Why does every new diver want to be an instructor?

[jewelofnile69]

Just thought I'd throw in my $0.02 (for what it's worth) on both new divers wanting to be instructors as well as the thread taking a turn to "diving with a sig other."

I've never wanted to be a dive instructor. I like to take extra dive courses to improve my diving but none of them are for me to eventually become an instructor (or DM). I think "every" new diver might be an exaggeration.

My husband and I dive together a ton. We are actually awesome dive buddies now and teach/learn from each other often. I will admit that our first year diving together wasn't the best and I'd often give him the finger under water. Now we truly understand each other when it comes to diving to include likes/dislikes, special signals, etc.

Cheers!

 

[GoRemote]

I am a new diver. Finishing up my certification tomorrow morning. I am not even slightly interested in becoming an instructor.

So I guess this thread is not completely correct..., or maybe I am the exception from the rule..

I will proceed to get my advanced open water as soon as possible (and probably go on after that), but only to become a better/safer diver.

 

[diverrex]

I am a new diver. Finishing up my certification tomorrow morning. I am not even slightly interested in becoming an instructor.

So I guess this thread is not completely correct..., or maybe I am the exception from the rule..

I will proceed to get my advanced open water as soon as possible (and probably go on after that), but only to become a better/safer diver.

The issue isn't that literally "every" new diver wants to be an instructor but that a disproportionate amount of new divers want to be instructors (and egged on by the dive shop and agency hype) compared to actual demand for new instructors. And of course the question of why so many fancy themselves potential instructors before they even know if they are good divers.

 

[jewelofnile69]

The issue isn't that literally "every" new diver wants to be an instructor but that a disproportionate amount of new divers want to be instructors (and egged on by the dive shop and agency hype) compared to actual demand for new instructors. And of course the question of why so many fancy themselves potential instructors before they even know if they are good divers.

I'm still not sure it's even a "disproportionate" amount of new divers that think they want to be or fancy they are good enough to even be. Of the 15 people that I frequently dive with, I've never heard any of them (back in the beginning or even now) express interest in becoming an instructor. Again, just my $0.02.

 

[rhwestfall]

modular system, modular system, modular system.... it just makes it go this way. Its sold now as "its just this next simple step".... the lies of reality have always been glossed over.

If they told you - "you are certified, now go dive a bunch" (like they did in "the old days"), what would keep the business afloat? Hard sell, hard sell, hard sell...

I'd be curious to see how many 0-24 divers who expounded such "gusto" took the next steps...

Its kind of funny for me. I am currently being "recruited" to enter a DM program at my recently adopted LDS. My story is different. I certified 24 years ago some place else, did AOW a number of years later (again a different place) so as to not be restricted on boat/trips, and only last year decided to do Rescue, and formally complete a MSD....

Never had the "0 to Hero" in me (though I love SCUBA), and thought it was "silly" to race through it (actually, I think it was taught to go and dive, dive, dive,and come back later - though there never was a mention of anything like AOW). Now, it might (and I mean might in a very light sense) be of interest as a retirement "gig"......

 

[billt4sf]

Students develop attachments to authority figures that they learn from. As a teacher I see this all the time. After all, as a student you are dropping your disbelief and putting forth a degree of trust. Somehow that carries over into a fondness for the person and the work they do. Maybe some psychologist can explain it better.

While in my line of work it is mostly from adolescents, even adults will develop a special bond of some sort with their teachers. I take courses, including scuba classes and others, and I have noticed this in myself.

Add to that all the reasons stated above, but I do think that this psychological one is the strongest one.

That, and you are all beautiful!

- Bill

 

[farsidefan1]

because diving is so stinking fun that folks want to find a way to get paid for doing it.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I am a new diver. Finishing up my certification tomorrow morning. I am not even slightly interested in becoming an instructor.

So I guess this thread is not completely correct..., or maybe I am the exception from the rule..

I will proceed to get my advanced open water as soon as possible (and probably go on after that), but only to become a better/safer diver.

Ha ha. You will still be a "new diver" for a few dives after you're certified. I think when this thread refers to new divers, it just refers to divers who have not been diving for years and years. You may be an exception (so am I), but based on my unscientific sample of what I've overheard other "new" divers say, you are statistically likely to be bitten by the divemastering/instructing bug before you reach a high level of experience.

This ties in to the question of whether "every" new diver is interested in becoming an instructor or DM. Of course this is an exaggeration, and I'm sure the OP knew that. I agree with whoever re-characterized it as a "disproportionate" number. I might have worded it as "SEEMINGLY every new diver." Again, the new(er) divers I've met does not make a scientific sample, but it sure seems to me like an awful lot of them profess an interest in becoming an intructor or at least divemaster.

 

[fjpatrum]

I'll chime in on this one because I've been on both sides of the fence (to become an instructor or not) in several different aspects of my life. I truly enjoy teaching. I truly enjoy diving. At some point, I suspect, I will "teach" someone to dive, though I expect I will more likely be a mentor than an official instructor.

As someone who enjoys teaching, though, I really do understand the draw. Add to that the marketing hype of "take the next step" and I see how a lot of people get sucked into the idea. It really is fun to teach other people to do something you are truly passionate about. Many, perhaps most, new divers truly are passionate about it, for a week or two at least. Some of us stay passionate and can get a lot of practice in making us ideally suited to become instructors. Some of us stay passionate but never get enough practice making us ideal candidates for the "take the next step" marketing that we hope will allow us to do more of what we love. I think that's the real reason so many want to become instructors. Not so much that they want to teach or even think they should be teaching... but because they figure that by going that path they'll simply get to dive more. I don't happen to believe that's true, which is part of why I haven't been sucked in by the marketing... yet.

 

[diverrex]

Yesterday I got my teeth cleaned. On my wife's last visist she told the hygienist that I was a diver. The hygienist became certified last summer and has only made a few post cert dives so yesterday she was asking me lots of questions about diving. One of her questions was "have you ever thought about becoming an instructor?". I don't think that's a usual question between people talking about skiing or golfing or other activities but it isn't unusual in the diving world.

I think as someone else mentioned it's the "modular" approach to dive training and the way the agencies market it. Think about how often PADI publishes their roadmap for dive training, it's in the OW manual. They even make it look like a boardgame. Start at "OW", take one more course and you are now an "Advanced Diver". Take another course and you move to "Rescue Certified Diver". Take another five courses and you become "Master Scuba Diver". And for the ultimate prizes move to DM and Instructor.