I teach but I don't think I would want to do it full time... unless it was in a place like Moonglow posted. I enjoy teaching people and seeing them go from "I don't know about this" to "This is awesome" Makes me smile and keeps me going.
Scuba Instructor?
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I at first never wanted to be an instructor. I was just fine being a DM. I got talked into going instructor and I will have to admit that I am glad I did. I used to teach part time but now teach full time. Even though you put in a lot of work I still find it fun to show someone something new. When they breathe underwater for the first time and their eyes light up with excitement will always be my favorite moment. I hope and plan to do this for many years to come. 
I got certified on a whim while on a tack-on vacation after an exhausting three-week public speaking tour. I went to a beach resort just to lie around and relax, and within 24 hours I was bored--with four more days of free time ahead of me. I don't know if it was the relative quiet after being surrounded by huge audiences every day or if it was the entirely different environment of the underwater world that made me curious to experience more of it, but learning to dive was like an epiphany, and it took my life in a new direction. I've always been an educator, so teaching scuba is more of an extension of my vocation than a complete reversal, but this gives me a chance to share something I really love. These days I have (mostly) disengaged from my previous career to focus on scuba.
I set up my school at a busy tourist destination, and I learned that many of my colleagues get burned out pretty quickly with the long chain of four-day intensive classes with four to eight students in them, so I decided to teach only privately, by prior arrangement. That way I stay excited about it and don't wake up and wish I didn't have to get in the water. Just teaching, though, isn't very lucrative, so people who do stick with it need some other source of income--a "regular" job, a dive shop that sells gear, or a dive travel service (and I suppose sometimes all three). I teach some and I help people plan their dive vacations in the region (Thailand/Malaysia/Indonesia), for which I receive commissions.
I plan to continue teaching. I get a reasonable number of repeat students considering that they have to travel quite a distance to get here, so that makes me feel that I've been successful in passing on my enthusiasm for scuba and instilling good skills and habits in my students.
I set up my school at a busy tourist destination, and I learned that many of my colleagues get burned out pretty quickly with the long chain of four-day intensive classes with four to eight students in them, so I decided to teach only privately, by prior arrangement. That way I stay excited about it and don't wake up and wish I didn't have to get in the water. Just teaching, though, isn't very lucrative, so people who do stick with it need some other source of income--a "regular" job, a dive shop that sells gear, or a dive travel service (and I suppose sometimes all three). I teach some and I help people plan their dive vacations in the region (Thailand/Malaysia/Indonesia), for which I receive commissions.
I plan to continue teaching. I get a reasonable number of repeat students considering that they have to travel quite a distance to get here, so that makes me feel that I've been successful in passing on my enthusiasm for scuba and instilling good skills and habits in my students.
DevonDiver
N/A
I started teaching when I qualified as a BSAC instructor in the military. Once I left the military, I had money to use for 're-settlement' courses, so I went to Thailand and did my PADI IDC course. After that, I decided to stay in Asia and work as an instructor. I did a cross-over to SSI instructor and also qualified as a DSAT tecnhical diving instructor.
Having worked for a few years, even at a dive center management level, I just didn't have the money/savings that I needed. As I have some decent non-diving qualifications and experience, I have now decided to move from full-time diving instruction, but intend to keep teaching part-time as an independant instructor. I've been out of the water for the last 8 months, as I was working in Afghanistan, but am back in Asia now...so will be getting wet shortly
Having worked for a few years, even at a dive center management level, I just didn't have the money/savings that I needed. As I have some decent non-diving qualifications and experience, I have now decided to move from full-time diving instruction, but intend to keep teaching part-time as an independant instructor. I've been out of the water for the last 8 months, as I was working in Afghanistan, but am back in Asia now...so will be getting wet shortly
I have been a teacher for twenty years. I started diving and quit when husband, kids, life came along. When I got back into it, I started over and was in a position to continue to train. I was lucky to have instructors and a shop that didn't believe in churning out chum. They were hard asses and I learned a lot. I was fortunate to find such incredible mentors who help me still. Now that my hubby and I are own our own in running our little shop, we have found that we love the hard work and the benefits of teaching people about this water world we love so much. We will never become rich, monetarily, from this, but we are enriched by it, nonetheless.
Aww, Bless; hubby and I have tears in our yes. You're so sweet. But WE have been lucky (Marc calls it "not lucky, selective. Skill you know") with the instructors and DMs who have laboured and toiled for us over the years in return for abuse, sarcasm and free diving. Diving is about people. What we miss most about the shop is having loads of great people around. That's why perhaps neither of us can retire completely...
BUT - it's great when the chicks fly from the nest, and set up centres of their own; and continue to maintain high standards above and beyond what's required. We're proud of you all x x
Oh, what does "hard ass" mean? I'm hoping it's good, but in England when we say "He's an arse" it's not good....
In this case, it is definitely a compliment. Your courses were damn demanding and hard work. They were worth every minute. A hard ass, where I come from, is someone who is demanding and does not give an inch. Some people will not like that, but if you are teaching me something, I want it taught right. I want a hard ass. You definitely made sure that when I came out of your courses, I knew what I doing. No, scratch that. I knew much more than that. I was more than proficient. I was skilled.
I was teaching for five years in preparation for my second career - semi-retired, part-time scuba instructor. I have been doing that for one year and will likely be doing it for at least 10 more years.
fnfalman
Contributor
I can't handle dealing with idiots too well, so that's why I will never go pro in any capacity be it Dive Master or Instructor.
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