Divemaster Fringe Benefits

[jkotovsky]

A curious question, do divemasters and the crew of liveaboards receive fringe benefits like health insurance and paid vacations or are they considered seasonal employees and receive no benefits? So when a divemaster does not work they do not get paid. Thanks!

 

[stevenl]

Where is the boat based you're enquiring about?

Here in Thailand mostly no healt insurance, and no paid vacations.

 

[WetBoy101]

I think many of them don't get paid even when the are working!!

 

[DevonDiver]

Most of the divemasters working on liveaboards are instructors. It isn't typical to get health insurance or paid holidays.

 

[H2O Gal]

Wow, I know getting paid for something you love to do is a dream job, but I can't imagine doing so for no benefits, especially since the job has the potential to be a dangerous one! My hats off to all the people working on liveaboards--tip them well, since that might be their health plan!

 

[Mossman]

How many people in the U.S. lack benefits at their jobs even when they hate their jobs? If all U.S. jobs offered health insurance, there wouldn't be much of a health insurance crisis in the U.S.

Many liveaboards are based outside of the U.S., where medical care may be much cheaper or even free. DAN insurance and the like are other relatively cheap ways to insure against the particular risks of professional diving.

 

[scubamarketing]

The liveaboard I worked on had no benefits. Sure, it was hazardous, but pretty much any injury I might have would be dive-related, so my <$150/YEAR DAN insurance would cover it I would love to be able to pay $150/year for health insurance.

 

[jkotovsky]

My initial question was about liveaboards in the Carribbean. I guess there are not industry standards and that would make livaboards in other areas of the world have different policies and fringe benefits.

I was under the impression that divemasters on Carribbean liveaboards had paid vacations, but it seems that I was clearly mistaken.

 

[muddiver]

DM in California don't get paid. So there would be no incentive to provide benifits.

A small point that most are probably not aware of about working on a boat in U.S. waters is that under the seamans and long shore workers act if you are injured on the job, the owner of the boat is required to provide payment for all medical care and costs of living while you are recovering. I don't think that it differenciates between paid or unpaid employees.

 

[TheUWPhotographer.com]

Not sure which boats in CA don't pay their DMs. That's the first time I've hear this. I was a DM for a large chain of stores for five years and we got $50 for a day of boat diving. I called it volunteer work. The only perk to me was that I could get keyman deals through the store I worked for. That fizzled out because they didn't sell any of the brands I wanted, but required us to have "in-line" gear. I really enjoyed doing it, but the company politics and policies quickly squelched any fun we might have working. Meeting lots of new divers was also very rewarding. No tips either, but I was never expecting any. Health benefits? LOL! It was called 'sunshine'.