Divemaster training on Koh Tao

[Av06]

Hi there, I know this question is probably asked a lot and I searched around for a while but didn't find anything that answered all my questions.

I am a teacher in America and am currently in NE Thailand teaching English as a volunteer for a year because of the tough job market in the US. I am thinking about what I am going to do after I finish here and have been bouncing around the idea of becoming a divemaster (or divecon because I am SSI). I am currently an advanced open water diver with 50 something dives and 5 specialties I think and think that I could very possibly get into being a scuba instructor at some point, goes along with two of the things I enjoy in life.

My question has a few parts, first the common one of which dive shop to go with for all of my training. From what I have found Scuba Junction gets a lot of suggestions, and I like that they are SSI also.

Second is about becoming a dive professional in general, I know that once I get the divemaster certification I will have to pay a yearly fee plus insurance. What happens 5 years down the road when I am settled down in America and no longer want to work as a divemaster, can I stop paying with no repercussions?

What is the true job outlook in Thailand or surrounding places for working as a divemaster, general salary range?

Finally, I read that Koh Tao shuts down for the month of November, is there really no diving at all during this time? Would they not let me start a divemaster course anytime in November?


Thanks a lot for any help you can provide!
Kevin

 

[ayeshacantrell]

Hi there !

In my opinion if you are looking too go the professional route then you would be better pursing the PADI route from now as you will have the greater opportunity to get work. Once an instructor then you can cross over to SSI so that you can teach both and in this way give you greater opportunity too - but this will depend on where you ultimately decide to work as some places are stronger in SSI than others.

November in Koh Tao is usually when monsoon hits and a lot of shops do close, ourselves and SJ included - however if you contact them with the dates that you have available they may be able to make a plan for you ....

You do have to pay yearly fees and insurance (depending on where you work) but once you stop working you can stop paying - no problem - if you want t start working again - you start paying again ....

There is work available in Thailand and all over the world - its quite a transient industry, people move on and go home sojobs become vacant all the time - PAFI has an a very active vacancy board for its members to use ....

Ayesha

 

[Av06]

Thanks a lot, does anyone know the fee/insurance differences between dm, assistant instructor and instructor? I have been reading a lot of threads on here about the whole liability issue, if it is worth going pro for a few years of maybe working compared to a lifetime of being much more likely to be sued, any thoughts?

Do most shops let dm students stick around and intern/work after their classes to gain some experience? Just depend on demand at that time?

 

[Quero]

One thing to consider is that it's highly unlikely you will get any paid work at all as a DiveCon or a DiveMaster in Thailand. Foreigners are in demand only as dive instructors. This means that to increase your chances of surviving on what you earn, you will need to invest not only in a DiveMaster course, but also in an Instructor Development course.

As for exposing yourself to legal claims when you return to the US, that's really not much of a worry. I actually think it's something of an urban legend, but in any case, if you are working in Thailand and your customers sign their releases, you are pretty much protected against most lawsuits other than for gross negligence. If you are involved in an incident in which gross negligence could be claimed, I would think that this would be apparent immediately rather than coming out of the blue unexpectedly years and years later (what I understand you to mean when you say "a lifetime of being much more likely to be sued").

 

[Marquito]

I'm in the middle of completing my dive con at SJ and will be heading back in a week (from the US) to finish up. My understanding is that they would let their DMs and Dive Cons stick around to do an unpaid internship for experience, though It's a discussion you would want to have with the shop. A few of my classmates have done so.

 

[Quero]

What is the true job outlook in Thailand or surrounding places for working as a divemaster, general salary range?

One thing to consider is that it's highly unlikely you will get any paid work at all as a DiveCon or a DiveMaster in Thailand.

SJ...let their DMs and Dive Cons stick around to do an unpaid internship....

Any instructor who trains a DM will let the DM stick around and do unpaid work (why wouldn't we? it's a great deal for the shop!). In legal terms, though, it's impossible to get a work permit as a DM in Thailand--it's not one of the jobs foreigners are permitted to do--but if the DM is still on a student visa, the unpaid internship can count as part of their training.

 

[Quero]

Ayesha has just PM'd me saying that her shop provides work permits for DMs, which I find very interesting since Thai law forbids foreigners from holding a job that involves 'guiding', and the job description of a DM in Thailand is primarily 'guiding' dives. I can only assume that either the lawyer who is writing the application for the WP is very good at describing the job without making reference to the 'guiding' part (maybe using a word like 'leading' instead?) or there is some funny business going on that encourages the labour official who approves WP applications not to read the applications carefully....

Thanks for the input, Ayesha, and kudos on providing WPs to your staff!

 

[Av06]

Thanks for the responses, they are very helpful. I am certainly thinking about going all the way to instructor, I think I would like the teaching aspect of it a lot more than just leading divers as a divemaster. What is the average salary for a instructor on Koh Tao, is it enough to live comfortably there? Do any shops let you work off the cost of the courses instead of paying upfront?

 

[lord khram]

or there is some funny business going on that encourages the labour official who approves WP applications not to read the applications carefully....

what?????????????? In Thailand???????????????? Surely not??????????????????????????

 

[lord khram]

In Pattaya I have also heard stories of people paying shops to work as a Divemaster.
In general I would say employment prospects as a DM are poor within Thailand, and salaries should you be lucky in finding employment very low.