money for open water instructors

[Father]

 

[GameChanger]

Reminds me of a saying us professional photographers use.
"The only guaranteed way to make money in photography is to sell your equipment..."

 

[certified in 1976]

Reminds me of a saying us professional photographers use.
"The only guaranteed way to make money in photography is to sell your equipment..."

Or the one "you can make a small fortune in the diving business if you start off with a large fortune".

 

[Pullnglide]

When I worked for a shop I was paid $80 per open water diver. That was for the entire course and often we travelled for the ow dives of which I had to cover my expenses. I would usually break even and that's about it. We pay our instructors $100 per student at my shop now.

 

[certified in 1976]

When I worked for a shop I was paid $80 per open water diver. That was for the entire course and often we travelled for the ow dives of which I had to cover my expenses. I would usually break even and that's about it. We pay our instructors $100 per student at my shop now.

I think most instructors do it more for the love than the money. I never got my full instructor ticket because I noticed that once people did they usually weren't diving for themselves any more. I enjoyed my time as a boat captain, DM and assisting with classes both in the pool and OW, but it was a part time seasonable job in a northern clime usually paid in air fills, beer and a lot of good times. When I was offered a full time position in the Caribbean I really wanted to do it, but the numbers didn't crunch. Twenty plus years goes by quite quickly. Sometimes I regret not doing it.

 

[oly5050user]

When I worked for a shop I was paid $80 per open water diver. That was for the entire course and often we travelled for the ow dives of which I had to cover my expenses. I would usually break even and that's about it. We pay our instructors $100 per student at my shop now.

That is better than some, less for others. It all works down to what the LDS is willing to pay and what the local market will bear. I have heard of $ 50 per student to $100. Still too little if it includes the 4 ow training dives.
Here at my LDS pay is hourly for academics and pool and per dive per student for training dives.

 

[Pullnglide]

Yeah it's mostly about the love of doing it and seeing people blossom during the class. My shop is in Panama City so all the water sessions can be done within 20 mins from my shop so if the instructor has 4-6 students then that's about the only way to make a decent amount of money but still not worth all the time and effort it takes someone to become an instructor.