I think you should lobby the Oil rich countries and LOW THE PRICE OF CRUDE OIL!!!!!!!!!!..freaking insane 9¢ a liter for fuel! we pay here close to if not 1.35$ a litre...so the cost of being an instructor is ....outrageous.
Going Pro
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Commercial diving is a young man's business....too rough on the older bodies.
MSilvia
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A wise old diver once told me, "If you want to have a scuba career and a million dollars, the best way is to start with two million."
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Owning a dive op?
The saying goes...how do you make a million in the dive industry? spend two million.
Although I love teaching diving, as a full-time career there is alot of other BS & hazards involved on a daily basis...just like any other job.
Since I changed professions, each year I am financially further behind than before...but life is short and having already lived cubical life and expressway life, I am trying to live my life to the fullest for as long as I can eek by.
Smart move to keep your day job. Basic economics - if you love to do something, what reason is there for someone to pay you big bucks to do it - you'd do it anyway.
Work with your local dive shop on your DM and AI, and prove yourself in those roles. When you do an IDC, they'll provide you with classes to teach nights and weekends. You'll get paid in shop credit, get cool gear on key man programs, and be happy. When you feel like you're burning out on it, you can stop teaching for six months and still feed your family.
Commercial diving is an entirely different field, and while the pay can be good, you need more than diving skills - diving is just how you get to the job. Your engineering skills could serve you well in that. However, it's not work for a family man - it may involve weeks away at a time, and economics often require cutting corners on decompression management. Most retired commercial divers have bad joints as a result.
So do I, but people pay me more for for indoor work. Do not confuse your job, what you "gotta" do, with what you "wanna" do. The former enables the latter. People pay you big money either because your willingness or ability to do the job are scarce - that's supply and demand at work.
I know! its crazy. Still driving a V8 (5L) car. cost only USD6.3 to get a full 70 liter tank. BTW, the company I work for also do reservoir simulation stuff. Inside info suggests that there is deep sea oil which is just too expensive to process at this moment, however, if it reaches USD250 in an year or so :Wizard:, they can start pumping it out and they need divers for that.
A nice idea. Plus the advantage of basically working for free as a DM is that you actually get treated with respect instead. Most of the time resort DMs are basically treated as coffee makers and tank carriers. At least when you are working for free you get a lot more control over what you do and the shop owner knows that if he doesn't keep the work enjoyable you will be gone.
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As an expat it took me all of 2 months to realize how difficult we make our own lives as Americans (for a different thread). Much of what Thalassamania mention doesn’t apply for example in Czech. For example:
Instructors here rent city pools (about 2USD a student),
Pay a one time 12% tax on "estimated" earnings if they work as self employed
Rep gear to students
Rent their "extra gear"
City pools rent the office space of old admin staff from the commie days “cheaper”
Instructors usually organize side trips for cash and talk their students into going
Students are responsible for their insurance
With a little red sea diving under my belt I think MarsDiver has a better chance of running a successful shop/career in the ME than in the States. Space is cheap, depending on where he lives tourists may be plentiful (learning German or Russian would be a huge help), and the area is cheap for the tourists as many things in Saudi are linked to the USD.
I would suggest if you have too much money to buy a live aboard, or share in one. It seems this is a better than a shop. You have park fees and inspections but if you have a good partner, typically a captain, the deal can work well. I know a few people who bought shares in Egyptian boats (hurgada and marsa alam) and live well.
As has been mentioned before, lotsa advice out there and you typically get what you pay for. Make a business plan based on what you "really know" and decide if you can live on that.
Best of Luck,
-C
Instructors here rent city pools (about 2USD a student),
Pay a one time 12% tax on "estimated" earnings if they work as self employed
Rep gear to students
Rent their "extra gear"
City pools rent the office space of old admin staff from the commie days “cheaper”
Instructors usually organize side trips for cash and talk their students into going
Students are responsible for their insurance
With a little red sea diving under my belt I think MarsDiver has a better chance of running a successful shop/career in the ME than in the States. Space is cheap, depending on where he lives tourists may be plentiful (learning German or Russian would be a huge help), and the area is cheap for the tourists as many things in Saudi are linked to the USD.
I would suggest if you have too much money to buy a live aboard, or share in one. It seems this is a better than a shop. You have park fees and inspections but if you have a good partner, typically a captain, the deal can work well. I know a few people who bought shares in Egyptian boats (hurgada and marsa alam) and live well.
As has been mentioned before, lotsa advice out there and you typically get what you pay for. Make a business plan based on what you "really know" and decide if you can live on that.
Best of Luck,
-C
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