A career as a dive instructor - realistic or idealistic?

[Casey13]

Then you couldnt wish for a better lauch pad, I done the Thailand diving life thing, I ran a dive centre in Phuket for over a year and loved almost every minute of it, you will get some great experiences and meet some great friends and certainly increase your 'facebook' friends by a huge amount.

I have made a few contributions to this thread already and one of them is about the pitfalls of life in Phuket so if your heading that way please re-read it.

Yes I had read the entire tread, I do remember the post your referring to. It really gave me a lot of info that i was looking for. And i will re-read it many times I'm sure I also loved reading how your diving lives evolved. I actually was really hoping for you to respond among a few others. I know a lot of it has already been gone over in this thread. But I wanted to throw out what I personally was looking to do and accomplish and get some specific feedback.

The fact that you recommend it for somebody with my goals means a lot. Do you have any recommendations of Thailand Internship OWSI programs? I've looked over a few of them and I'm sure there are many more.

Thank You, Casey MacDermid

 

[Utila Simon]

Hi Casey
I also contributed to this thread and my opinion remains the same, go for it.
You dont have anything to lose given your stated objectives. Whether you succeed or fail in subsequent job applications and moves it sounds to me that you will enjoy your time doing the IDC and an internship and whats the worst that can happen...? Much like Sirenita you go home wiser and having at least tried with some great stories to tell.
Do your research and dont book anything before you go, get there, dive with two short listed operations and see where you fit in.
Me- I have moved on from dive shops and work on a Liveaboard. I am now the relief captain on Peter Hughes' Wind Dancer and still learning something new every day even after 5 years in the biz. Build your qualifications and experience, that is what will set you apart from the masses.
Have fun...
Simon

 

[Casey13]

Do your research and dont book anything before you go, get there, dive with two short listed operations and see where you fit in.
Me- I have moved on from dive shops and work on a Liveaboard. I am now the relief captain on Peter Hughes' Wind Dancer and still learning something new every day even after 5 years in the biz. Build your qualifications and experience, that is what will set you apart from the masses.
Have fun...
Simon

Any suggestions to some OWSI training centers in Thailand I should look up? And maybe even more importantly some i should avoid? I've looked up a few of them already but having someones honest opinion on some is very useful.

 

[Bubble Junky]

Check out Padi IDC Thailand Scuba Diving Instructor Courses and Internships. I did my IDC Staff here and had a great time, and learnt a hell of a lot along the way...........

 

[oceancrest67]

I grew up overseas...lived and traveled in many parts of the world.

Awhile back...in my twenties...I thought of doing the dive instructor / travel / adventure / roam the world thing. At that time...(early 90's)...I dived in the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands and got the gist of living off the dive tourism industry as a potential DM or Instructor...the gist being having a work permit and a second job as a bartender...tank ape...etc.

I have been following this thread since its inception and I admire the idealism and tenacity of those that have wandered out to Thailand and other places to dive and travel.

In more realistic terms...I would have to agree with another contributor who said something along the lines that having no money makes things miserable...look before you leap...and have a plan before you go. Do not end up being dependent on the local situation or a local person...there are plenty of beach bums who have parked themselves on a Thai bar stool waiting for an airline ticket or check from a family member back home.

I love to dive and I know diving takes money no matter where or when...and as they say in technical diving...redundancy and contingency planning are key to survival.

 

[Lee Taylor]

I would ask a lot of questions in regards to estimated annual pay and estimated annual cost of living. I have seen dive instructors camped out in the woods in the USA. Something to consider is that it is seasonal. Something else to consider is that you are turning a pleasurable hobby into a career. A career and a hobby are vastly different in nature.

 

[Utila Simon]

One more from me.
Having read the posts of Lee and Oceancrest above it is easy to see why these guys havent actually DONE the careeer dive professional thing.
You have to have the attitude and some degree of luck for it to work out longtime, but so long as you buy yourself a return ticket t the outset and dont do anything stupid what can go wrong?! Yes by all means find out the cost of living and the pay blah blah blah but at the end of the day the people who make this work are the ones who actually buy that ticket and get on the plane! Lets face it, if you arent in the USA or Canada then you wont be living in a tent in some woods somewhere there, now will you?
I made my career out of my hobby and am having a ball, I also havent paid for dive in years or had a second job. I also have never worked back home as an instructor, cant afford to, cost of living is too high!
All IMHO....

 

[dcarthern]

Regarding diving in Mexico that should be a great market. Also, have you thought about the Greek Islands. Put a twist on your career. Instead of being tunnel vision. Why don't you save a little money and buy a boat and do charters along with your dive instruction. In the Greek Islands you will make money hand over fist on the chartering. You can add the dive instruction to it when you want to which is always a great option.

 

[String]

Why don't you save a little money and buy a boat and do charters along with your dive instruction.

Not in greece. Unless you have a greek captain and several thousand pages of paperwork and coastguard licences.

In the Greek Islands you will make money hand over fist on the chartering. You can add the dive instruction to it when you want to which is always a great option.

Typical greek wages for a DM are €600 a month, an instructor €800. Typically you will be expected to work from 9am - 9pm, 7 days a week from May to October. If you're VERY VERY lucky you may get 1 day off during that time but don't bank on it.

If you're extremely lucky in Greece diving you might break even although that is uncommon.

 

[Sirenita]

Wow - nice to see this thread still going strong!
I thought I would update you on my current situation! Pretty exciting at the moment!
It's true I did hang up my BCD for a while, and head back to British shores. After an interval and some soul searching I realised I would regret wasting the hard work that I did in order to get to instructor. I reassessed my dreams and hopes for the next few years of my life - and decided its time to get back in the water - with a twist though!

I used my diving qualification, combined with my film degree, to secure a job as an underwater videographer / photographer in the Cayman Islands (Grand Cayman)! I work 6 days a week, spend most of the day on boats and in the water, filming or taking photos of tourists snorkelling or interacting with stingrays. My day finishes with some office duties including film editing and cd copying and burning! What a perfect day (if a little tiring, but I'm not complaining!)

This job, right here, right now, has made me happier than I have been for ages, and now I see why everything else was all worth it!

Hope to see some of you in Grand Cayman one day soon

Lisa