Hi Ellenj!
Good points above and mjatkins' post is excellent so I will just add my tuppence (well, a bit more than tuppence, more like 20 quid's worth!!) from my own experience...I will just add that I'm a PADI instructor so tend to default to their titles - such as Divemaster instead of DiveCon and so on...
(1) On EFR: Any qualifying First aid course will suffice, as long at it includes primary (CPR is mandatory) and secondary care, and is valid within the last 24 months. If you're based in the UK then Red Cross or St. John's training will be fine. If you've taken a first aid course that you're not sure about, you can contact PADI or SSI directly, or a potential instructor / dive centre, and they will confirm for you if it's valid.
(2) On work-for-training: As mjatkins says - it's a hotly contested topic, and having trained a lot of DMs and instructors myself, I share similar opinions to his. To expand on his comments I would also say that "work for training" isn't free. If you undertake such a program overseas then you will still have to pay for accommodation and living expenses, books and other course materials, insurance and certification fees, and it will probably take several months. In the long run, you may end up paying more than you would for an DM internship package. Many of these are all-inclusive in nature - training, materials, accommodation, equipment - it varies, but I think this is a better way forward. The only exception to this in my opinion is if you have a local dive club near to your current home where you can assist on evenings and weekends, in return for shop discounts and "free" training.
(3) On jobs: Paid jobs for Divemasters in the typical tropical resort market are rare. They exist, but dive centres often reserve this sort of job for local residents - as in, an Indonesian native would get a job in Indonesia very easily with just the DM cert, but a foreign national won't. As mjatkins and others suggest, dive centres are much more likely to offer paid positions to Instructors, because they are much more flexible in terms of their capabilities. I admit that when I was exploring the possibility of going pro myself, I was disheartened to be told that DM was not enough and an instructor course was the way forward, but I did it, and I don't regret it. I spent over 9 years as a full-time instructor, and earned enough to live comfortably on the basis of my salary alone. Multi-lingual instructors are highly sought after, although in some locations it's less important than others, but you'll find it much easier to get a job in Mexico, for example, if you speak Spanish. Working full time as a dive pro is unlikely to leave you enough breathing room for a second job, however it may be beneficial if the location in which you work is seasonal, to keep you tided over when there aren't so many customers.
(4) Equipment? All of it, including a computer. Some packaged internships will include a full set of gear, deducting the price of what you already own.
(5) As for location? Again, I'm with mjatkins - the world is your mollusc! Thailand is very popular because living expenses are cheaper, which brings the cost of internships down over other locations such as, for example, Australia. Look at locations in which you're interested; most dive centres will advertise their package prices, enter into a careful dialogue and read the small print based on what you are offered. Ask lots of questions. There are still crappy dive schools out there, but there are many well established, reliable and safe operators in all corners of the globe. As for the party life? Well - you don't have to go to all the parties!
And just a few extra points while I'm on a roll - mention has been made of your relative inexperience and I always say the following: I wanted to become a dive pro from the very first time I walked into the water during my Open Water course. I dived for five years after that, and started my adventure as an AOW diver with around 75 dives. When it comes to the "zero-to-hero" packages mentioned above, having completed my training at a busy CDC, for which I then worked as a trainer of DMs and instructors, I have seen plenty of people really go from nothing to very capable instructors, still working today, and I've seen very advanced divers struggle to keep up with the training. Some people favour 1-1 training, but for me personally, training in a busy dive centre where you will work and dive on an almost daily basis for perhaps 6 months will leave you with several hundred dives and a wealth of experience. You will probably get to work with a range of different instructors, and although a packaged program might have 20 students, they can't all be taught together at the same time by the same person. It also encourages discussion and the transfer of knowledge and experience between interns at different stages of their training. If you want to work in a busy dive environment with lots of customers then I actually think that one-on-one training is inappropriate.
What I do encourage - which is what you are doing - is getting as much information as possible. I strongly recommend that people who go pro have something to fall back on - educational qualifications, work experience, spare funds - just in case it doesn't work out for them, or, if like me, you end up being away for a very long time. It's important to realise that loving diving does not mean you will love life as a professional. I've seen a lot of people fall by the wayside when they realised it was a full-time job, in which you will work very hard, for longer hours than an office job, and with many fewer days off. It can be exhausting physically, mentally and emotionally. After an intense week of diving your customers will wave goodbye, board their planes and fly home - you will get up the next morning and do it all again.To be successful you will work hard, be outgoing and entertaining, and responsible for thinking on your fins and making decisions under pressure (no pun) that might affect people's safety.
Some of that sounds discouraging, but it's not meant to be - I want to see people with the passion for the water rise to the best that they can be, but I've always endeavoured to be as up-front as possible with potential professional candidates before they sign up for training - it is an expensive way for a person to find out that it's not what they thought it was going to be. For various reasons, I had to put my dive career on hold so I'm back in the UK at the moment and I am honestly having a hard time re-integrating (I hope to get out of here again in a few years!!) - and that is also important to remember. A career as a dive professional will change you, and it's really difficult to go back.
But - you will see some of the most wonderful things that this planet has to offer, meet some of the most wonderful people in the world, and if you do it right, it will be absolutely the most wonderful time of your life! I did it, I loved it and whatever the cost, I do not regret it for a second, not one little bit! I'm always keen to help so as with other posters above, if you have any questions, please just ask... and Good Luck!!
Crowley
Good points above and mjatkins' post is excellent so I will just add my tuppence (well, a bit more than tuppence, more like 20 quid's worth!!) from my own experience...I will just add that I'm a PADI instructor so tend to default to their titles - such as Divemaster instead of DiveCon and so on...
(1) On EFR: Any qualifying First aid course will suffice, as long at it includes primary (CPR is mandatory) and secondary care, and is valid within the last 24 months. If you're based in the UK then Red Cross or St. John's training will be fine. If you've taken a first aid course that you're not sure about, you can contact PADI or SSI directly, or a potential instructor / dive centre, and they will confirm for you if it's valid.
(2) On work-for-training: As mjatkins says - it's a hotly contested topic, and having trained a lot of DMs and instructors myself, I share similar opinions to his. To expand on his comments I would also say that "work for training" isn't free. If you undertake such a program overseas then you will still have to pay for accommodation and living expenses, books and other course materials, insurance and certification fees, and it will probably take several months. In the long run, you may end up paying more than you would for an DM internship package. Many of these are all-inclusive in nature - training, materials, accommodation, equipment - it varies, but I think this is a better way forward. The only exception to this in my opinion is if you have a local dive club near to your current home where you can assist on evenings and weekends, in return for shop discounts and "free" training.
(3) On jobs: Paid jobs for Divemasters in the typical tropical resort market are rare. They exist, but dive centres often reserve this sort of job for local residents - as in, an Indonesian native would get a job in Indonesia very easily with just the DM cert, but a foreign national won't. As mjatkins and others suggest, dive centres are much more likely to offer paid positions to Instructors, because they are much more flexible in terms of their capabilities. I admit that when I was exploring the possibility of going pro myself, I was disheartened to be told that DM was not enough and an instructor course was the way forward, but I did it, and I don't regret it. I spent over 9 years as a full-time instructor, and earned enough to live comfortably on the basis of my salary alone. Multi-lingual instructors are highly sought after, although in some locations it's less important than others, but you'll find it much easier to get a job in Mexico, for example, if you speak Spanish. Working full time as a dive pro is unlikely to leave you enough breathing room for a second job, however it may be beneficial if the location in which you work is seasonal, to keep you tided over when there aren't so many customers.
(4) Equipment? All of it, including a computer. Some packaged internships will include a full set of gear, deducting the price of what you already own.
(5) As for location? Again, I'm with mjatkins - the world is your mollusc! Thailand is very popular because living expenses are cheaper, which brings the cost of internships down over other locations such as, for example, Australia. Look at locations in which you're interested; most dive centres will advertise their package prices, enter into a careful dialogue and read the small print based on what you are offered. Ask lots of questions. There are still crappy dive schools out there, but there are many well established, reliable and safe operators in all corners of the globe. As for the party life? Well - you don't have to go to all the parties!
And just a few extra points while I'm on a roll - mention has been made of your relative inexperience and I always say the following: I wanted to become a dive pro from the very first time I walked into the water during my Open Water course. I dived for five years after that, and started my adventure as an AOW diver with around 75 dives. When it comes to the "zero-to-hero" packages mentioned above, having completed my training at a busy CDC, for which I then worked as a trainer of DMs and instructors, I have seen plenty of people really go from nothing to very capable instructors, still working today, and I've seen very advanced divers struggle to keep up with the training. Some people favour 1-1 training, but for me personally, training in a busy dive centre where you will work and dive on an almost daily basis for perhaps 6 months will leave you with several hundred dives and a wealth of experience. You will probably get to work with a range of different instructors, and although a packaged program might have 20 students, they can't all be taught together at the same time by the same person. It also encourages discussion and the transfer of knowledge and experience between interns at different stages of their training. If you want to work in a busy dive environment with lots of customers then I actually think that one-on-one training is inappropriate.
What I do encourage - which is what you are doing - is getting as much information as possible. I strongly recommend that people who go pro have something to fall back on - educational qualifications, work experience, spare funds - just in case it doesn't work out for them, or, if like me, you end up being away for a very long time. It's important to realise that loving diving does not mean you will love life as a professional. I've seen a lot of people fall by the wayside when they realised it was a full-time job, in which you will work very hard, for longer hours than an office job, and with many fewer days off. It can be exhausting physically, mentally and emotionally. After an intense week of diving your customers will wave goodbye, board their planes and fly home - you will get up the next morning and do it all again.To be successful you will work hard, be outgoing and entertaining, and responsible for thinking on your fins and making decisions under pressure (no pun) that might affect people's safety.
Some of that sounds discouraging, but it's not meant to be - I want to see people with the passion for the water rise to the best that they can be, but I've always endeavoured to be as up-front as possible with potential professional candidates before they sign up for training - it is an expensive way for a person to find out that it's not what they thought it was going to be. For various reasons, I had to put my dive career on hold so I'm back in the UK at the moment and I am honestly having a hard time re-integrating (I hope to get out of here again in a few years!!) - and that is also important to remember. A career as a dive professional will change you, and it's really difficult to go back.
But - you will see some of the most wonderful things that this planet has to offer, meet some of the most wonderful people in the world, and if you do it right, it will be absolutely the most wonderful time of your life! I did it, I loved it and whatever the cost, I do not regret it for a second, not one little bit! I'm always keen to help so as with other posters above, if you have any questions, please just ask... and Good Luck!!
Crowley
