Cost for Instructor Rating
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DevonDiver
N/A
I think people become dive instructors for one of 3 reasons....
1. They love diving, and having enjoyed the hobby for an extended period. They wish to pass on their knowledge and open the doors to the underwater world to other people. It is also a career that enables them to get into the water every day.
2. They see the instructor status as the highest pinnacle in diving and are inspired to race towards having that certification to validate a self-belief in their superior skills underwater.
3. They want to live and work on a beach/in the tropics... and becoming a diving instructor is easily accessible, in a short timescale, with some financial investment.... and it will fund a better lifestyle than a bar job.
So, who should become a dive instructor?
For me, it should only be people in the first category. Do I need to explain why?
People in the second category are, IMHO, very off-the-mark. Being a dive instructor is easy... and it certainly does not represent any sort of pinnacle of achievement.These people would be better served persuing training in technical diving.... which stresses a much higher standard of pure dive skill and application. For less money than an IDC, a diver can undertake several tech classes, or Fundies etc. They will be much better off for it and be held in higher regard and respect also.
Lastly, those people in the third category represent a cancer in the dive industry. IMHO. They have no passion for diving. They have no background in serious diving. They don't care (or even understand) how or why they should be educating safe, effective divers. They provide the bare minimum required on courses (or even fail to meet the minimums) and are more concerned with drinking, partying and shagging. They typically only stay in the industry for a year or two...before burning out and returning home to finish their college degree or get a 'proper' job. They work for peanuts and serve to undermine the earning potential, respect and credibility of real 'dive professionals'.
1. They love diving, and having enjoyed the hobby for an extended period. They wish to pass on their knowledge and open the doors to the underwater world to other people. It is also a career that enables them to get into the water every day.
2. They see the instructor status as the highest pinnacle in diving and are inspired to race towards having that certification to validate a self-belief in their superior skills underwater.
3. They want to live and work on a beach/in the tropics... and becoming a diving instructor is easily accessible, in a short timescale, with some financial investment.... and it will fund a better lifestyle than a bar job.
So, who should become a dive instructor?
For me, it should only be people in the first category. Do I need to explain why?
People in the second category are, IMHO, very off-the-mark. Being a dive instructor is easy... and it certainly does not represent any sort of pinnacle of achievement.These people would be better served persuing training in technical diving.... which stresses a much higher standard of pure dive skill and application. For less money than an IDC, a diver can undertake several tech classes, or Fundies etc. They will be much better off for it and be held in higher regard and respect also.
Lastly, those people in the third category represent a cancer in the dive industry. IMHO. They have no passion for diving. They have no background in serious diving. They don't care (or even understand) how or why they should be educating safe, effective divers. They provide the bare minimum required on courses (or even fail to meet the minimums) and are more concerned with drinking, partying and shagging. They typically only stay in the industry for a year or two...before burning out and returning home to finish their college degree or get a 'proper' job. They work for peanuts and serve to undermine the earning potential, respect and credibility of real 'dive professionals'.
Hey, Devon. There is another category to add to your three. It may be a Flortda exclusive.
The dive shop guy working and filling tanks gets dive master and instructor training as a salary substitute. This barter arrangement costs the dive shop less than paying minimum wage. The end result is an instructor that can make a profit for that dive store.
The fine young floor sweeper/tank filler may make a poor instructor.
The dive shop guy working and filling tanks gets dive master and instructor training as a salary substitute. This barter arrangement costs the dive shop less than paying minimum wage. The end result is an instructor that can make a profit for that dive store.
The fine young floor sweeper/tank filler may make a poor instructor.
DevonDiver
N/A
I have a similiar thing here in the Philippines... but the floor sweeper is on a salary. I run a development program, where my local staff learn the business and get tuition to fill tanks, drive the boats and progression towards DM qualification.
The difference is, only the ones who really take to the diving follow the (optional) training...and by the time they are qualified as DMs, they will have a great understanding of the business (bottom to top) and will have far exceeded the dive pre-requisites.
However, the jump to instructor is their own choice...and they have to work as a DM to earn the money for the IDC, if that is what they want.
The difference is, only the ones who really take to the diving follow the (optional) training...and by the time they are qualified as DMs, they will have a great understanding of the business (bottom to top) and will have far exceeded the dive pre-requisites.
However, the jump to instructor is their own choice...and they have to work as a DM to earn the money for the IDC, if that is what they want.
it_mike
Contributor
One more type...
Those who've had a full life, done the career trek, raised the kids, and now can afford to slow down and teach.
I'm looking forward to the day when the kids are out of the house, and I can return to my passion.
Those who've had a full life, done the career trek, raised the kids, and now can afford to slow down and teach.
I'm looking forward to the day when the kids are out of the house, and I can return to my passion.
DevonDiver
N/A
Wouldn't that still be in my first category?
it_mike
Contributor
Perhaps, except that, for them (soon to be me), it's not a career but a retirement plan.
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There's a variation on the first category -- those who enjoy teaching diving more than diving itself. That's not to say such people aren't very capable, it's just that they feel most fulfilled helping other people dive well than diving themselves.
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