Tipping instructor?

[RadRob]

The rate I charge is dependant upon the task at hand. The more technical and time consuming a project is, will get billed more than a simple designing task. The responsibility I have justifies the wages I earn. The jobs I do are in high demand, highly technical, and it is hard to find people who do it. That also means a higher salary. Am I raping anyone? Not at all.

As an instructor, the price of a "standard" class from billy bob to donald trump should be the same. If you have to go somewhere out of town to complete the training, I could see charging more for that. Personalized training also would justify charging more. With a larger class, you would get paid more than a smaller class. So to make up for it, I would charge more for a class with only 2 people in it.

The situation you set up initially was simply getting paid more for teaching end clients. After clarifying what the extra costs were for, I would agree with you.

 

[moneysavr]

Tip what you think,Was it a one and one? did you feel you realy got a grasp on things?Or was it just a push thru hand shake ,OK sign ,rush-rush PADI out the door c- card go get killed course?
You make the call, I have done all my advance courses one and one, and tip well the instructors = even the one that made me come back a extra day on Adv Nitrox due to I had a brain Fart! She could of passed me, I had all my ducks in a row but one,,. That small one could of killed me or some other divers down the road so I respected her call and yes it cost me a re-booked air flight and a extra night hotel & food but the tip for her was I gave her was a good one.
They dont make big bucks teaching,trust me.
Dive safe,
Brad

 

[Cacia]

Well you know, Tips are for service people. The same people that do tip Instructor's are not usually tipping the maid at the hotel. (from what I have seen) Now, I do always tip the maid. Even if it is a few dollars a day, it really adds up in places like Mexico. DM's that physicaly work hard, carrying my gear, switching tanks,--yea no doubt about it. Some places they really hustle and other places they are kind of along for the ride.
now, it rained a lot on my last Palau trip. if somebody was "on it" they would offer to serve up a nice warm DRY wetsuits in the am. I'd tip for that around the middle of the week!

 

[Scuba Brad]

The bottom line here is if someone does MORE than he or she is expected OR than you expect its OK to say thanks in a way you feel comfortable. To some it may just be a hand shake and a thank you....to some......a dinner or lunch......or others cold hard cash.

Extraordinary service is unique in todays world and should be recognized. Ken Blanchard who a book titled, "Raving Fans" any Instructor who cares about his or her students should read. Another recommendation is "The Nordstrom Way" by Robert Spector or "First Break all The Rules" by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. Both Starbucks and Marriott have books out talking about extraordinary service.

I appreicate companies who practice excellence..........a few dive shops could learn for the old dogs in business. It comes from within.........and its noticed.

Happy Diving

 

[Diver Dennis]

I always tip the maid as well. The average wage of these people is under $2 an hour, in a lot of places where I have been diving like Mexico and Micronesia. DMs don't earn much in many places either, so if they are doing a great job I'l give them a great tip. I've been lucky enough to have terrifc instructors over the years and have tipped them accordingly.

 

[Tom Winters]

I tipped an instructor once. We were all getting hammered at a bar in Kailua after a day of Jap dunking. The guy had his chair tipped back a little too far and I caught it with my foot while I was trying to grab a falling napkin.
I missed seeing the impact but it made a great noise.

 

[Brandon]

Comparing a scuba instructor to a University Prof is ridiculous. Your are talking equating someone with a 7-10 day teaching methods and standards course under their belt with a Professional educator.

I don't think it's ridiculous...

When I pay my tuition at the University, I'm expecting to receive an education taught to a particular set of standards.

When I pay my dive instructor, I expect to receive the same. On a fundamental level, there is no difference between the two. Heck, Padi even calls their instructors "Dive Professionals".

Tipping is largely based upon tradition, and there is no tradition of tipping educators. To do so would suggest that educators are in it for the money, rather than the love of teaching.

Now... like anything else, go above and beyond, do something extra, and you open the door to receiving a tip.

There's an awful lot of greed in this industry, and everyone seems to want their cut. Heck, with the low wages instructors and DMs receive, and the high prices of equipment, it's understandble. That doesn't mean that I have to open my wallet to every single dive shop employee, instructor, or divemaster that crosses my path... the tips still have to be earned.

Take care of me, I'll take care of you.

-Brandon.

 

[ghostdiver1957]

Tip?

I've been teaching for years... the only tips I've ever gotten were a cheese cracker and a bottled water. Since I've never had any complaints against me either, I just figured Instructors weren't supposed to get tips. Hmmm... I guess I'll start sitting a tip jar on the side of the pool and down by the pier...

 

[WooDives]

we should remember!!! the instructors GET paid!!

but not much. I have a friend who is an excellent instructor, and not long ago was making $50 per student with a dive shop that was charging $250 per student. A class was considered anything over 3 people. So with a class of 4, he made $200 before taxes - a min. of 30 hrs of work (8 3hr. classes + checkout dives). He had a three hour drive to the checkout dive site - so taking $25 (yeah, right) out for gas, he would make under $6 an hour at most.

I guess I'm saying that just because you're paying money, it doesn't mean your instructor is getting it (unless it's private or the owner). A lot of instructors live on tips, and I never would have known it had I not done his taxes!

 

[friscuba]

I don't think it's ridiculous...

When I pay my tuition at the University, I'm expecting to receive an education taught to a particular set of standards.

When I pay my dive instructor, I expect to receive the same. On a fundamental level, there is no difference between the two. Heck, Padi even calls their instructors "Dive Professionals".

Tipping is largely based upon tradition, and there is no tradition of tipping educators. To do so would suggest that educators are in it for the money, rather than the love of teaching.

Now... like anything else, go above and beyond, do something extra, and you open the door to receiving a tip.

There's an awful lot of greed in this industry, and everyone seems to want their cut. Heck, with the low wages instructors and DMs receive, and the high prices of equipment, it's understandble. That doesn't mean that I have to open my wallet to every single dive shop employee, instructor, or divemaster that crosses my path... the tips still have to be earned.

Take care of me, I'll take care of you.

-Brandon.

You're really stretching to call a scuba instructor an educator. Let's see, your typical College Prof has what, a Master's degree and up?

Now take your average DM, who can hopefully read and write, send him to a 7-10 day class... Bingo, he's now no longer part of the service industry, he's a full fledged educator... entitled to all the status of a college prof, physician or other professional.

Luckily for most good DMs, people don't consider dive and aquatic life briefings to be an educational experience or they'd be rationalized out of a tip also.

Personally, I don't expect tips, don't plan for them, don't grumble if I don't get any. But I do get riled up when people say instructors aren't providing a service, but DMs are.

As I said earlier - it varies from location to location. In Alaska it may very well be that DMs don't get paid a cent, while Instructors get paid, and the DMs deserve tips and the Instructors don't (especially for the type of performance you mentioned for your AOW class). In much of the commercial dive world, everyone on the boat does get paid. Come to Hawaii, dive for four days. As a "certified" diver you'll probably shell out 400-450 bucks and expect the tour to meet certain standards, as a student you'll probably shell out 400-450 bucks and expect the class to meet certain standards, everyone gets paid, it's all the same... yet apparently, according to some on this board, the Instructor (who probably worked harder than the other crew) doesn't deserve tips while the other crew does?

I'm not saying that Instructors deserve tips, I'm saying that the broad generalization that DMs are service workers, and scuba Instructors aren't, can be very wrong.

later,