Working Season / Employment Options in Oz

[Zeke XA3]

Hi folks,

Im was planning on heading over to Oz in the hope of working for a little while in Jan. Although with some recent bad news here i may move in the next month or so!

But im after some rough information on things like,

When is the high and low season
What are the minimums expectations in Oz (ie here in Mexico , DMs are very had pushed to get jobs, non nitrox wont be able to work in Cozumel etc)
How is the market

I have had friends come and go to Oz saying it has been easy for them to find work once they are there, but im a bit more......well i like to try and plan ahead!

Im looking at heading into Cairns and then seeing what happens!

 

[Aquapro Dive Services]

Hey Zeke. Cairns high season is now. January is wet season, and although can be busy most operators have full staff and with imminent cyclones tourism can go up and down rapidly.

Also Queensland regulations here limit what a DM can do. For example a DM (according to PADI) can take intro divers for a second dive etc. Not here. Has to be an Instructor. So DM work is very scarce. Most DMs do underwater photos or video work on commission, or they go on to become instructors.

Hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but unless you are in town you will definitely not get work, as there are tons of DMS and instructors here and its survival of the most persistent.

Best of luck though. Personally I would look south in high season. But by all means come to have a look as there is some awesome diving and you never know.

Another tip is check out the PADI (assuming you are PADI) web site for job opportunities.

Best of luck.

Kevin

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Discount dive travel to the Barrier Reef and Coral Sea - live aboard and day trips.

Cairns Discount Dive Trips - Main page

 

[Zeke XA3]

Im an OWSI with PADI, i was giving DM as an example of how things can be different in different places. For example if your an OWSI but dont have nitrox you would be hard pressed to work in a resort in Cozumel.

I have talked to a few people who have been and gone and they all say its the people who are there at the time that get work but i was just scouting for info here

PADI site is not that great, ive never heard back from anything i have sent off from there! But i check every now and then just in case.

When does high season finish, and do you get a lot of "foreign" instructors coming and working for a while?