Hi, I recently retired and might want to be a dive master or instructor to enjoy my time off and pass along what I love about diving. What I'm wondering is why people do these 6-8 week internships. Is that required to be a divemaster?? Can I skip all that with just doing SSI/PADI training?
Also, once an instructor, are you expected to help lugging tanks, filling tanks or taking care of the boat, or just do the teaching. I'm no spring chicken any more.
Thanks,
Dave
Hi Dave,
Sounds like what you're looking for is advice on the standard path to your goal, assisting with classes. What you'll find is that everywhere is different. The best thing you could do is decide where you want to assist with classes (near where you live?) and then talk to the local shops about what you want.
It won't do you any good to go through the DM course, internship attached to it or not, with the plan to assist with classes near home, only to find out that the local shops aren't really interested. Their advice should inform your plan.
As was mentioned above, the 6-8 week internship is not required to become a DM. All you need is to complete the DM course and pay your dues (literally... pay PADI or SSI.) And also as mentioned above, the 6-8 week internships are promoted because some people do them and the shops get free labor.
As an instructor, I've lugged and filled tanks when it needed to be done, but I didn't mind doing it. I probably could have left it for someone else but most of the time I was teaching small groups by myself. There is no worldwide standard expectation... your local shop (or whomever you are going to work for) can tell you theirs.
As for DM vs instructor: again, talk to your local shop. The last shop I worked at had more instructors than DMs. If I had an assistant, it was usually another instructor (and I would assist with their classes), mostly because there were a lot of them, but also because having an instructor as an assistant allows for more flexibility in what can be done with the class. Your local shop can give you an idea of how much work they'd have for you.
And of course if you're going to be assisting with classes locally, it would make the most sense to take the DM course locally. Again, every shop is different... but your local shop is more likely to keep you on as a DM if you did the course with them, instead of on some tropical island with very different conditions.
Just my two cents. Hope it helps!