Feasibility of DM+instructor training, then teaching for a few years

[ktkt]

Or in other words, have I lost my mind? Be warned: approximately a million questions follow.

I want to seriously consider the possibility of doing DM+instructor training and spending a few years in the tropics. This summer, I'll find myself at a transition point careerwise (leaving academia), so I think this is the best time I'll have to take on such an adventure. I have enough savings that I am comfortable with the possibility of income barely covering a basic lifestyle. I am open to the possibility of keeping with it much longer if I love the life, or possibly switching to part-time teaching if I decide to return to the real world after a few years.

I did my SSI Stress & Rescue course this summer (including first aid, CPR, and O2). I'll have roughly 150 dives by the end of this month, with a fair bit of variety (warm water, cold water, really cold water, boat, shore, quarry, wrecks, reefs, night, muck, drift, you get the idea). I have been comfortable with diving from the start, and quite a few people have suggested that I consider continuing my training. (Including ones who had no financial stake in the matter!) I have enjoyed recent experiences showing newer divers around basic sites, and I have been happily teaching (math, not diving) for roughly 15 years. I'm fine with doing quite a bit of manual labor. I'm the type of diver who is quite happy to visit the same sites repeatedly and get to know them very well. I'm in my early 30s, no partner or kids. (Though if I found a scuba diving husband, I would be tickled.)

Supposing this idea is feasible, I'd love some advice on training. (If not, feel free to dish out the tough love.) Should I aim to do all my pro training in one spot, preferably where I'd like to end up, at least to start? I think I'd be more inclined to hit two spots/instructor groups for training, for the variety in experience and mentoring.

Do you recommend going the intern route if possible? I like the idea of months of training vs. the rushed 1-2 week course many places seem to offer. Ideally, besides the basics, I would like my training to include basic equipment repair, tank filling and compressor basics, working on a boat, and more experience dealing with currents. What else should I be looking for?

What sort of budget should I have in mind for getting this off the ground? I already own all my own gear except tanks, for what that's worth. I know this can vary greatly, but I'd like your opinions on ballpark numbers that are fair for both me and the people training me.

Of course, I would like to end up with a gig (or sequence of them) somewhere with great diving, where I would be diving most days. At this point, anywhere tropical and not absurdly expensive is on the table, including liveaboards. For reference, I think my favorite dive trip so far has been Tulamben (Bali). In addition to local diving in California, I have also been to the GBR, the Similans, Roatan, Oahu, and Iceland, and in about two hours I'm boarding a plane to start my journey to Key Largo It's important to me that I am able to work legally wherever I go; I don't want to pull anything sketchy.

What prep would you recommend in the meantime? I can probably swing 2-4 local (Monterey) dives per month, and if I'm lucky, I'll get to take another big (30ish dives) trip in March. Of course, I'll get myself to the pool to prep for swim tests and also continue to work on skills. The adventure can start as early as June, and I am somewhat flexible on timing.

 

[ScubaDocER]

You've asked some great questions and I look forward to others sharing their opinions. IMHO, you seemed grounded in your approach to the diving you have done thus far. You've shared a variety of places that you've dove, a background in teaching (which I think will help a great deal going forward), and a willingness to expand your academic foundation. There are a few things to consider as you move forward.

1. Do you wish to stay with SSI or explore options with another agency. This is a personal decision as well as a potential professional one. Different areas of the world may have a better market place for different agencies. I hope that some of the SSI Instructors will chime in on that. Regardless of the agency you choose, contain to make yourself a well rounded Instructor by increasing your skill set. Which brings me to the next point.

2. Expand your foundation. Instructors who work in other locations are often multi-talented. Some are boat captains, some run the fill station, nowadays, some provide technical training as well as recreational training. Make yourself as marketable as possible. This includes considering taking courses that will make you a better diver (be they technical or otherwise).

3. See if you can converse with Instructors in your desired area. I have learned ALOT by reading the experience of Instructors in other parts of the world. The issues they deal with can be strikingly different from the ones I encounter. Most will be honest with you about your chances of being happy and successful in their part of the world. Instructors don't always get to dive for fun. For them it's work. I talked to a nice Dutch Instructor who was working in Turks and Caicos. She had been there about 6 years and was getting out of the dive business to start her own wedding planning company. When I inquired as to why the change, she said that she works 10 hour days and is only in the water maybe 2 hours a day. And those 2 hours were the two dives she took my group on as a dive guide. This was her routine and she felt she needed a change. You've mentioned several places that you have traveled to dive. When you go there, ask the Instructors there about the area and their feelings about being an Instructor.

4. Unless you're pressed for time, money, etc., I would take the time to learn the right way. You've mentioned a desire to do this and I think it's a positive start. An internship, especially at the divemaster level is not a bad idea. Talk to your local Instructor and explain to them the path you wish to pursue. Learn not just about the academics of diving, but also about the business of diving. It's challenging to make a living from your hobby. When it works though, it is a thing of beauty.

5. With regards to money that's a tough one. Shop the market both locally and abroad for Instructor opportunities. Some you may have to pay the full ride and look for a job afterwards, some may have a package deal that includes training and employment opportunities. Then come back and see what the Scubaboard folks think. There is distinct variability in what people pay for training. You just have to be aggressive about seeking the options that are out there.

6. With regards to prep work, just focus on being a better diver and a positive example for your future students. Work on your buoyancy, trim, breathing rate, expand your knowledge of diving equipment, watch the Instructors in your shop to see how they educate divers, and if possible, watch other Instructors not affiliated with the shop.

I hope this helps. I realize some of my responses may be broad. But without knowing someone and how they think and dive it can be difficult.

 

[ktkt]

Hey ScubaDoc, thanks for your thoughts.

I am open to whichever agency will offer the best opportunities, which from my reading and experience is most likely PADI. (Actually, my OW and AOW courses were PADI; it just happens that my current home shop is SSI, so that's what my recent training has been.)

 

[divewench1]

I would suggest taking your Instructor course with PADI, then doing the SSI Instructor crossover course. It is not possible to do this the other way around as PADI do not recognise the SSI Instructor training course, and you would need to take the whole Instructor course again (!)

Being dual-certified will make you doubly employable, but as has already been said, try to have other skills as well; languages, IT skills, compressor maintenance etc

It's best if you think of diving as a short term career, and have a contingency plan for the future too

 

[ElGaucho]

Quite honestly, from the info you posted above, I will give youths straight answer: go to some instructor factory in central america or Thailand, do the DM and IDC back to back and start looking for work, instruction is tough business and tough competition. It is not fair leveled competition. Very few people are looking for experience, it either stands in two edges: cheap labor with multitude of languages in which to teach in, or (prolly still cheap labor haha) experience in resort mgmt and be able to do a lot of things. It boils down to, in my own personal opinion, not overspending on your formative years. Just get it done and start getting experience working the low end from day one. This will eventually build experience in resort operations and more skills that could eventually land you that better job. In many many places people will hire whoever a is available locally unless their are looking for mgmt positions. So choosing where to get your first stint ca go hand in hand with where to do your IDC. There is a lot of straight out of IDC hiring happening, but it is still hard to be the one getting that spot.

If your interest would be to work part time or teach part time at some sort of LDS I would say do an IDC locally. But if you want to explore parts in the world where living comes cheap, that's a bad investment IMHO. You could look at central America or Asia basically. UDC at Utila in Honduras is a great place to do the IDC. But there is little to no work to be had in Utila or Roatan, and as you can guess, lots of people to fill it. So as long as you understand that would be step one, then it's fine. It's close to the US, cheap
T live in, fun and at a place like UDC everything is designed to get you through. Another option would be Mexico. GoProPlaya run by Anders, or Prodive ran by Angel. Note that Mexican immigration law just changed. And now you need to process a work permit FROM your home country and cannot be done from inside Mexico. This impacts heavily on plans of staying there to find a first stint.

Finally you have Asia lots of options in the Philippines, or Thailand. It's inexpensive living, the people are nice, and the diving is nice. Places like Koh Tao in Thai suffer the same fate as Utila. You might be better off, if looking for a stint after the IDC look at smaller locales that offer more employment options and less prospective employees. As an example I was just doing some diving in Dauin, Negros Oriental in Phillipines. Atmosphere and Liuid run a joint IDC with reduced numbers and a local marketplace
Where you MIGHT get some stint, at least as freelance. Then again, you have many many dive destinations you can cheaply travel to close by to g search for that magical first stint.

Simple living, low employment and payment expectations and true love for divingshould be clear before embarking on this adventure.

Let me know if I can further help you.

 

[ScubaDocER]

My pleasure. I too left the world of academia but just haven't been able to make teaching scuba diving a full time career. Let me know if you're able to do it and I can learn something from you

 

[Bubble Junky]

I would suggest taking your Instructor course with PADI, then doing the SSI Instructor crossover course. It is not possible to do this the other way around as PADI do not recognise the SSI Instructor training course, and you would need to take the whole Instructor course again (!)

Not strictly true... PADI do recognise the SSI Instructor cert. As an SSI instructor you can cross-over to PADI by completing the OWSI portion of the IDC and the IE, without the need to attend the AI portion of the IDC. However, financially it makes more sense to do the PADI IDC first. It's also easier to cross-over from PADI to SSI...