Tipping your dive instructor

[Abdullah]

Why tip for a course? Tipping is for extra service or providing for personal comfort. I tip waiters, taxis, DMs for sure. Course instructors? What ever for?

I've never heard of tipping the instructor. The boat crew and support staff, yes, but not an instructor. It would be like tipping a college professor for giving me a little extra help in calculus...

 

[TMHeimer]

I think we will get into the who should get tipped and why thing again. Does it have to do with occupation (waitress yes, doctor no)? Or salary (waitress yes, lawyer, no)? If you're in the service industry or not (cab driver probably, divemaster possibly, school teacher or cop no--er, aren't they in the service industry & govt. employees?)? Gov. employee or private--see above... Some things are just the way they are regarding tipping people, and it seems with dive pros it varies a lot according to locale. So you find out what the custom is and probably do that.

 

[BigE]

My husband and I tipped our instructor $80. I had an issue with the first open water dive, not due to his lack of instruction, but my unease with the deep open water versus the pool. He took the time to take me back to the pool for more practice, and then since my husband and I were out of sequence with the rest of the group, he took us out for a weekend on our own to complete the open water. Given that he was paid per person, and how much extra time we took out of his schdule, I wish we could have tipped more, but he seemed to be appreciative of what we did tip, and tried to protest saying that he loved diving.

 

[jbark]

I've never heard of tipping the instructor. The boat crew and support staff, yes, but not an instructor. It would be like tipping a college professor for giving me a little extra help in calculus...

LOL, I give LOTS of extra help to my calculus students, none has tipped me yet.

tip the instructor if you feel like it, working for wages in mexico is not making anyone rich.

cheers
Jerry

 

[BDSC]

My husband and I tipped our instructor $80. I had an issue with the first open water dive, not due to his lack of instruction, but my unease with the deep open water versus the pool. He took the time to take me back to the pool for more practice, and then since my husband and I were out of sequence with the rest of the group, he took us out for a weekend on our own to complete the open water. Given that he was paid per person, and how much extra time we took out of his schdule, I wish we could have tipped more, but he seemed to be appreciative of what we did tip, and tried to protest saying that he loved diving.

While I am in the camp of not tipping an instructor, in this situation I would have done the same thing you did. Here we are talking about an instructor who spent an extra weekend helping you guys out and not a few extra hours of additional work in a pool. I would never recommend any instructor who wouldn't be willing to go the extra mile to help out a student who is having difficulty by providing some extra pool time unless they get paid for such.

The idea that because an instructor made the class fun or helped you set up your gear makes them worthy of a tip is ludicrous. Isn't scuba suppose to be fun? Shouldn't any instructor strive to make the call enjoyable for all who participate? If someone needs a little extra help getting in and out of the water would not most instructors worth their salt do so without expecting something extra? When you walk in your LDS and have an instructor or shop owner help you select gear do you tip them for providing this service? Should we give them an extra 20% over the cost of the equipment as a tip? When you take your regs in for service are we to add some extra amount for a tip as well?

I'm all for tipping in the usual circumstances like the boat crew when out diving and stuff like that and I generally tip quite well and don't mind doing so. Of the four instructors I know very well and are friends with, all four will not accept a cash tip but if you want to buy them some wings and a beer, for that price they can be had!

 

[Lingfield]

I've never heard of tipping the instructor. The boat crew and support staff, yes, but not an instructor. It would be like tipping a college professor for giving me a little extra help in calculus...

agree 100%

 

[oly5050user]

Lots of threads on this. My experience (here at least) is I've never seen an instructor being tipped for anything. Not that I think that's right. I've seen and tipped divemasters on U.S. charters-- usually $10 per tank. The only tip I've gotten so far for assisting with a class is one free beer, which is one more than the instructor got. I tipped a DM in Panama and he was quite surprised. I guess it varies.

Our Dm's that assist with ow training dives usually make out well. I have seen them get as much as $250. in tips on a typical weekend at Dutch springs. Of course the instructors advise the students to do so and that it is the right thing to do.

---------- Post added May 7th, 2013 at 08:23 AM ----------

While I am in the camp of not tipping an instructor, in this situation I would have done the same thing you did. Here we are talking about an instructor who spent an extra weekend helping you guys out and not a few extra hours of additional work in a pool. I would never recommend any instructor who wouldn't be willing to go the

extra mile to help out a student who is having difficulty by providing some extra pool time unless they get paid for such.

So you work for nothing at your job? If your boss tells you "hey, you have to work an extra 4 hours and by the way you are not getting paid, you would be happy about it? There is no free lunch..

T

he idea that because an instructor made the class fun or helped you set up your gear makes them worthy of a tip is ludicrous. Isn't scuba suppose to be fun? Shouldn't any instructor strive to make the call enjoyable for all who participate? If someone needs a little extra help getting in and out of the water would not most instructors worth their salt do so without expecting something extra?

Instructor strives that student learns skills and is safe.Fun is nice, but difficult if student is tired/cold/etc..All of which can be avoided if the instructor can have the class progress forward in a timely manner. As to assisting in and out of the water once student is shown how anything else is considered additionla service making the students experience easier.

When you walk in your LDS and have an instructor or shop owner help you select gear do you tip them for providing this service? Should we give them an extra 20% over the cost of the equipment as a tip?

Of course not..

When you take your regs in for service are we to add some extra amount for a tip as well?

depends..How messed up were the regulators? We have seen some so abused that it took 3 times as long just to clean them up enough so that it can be disassembled. Customer walks in at 6 pm and tells us that he needs it tomorrow so tech stays late and gets it done..should not there be appreciation shown for such service?

I'm all for tipping in the usual circumstances like the boat crew when out diving and stuff like that and I generally tip quite well and don't mind doing so. Of the four instructors I know very well and are friends with, all four will not accept a cash tip but if you want to buy them some wings and a beer, for that price they can be had!

Beer and wings are nice. But it does not put gas in your truck..

---------- Post added May 7th, 2013 at 08:27 AM ----------

I've never heard of tipping the instructor. The boat crew and support staff, yes, but not an instructor. It would be like tipping a college professor for giving me a little extra help in calculus...

I am sure the professor is assisting you on school time where he/she is being paid.. You pay a tutor to teach you by the hour, so if it takes you longer than planned you pay more.. Why not treat the instructor the same way?

 

[BDSC]

So you work for nothing at your job? If your boss tells you "hey, you have to work an extra 4 hours and by the way you are not getting paid, you would be happy about it? There is no free lunch..

First of all I am paid by the hour so if I have to work extra time I am entitled to get paid for it. However, I have worked on numerous occasions over the years where I put in extra time but never got paid for it because I chose not to put the time down. There is not that many times my company has to ask me to go the extra mile for them. So when they do ask, I do it and have no problem doing so. They have been great to me for 32 years and I have been to them.

Money is not the sole factor that motivates me and a few hours here and there is really not that important. It obviously is to you.

 

[paulw]

I guess I am old fashioned but I usually only tip when the service given was out of the ordinary, I have paid for whatever the service was and do not feel compelled to pay extra unless I am given extra. If you feel the instructor has delivered more than expected by all means tip him but I wouldn't feel compelled to just because.
Now, before anyone asks yes I have worked as a wait-person and worked hard to earn tips.

 

[Abdullah]

Our Dm's that assist with ow training dives usually make out well. I have seen them get as much as $250. in tips on a typical weekend at Dutch springs. Of course the instructors advise the students to do so and that it is the right thing to do.

---------- Post added May 7th, 2013 at 08:23 AM ----------


Beer and wings are nice. But it does not put gas in your truck..

---------- Post added May 7th, 2013 at 08:27 AM ----------


I am sure the professor is assisting you on school time where he/she is being paid.. You pay a tutor to teach you by the hour, so if it takes you longer than planned you pay more.. Why not treat the instructor the same way?

The instructor is getting paid too. You make it sound like he's a volunteer at the soup kitchen. He's not getting paid by the hour in most cases, he's getting paid per diver. So, if this diver takes a little more effort than that diver, it's all part of the service.