What do employers want?

[dan-dan]

Hello to all, my name's Danny and I'm from Jersey in the UK.

I've been qualified as a PADI AOW for about two years now, and although I've only done 21 dives, I'm just starting in purchase my own gear to get serious about it. I really have enjoyed my diving experiences so far.

I've been recently considering possible career paths, and becoming an diving instructor is a job and lifestyle that very much excite me. I'm obviously not going to jump straight into it - I'd actually like some more diving experience first - but I was considering going onto instructor level probably next summer.

What diving qualifications, qualities and other attributes make you stand out from the crowd?
I've had sales experience, hold a driving license, and also speak a little Spanish (which I'd like to develop). I hear that this might help, correct?
Despite having a minor stutter, I'm also very confident and outgoing.
Anything else I should be looking to achieve?

Also, could anyone suggest a location where to advance to pro. I'd like to do it in a sunnier clime, with lots of pristine reef and possibly wrecks. Somewhere which ins't overy expensive. I've read about so many locations, and to be frank it's been a bit overwhelming haha. I need some advice from actual people!

Many thanks,
Dan

 

[jago]

Can you repair all the equipments of a scuba-diving school (cert technician of a brand of scuba equipment, skills in marine engines ...) ?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Don't focus on the goal. Concentrate on the journey. Get as many dives in as many different environments as possible. Don't just take classes to get in dives. Learn to effectively communicate with people. Both speaking and in writing. Nothing says stay away from someone I want to learn from more than poor grammar and the inabiility to communicate with me - in writing - what they want to say. I grew up when that was important and not being able to do it was often a sign of laziness. Today it may be different.

Look for training that will allow you to develop your skills and not just have to parrot them. What do you want to get out of teaching? If it's six figures, you can pretty much forget that. If you don;t require large sums of money and regular meals, scuba instructor is not a bad deal. If you do want to eat regularly - at least as a new instructor - you need to be damn good. There are lots of 3 month wonder kids who paid for a quick route to the pro ranks and will work for peanuts. They are who you as a new instructor are competing against and the shops and resorts will take advantage of this to wring out what they can for as little outlay as possible.

This is what keeps me from trying to do this full time in addition to my locale. Even in a warm climate where the living is cheap, until I start collecting on retirement and can afford to work when and where I want I will need to keep a real job. As most instructors I know do.

 

[scubadiver888]

Hey Dan,

You might want to read through some of the posts on here regarding employment. As someone with sales experience you should realized that I'll sell you a Scuba Instructor course and possibly 'hint' about how great it will be even though I know you have little hope of finding work. Basically, be skeptical if someone gives you all upside and none of the downside of being an instructor.

Second, if you have your AOW, look to getting your Rescue Diver. It is a good certification to have and a requirement to Dive Master (the first level of professional).

For some areas, selling equipment and service in the shop is were the money is made. This would be local scuba diving in less than ideal locations. For other areas it is doing resort courses. I know some instructors who do nothing but take tourists snorkeling. They sit on the boat watching the snorkelers. They see little or no actually scuba diving. Other places you are doing Discover Scuba Diving all the time. These are two possibilities for resort locations.

If you are expected to sell equipment in the shop, sales experience is a plus. If you are picking up customers at a hotel or cruise ship, having a driving license is a plus. If some customers are Spanish speaking, knowing some Spanish is a plus.

If you become an instructor by training in say Thailand or Caribbean then forget getting a job in Canada. The environments are so different that no one in Canada would take your certification seriously. I suspect it is the same for working in the UK. You need to train in the place you want to work.

Working with people is also important. You will have a variety of different people to work with. Too nervous. Too confident. I took my AOW training with a guy who has Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). He was INCREDIBLY disruptive to the class. If our instructor hadn't been someone with 3000+ dives and years of experience he wouldn't have been able to deal with this guy.

This just scratches the surface. For now I can tell you that you will need to get your Rescue Diver. After Rescue Diver you then enroll in Dive Master (DM). After DM you move on to Assistant Instructor (AI) and Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI). Get your Rescue Diver. Even if you decide not to go any further it is good to have Rescue Diver.

Read the Going Pro sections of this board (I think you can read them but you won't be able to post). Maybe by this time next year you'll know what you need to know.

 

[flots am]

I've been recently considering possible career paths, and becoming an diving instructor is a job and lifestyle that very much excite me. I'm obviously not going to jump straight into it - I'd actually like some more diving experience first - but I was considering going onto instructor level probably next summer.

What diving qualifications, qualities and other attributes make you stand out from the crowd?
I've had sales experience, hold a driving license, and also speak a little Spanish (which I'd like to develop). I hear that this might help, correct?

I'm aware of the following careers in Recreational SCUBA that pay a living wage:

• Shop owner (of a sucessful shop). Note that there are very few of these and it's not a "job" you can apply for. Although if you're rich you could buy a sucessful shop.
• Manufacturer's rep for one or more sucessful brands (nice work, but someone has to die before there's an opening)
• Full-time instructor for high end technical training. However it could take you a decade or more to actually be qualified for this.
• . . .
• Profit ???

I know a lot of OW & AOW instructors and none makes a living at it. They all have (other) real jobs.

You could do OK if you work at a profitable resort doing tourists, however it's a never-ending grind and almost all countries have rules that prevent non-citizens from taking jobs that locals want, so you proably can't get one of these.

The short answer is to dive when and where you want, teach if it makes you happy, but get a real job doing something else that you like and that pays well.

flots.

 

[AndyNZ]

You might want to re-ask this question in the "Going Pro" section, rather than the SDI/TDI/ERDI section - you'll get a broader range of responses.

Personally, I would very much suggest doing the training as close to home as possible - even if it's cool water. It's way easier to transition from learning in cold water to teaching in warm than the other way around. As much as the sunny climes seems appealing - at some stage you will run into work visa issues and have to go home, and then what? It's also just more manageable to deal with the expense of becoming an instructor if you are working. Do all the training part time, then split and run for the sun.

I'd also echo all the previous suggestions - just dive heaps. Employers tend to want divers who can teach and not teachers who can't dive.

I can only really comment on PADI (which is a bit bad form as this is the SDI forum...!) but I suspect that other agencies are similar - but the instructor training is actually quite short when compared to the Divemaster course. The PADI IDC assumes that you have mastered all dive skills and knowledge prior to entry, so make sure you choose your DM course wisely (which ever agency you go with) and take the time to do it properly. It's easy to spot instructor candidates who did their DM course in two weeks - whilst they often complete the IDC and pass the IE, they simply aren't prepared for teaching and rarely get employment (in New Zealand at least - other regions may differ).

 

[NCadiver]

What going to make you stand out is being able to sell and repair equipment and boat handling. It will be a fun job while you are single and no obligations.

 

[Kingpatzer]

To be able to make a living at it you need years of diving, years of training, and years of building a reputation. OW instructors are a dime a dozen, and are paid accordingly. To make a living you need to be special to command a living wage.

(or you have to be willing to live very frugally)

Like Jim said, focus on the journey.

You can do side work as an instructor and have a great time -- but even that takes years of work to give your students what THEY deserve.

 

[Shcubasteve]

a retail dive center may expect you to go out in the field to drum up business/ students- long gone are the times of instructors sitting behind a counter collecting money. Visiting church groups, boy scout troops, and medical offices are potential sources of new students. of course, this is dependent on your ability to communicate effectively and generate a sense of trust among your divers.

 

[kanonfodr]

What does an employer want: a dive instructor that students WANT to train with. I personally judge an instructor by their students, and if your students are good divers then word will inevitably being spreading about your skills as an instructor. There are instructors that are half a world away from me, but if they had a course that fit my needs then I would take their class instead of a local instructor. I say this because I've watched their students, and know what I can expect to be like when I complete their course.

Peace,
Greg