Tipping your instructor

[imwright1985]

I think the most important thing is if your depending on satisfaction show them appreciation. Restraunts you tip cash, but if its a small dive shop (dealing with owner/investor or family) or commission based buy gear/fills or refer people to them, if you dont have cash and already geared up maby get them a gift (concert tix, gift certificate, or advice) The guy that painted my house was a diehard gear head so i let him take my truck for a test drive and he had alot of fun with it then i gave him some pointers on his project car from what he liked about my truck. some of those recommendations are cheap to some people but it is a gesture showing your gratitude.

 

[MMM]

Did you tip your teacher or professor? Your driving ed instructor? Not likely. Might have given them some tokens...maybe. But they should have built their remuneration into their training fee which they alone set.

This is different from those providing you a personal service (at least as far as North American culture goes). You tip your hairdresser, the lady who gives you a bikini wax, waiter etc. They generally don't get to set their remuneration costs unless they own the joint.

 

[BrandonAWood]

During some recent dive training in Catalina, CA, we took our instructor out for a nice dinner and also picked up the bill for breakfast for the instructor and a master diver / assistant he had with him. We also invited him out on a boat dive next month (our treat) because our instructor commented that he never gets to dive for fun only for work... Our instructor was very thankful... If your instructor is cool, do something nice, he'll appreciate it. I get the feeling that most of these instructors don't get paid thier worth; these guys are teaching us how to not kill ourselves! We tip a waitress who brings us a cup of coffee, so maybe the dude keeping us alive is deserving of a showing of thanks.

 

[imwright1985]

didnt you ever bring your elementry school teacher an apple. Like i said just doing something to show gratitude goes a long way, my college prof's if i like them i keep in touch and let them know some of the details to some projects im doing to let them know they inspired me and helped me get to the point i am. If your loaded and its like a vacation deal maby throw them like 10 bucks to buy lunch or something if your in the same area try using their shop to show appreciation or send people to them. PADI online is 120 plus dives, most shops around me charge about 300 for PADI so its about 180 or less beyond cost for the course after books and paying classroom instructor. then you take out gas probably 100 bucks to run the boat and for air for the day so depending on the number of people thats about 15 a day for dives leaving 150 per person, building costs/insurance for the company drops it a little more, plus gear expenses they probably get around 25-50 per person after the shop takes their cut

 

[Jupiter31]

Gotta love these barbs! SB members at their best! (sarcasm heavily implied)


Let see.. from the info I posted, nowhere did I mention anything about how I am with my friends and family while eating out yet, with your divine wisdom, you were able to surmise that I must either berate my friends or bore them with idle chatter.

Sorry to disappoint you, but I do neither. We actually eat out quite often. If the service is good, it is rewarded but never to extremes. If I am dining out at a $50 a plate restaurant that does not mean to me that the server is going to make an easy $10 per person tip. Far from the truth. At an upscale restaurant I expect to never have to see the staff unless called upon. It should be virtually seamless. At regular eateries, I tip within reason. I like to use the "double the tax" rule to ball park my tips. I donÃÕ have many friends that are waiters. That is true. I have owned my own restaurant and my wife used to manage a restaurant so I can say that we both have been in the "biz" and it does not alter my mentality. Call me "Mr Pink" if you will.


Now back on topic. Tipping instructors.. From our experience, both of the instructors who I have had and whom my children have had owned their own dive shops. I dont think tipping them was anywhere near appropriate. I dont throw money away. Thats just bad financial sense. I do use them to fill my tanks for now while I get ready to purchase my own compressor.

As for tipping DMs and boat staff, we do, but only on the last day of the dives when we are covering all the dives for the week. I dont think of it in terms of "if this were an American" I think of it in terms of the value of their $ and go from there. Any $ I am handing out is deserved and if its not much, it may mean we have to make up next time. Some times we just go to dive and budget just enough to get us there and in the water and back real fast.

You do march to your own drummer, don't you

If the thread is about pollution in the Pacific Vortex, you post how you (proudly) don't recycle - if the thread is about LDS vs On Line, you chirp right up that you will try on the gear at your LDS and then purchase on line - If the thread is tipping, you post that if its not in the budget, well so be it, the DM does not get tipped, regardless that you may have spent $$$ on the trip.

You lead an interesting life.......

 

[bablawater]

I do tip my instructor, I just feel like doing so. I think it's just right to give something for the hard work and the patience he has during our course. He was actually not the type that would expect one, he tried to refuse my tip before but I kept pushing it on him. He's actually great and I would highly recommend him. I just found him here and I'm glad I did. He has always been supportive from day one of my course. I guess it's not everyday to find someone who's very willing to share his passion and remain to be patient.

Two thumbs up for my instructor, I'll invite him over to this forum. He'll surely love this site. Cheers!