the basic PADI courses. DSAT, DAN, EFR, IANTD, TDI and GUE instructors can earn more because there are far less of them to go round. GUE in particular only have about 40 instructors worldwide for courses that are much in demand and with a soon to be introduced open water course that will further increase demand. It isn't easy to be a GUE instructor, though.

If you want to know more just ask.

 

[freediver]

Physical Education Teacher in the US with scuba instuctor as a side/summer job?

just shooting out ideas!

Geez, this is funny because this is exactly what I do! Now if you will excuse me I need to go wash my Lexus.

 

[LSDeep]

I've heard great success stories from people who were instructors/divemasters in Thailand. The divemasters are going out on trips daily, mostly taking tourists who are tipping them American or other currency (which goes a long way in Thailand). Being that it is extremely cheap to live well over there (with American currency), they did very well. I just might suggest doing the divemaster thing as your annual insurance costs are cheaper, and you will doing more diving than teaching.

it might be that you dive more and pay less insurance as divemaster, but you make also a lot less money. insofar your idea just doesnt work out really. otherwise instr spend more time teaching true, but in most places you get commissions on your teaching also, that is often way more than a dm's tips. depends how busy the shop is. thailand by itself is kind of a growing problem at the moment. they gettin very tight lately on their workvisas and illegal workers in the tourism industry, so you might be rather fast arrested and deported (not the nicest experience). also the idea of travelling with a one way ticket might proof problematic, most countries will not let you enter on a touristvisa with no return / ongoing flights.

 

[LavaSurfer]

I have this sort of wildly optimistic, blind faith in the idea that if I work hard I will succeed and be happy, (and hopefully earn a living!)

It all depends on how you define a living and what is "Happy"
I know one instructor who does REALLY well. He has figured out a way to do something no one else in the area is doing and it works for him. He also has a great reputation which helps.

I imagine its hard in an area where the main focus is tourism because they probably have a tight schedule and do not want to sit in a classroom. Speaking from my own perspective.

The instructors I know that are $ucce$$ful have a passion for teaching and they can't imagine doing anything else. They are not in it for the money but the money comes and so do the students. They have a value added benefit that carves out their own identity from all the others.

Figure out what your "Value Add" is. How can you be different and keep the passion and enthusiasm up long enough to create a name for your self. Most successful instructors get references by word of mouth and then grow businesses.

Happiness is simply a state of mind and so is success so if those are all your after then I say be happy, feel successful and chase your dream.

 

[Web Monkey]

I know about 2 dozen instructors and divecons, including several instructor certifiers. They all have real jobs and teach SCUBA because they like it. If you haven't sold all your stuff yet, I'd suggest keeping (or finding) a regular job, and teaching SCUBA in your spare time.

There are people that "make a living" teaching SCUBA, but unless you own the shop, it's only possible if you redefine your standards for what "making a living" is.

Terry

I am just starting out in my journey to train as an instructor, which involves me selling up everything in the UK, and moving out to Thailand with a one way ticket in just a couple of weeks to study at an IDC. I have this sort of wildly optimistic, blind faith in the idea that if I work hard I will succeed and be happy, (and hopefully earn a living!) but after reading these forums, I am a little worried that I am being too idealistic? Do I need to take off my rose tinted mask?

Many people here seem to be saying that it's just not possible to earn a living teaching diving, and I was hoping to hear from any people who have success stories, to prove it is possible? (I am willing to work seasonally in different places around the world, at least while I'm still young, footloose and fancy free!)

While I don't expect to be a wealthy playgirl, I have been entertaining this romantic notion of leaving the materialistic world behind, living by the ocean, and sticking a white picket fence into the sand around my front door

 

[Cacia]

you have the right idea. You are getting lots of practical advice. I would say sometimes things take care of themselves with some faith. I went to the Caribbean the day I turned 18 and somehow, it all worked out. Sometimes having too much of a plan is just as bad as not having enough of one. When you put yourself out there, amazing things can happen.

 

[Sirenita]

it might be that you dive more and pay less insurance as divemaster, but you make also a lot less money. insofar your idea just doesnt work out really. otherwise instr spend more time teaching true, but in most places you get commissions on your teaching also, that is often way more than a dm's tips. depends how busy the shop is. thailand by itself is kind of a growing problem at the moment. they gettin very tight lately on their workvisas and illegal workers in the tourism industry, so you might be rather fast arrested and deported (not the nicest experience). also the idea of travelling with a one way ticket might proof problematic, most countries will not let you enter on a touristvisa with no return / ongoing flights.

There's no problem with the visa, I have successfully applied for a 1 year education visa, so I'll be able to hang out in Thailand doing whatever courses until this time next year...and then I imagine I'd like to see some more of the world anyway!
Regarding the DM comment, I will be going all the way ...errr ... I mean to instructor level -) with the internship that I am doing.

I have done *regular* jobs ever since I graduated from University, I just can't stand doing it anymore, at least in this country!!

 

[Misplaced Priority]

I'm not a dive instructor but I bet it is no different from any business. A business is like a wheelbarow. It only goes as far as you push it! Follow your dream and push hard!

 

[SamDiver14]

Money doesn't buy happiness............ hungry is usually unhappy and money will buy food.

As long as there are no signifigant others, or children to consider getting by isn't too hard, but when you start adding those other responsiblities feasiblity becomes nill.

My advice, don't get yourself into any contractual obligations or long term commitments. Try it out, if it works out great, if not you can always go somewhere else and do something else. Just avoid commiting yourself until you are successful (however you define success).

Secondly, whenever possible work for yourself, then no one else has to get a cut off the top.

 

[TorontoDive]

I have already discounted the idea of petty crime, and selling myself on a street corner isn't an option... (the market for that is already at saturation point in the Thai city that I will be staying in!).

As a Thai person, I'd have to say "Ouch, low blow!!". If you're talking about Pattaya, I'd have to agree with you anyways, it's quite disguisting but that's a discussion for another forum. To answer your real question I was there last month and was speaking to some of the staff in Pattaya. Their general response was that they were living comfortably off the salary - but by that they meant easy going and not living the life of luxury. Do you have enough saved up that you could actually open a shop outside of Pattaya? There are other dive sites that are better and you would make a lot more money as the owner than as a DM/instr.