Do Europeans tip DMs?

[Searcaigh]

When I was diving in Philippines last year the Dive operator had a box in which you could tip the Filipino dive crew, as for the DMs and instructors I was always ready to buy them a drink or three in the bar later. Not really sure what the salary differences are though.

In Aqaba, I bought about three bottles of rum to share for the week I was there and paid for a couple of meals with one of the instructors, but did not pay any cash to anyone.

Locally in UAE I usually give the boat guy a few $ every trip, I know his salary is crap, and he is really helpful carrying spare tanks etc., so I have no hesitation in tipping when that is the case.

 

[Crowley]

Working as a dive pro earning not very much money... financial or alcoholic tips are great...

but the best tips I ever get go like this:

"I want to dive Ras Mohamed tomorrow, and I want Crowley to be my guide"

That is worth more than any amount of coloured pieces of paper you could give me.

Although I like coloured pieces of paper, preferably crispy and non-sequential

C.

 

[annlaur]

From my experience as an instructor / guide

Americans tend to tip by default - it's a cultural / social expectation in the country, almost regardless of quality of service.
There is a certain type of British person who will always tip - and actually it's more often the sort of "working class come good" - people who started out their lives with not a lot of money and did well for themselves. They appreciate a good service, and are happy to reward people for it. I suspect this is partly because they see us as having something in common - working hard for not much ready cash.
Most Europeans do not tip - it's not an expected social phenomenon, but some do, and they tend to be quite generous when they do. String is right - it often comes through beers rather than cash, but that can be quite a lot of money, actually!
Rich people almost never put their hands in their pockets. This is, I suspect, why they are rich.

I run the risk of opening a whole can of worms I do not wish to eat afterwards here - but here's another thought: Because Americans are renowned for tipping, when they do not, one feels disappointed, as though one has not done well enough. When they do - great! When Europeans do not tip, one does not feel disappointed, because this is expected. When they do - actually that sometimes makes the value - if not the amount - of the tip higher, because it is not so common, and therefore is more of a compliment for a service well provided, if that all makes sense.

For the record, I also do my job to the very highest of my ability regardless of the nationality of the people with whom I am diving. I expect no tips at all, and feel slightly embarrassed about receiving them - but they are received with a great deal of gratitude.

Cheers

C.

As a sometimes waitress in a Parisian restaurant that caters both to locals and tourists, I agree 100% with what Crowley wrote. Especially the bolded paragraph.

I already have a full-time job and only work shifts for the fun of meeting new people and the exercise, so I don't really care about the tips in terms of money. To me, they're more a feedback of how well I've done my job.

Personally, I'll take a genuine smile and thank you over a reluctantly offered 10 € bill everyday. But then again, I don't do this for a living…

 

[Rhone Man]

...I have had the chance to observe that Europeans are absolutely not tipping [-]the DMs[/-] at all.

Fixed it for you...

Answer is: yeah, pretty much.

 

[Garrobo]

Funny you'd ask that. Last year I was on a boat with a couple from England. (Yeah, I know, England isn't part of Europe.) We were double-dipping the Eagle off of Islamorada. They had theire little boy with them so they didn't dive together. He made the first dive and she the second. Just the four of us on the boat with the captain and a DM. I always personally give the captain and the DM the tips so they'll know where they came from. I noticed that the couple didn't give any tips and when they paid up they were asked if they would like to put their tips on the bill they said "No." So I figured that they didn't tip. For chisake, they went to the expense of flying all the way from England to dive the Keys and couldn't come up with some bucks for tips. Talk about tight.

 

[highdesert]

I find it really grating when a dive boat or liveaboard company "suggests" in print what my "minimum" tip should be, as a percentage of my bill. It's then explained that the DM/crew don't make much, and depend on tips to keep them alive. I don't find this much different than them saying, "We don't pay our employees what they deserve ... you make up the difference." I'm talking primarily about US-based companies here, or companies that reap the largest amount of their business from American divers. And when I look at being "expected" to fork out a $500-$700 tip for a liveaboard for me and my wife, it becomes a factor when planning a trip. And it's not just the money ... it's the expectation of the tip, that becomes a factor.

I am more likely to tip a reasonable amount to a dive crew in a foreign country willingly and cheerfully, if they have provided good service, simply because I haven't been strong-armed for it.

On the other side, not speaking about the dive industry here, I've been to many places in Europe, places where tipping is not part of the culture, where the service has been downright rude, IMHO. Maybe it's cultural expectations, I don't know. But does that mean I have to tip in order to "buy" civility, a look in the eye, and something other than a scowl? Maybe it's just that I walked like a tourist, looked like a tourist, and quacked like a tourist. Being pleasant and respectful to the person serving me (a given) didn't seem to change the equation. By contrast, in SE Asia, service is delivered by polite, humble, smiling people, almost without exception.

 

[String]

I don't blame them. As above, its cultural. Americans seem to love tips and tipping whereas others dont. Some workers expect tips, some dont.

The one thing i will NEVER do though is tip if someone asks for one.

 

[Fish in a Barrel]

I don't blame them. As above, its cultural. Americans seem to love tips and tipping whereas others dont. Some workers expect tips, some dont.

The one thing i will NEVER do though is tip if someone asks for one.

Not all of us. I loath tipping, even though I always do it. I find it awkward--like I'm judging the person--which always leads to me over-tipping, which gets expensive.

 

[highdesert]

Americans seem to love ... tipping ...

Gotta love your sense of humor, String ...

 

[Skinsfan0260]

I too believe that tipping is a cultural tendency. In western Canada tipping is almost exclusively something that happens in restaurants and bars. For some reason not paying these employees a suitable wage is viewed as acceptable, and it is understood that the customer should subsidize the workers income. In Mexico tipping seems to be ubiquitous. The first time my wife and I went to Cozumel we marveled at how everyone seems to give and receive tips. To us we were never averse to giving tips. We just never thought to tip everyone. It isn’t part of our culture. In fact it is almost thought of as taboo where I come from. To give you an example I work in the Agriculture service industry. Because of this I have the opportunity to help a great number of farmers out every year in a substantial way. Because of this I have had some offer me a tip. The first time this happened to me I almost panicked. I didn’t know how to handle the situation. I didn’t want to insult this gentleman, who obviously was extremely grateful, but I couldn’t accept the money since I was being adequately paid by my employer. Do I insult this gentleman or my employer was my way of looking at it. Fortunately this was on a Saturday morning; and my youngest son was with me. This gentleman then handed twenty dollars of it to him. Of course my son quickly accepted and I did not wish to make any more of an issue over it. My son was completely baffled as to why I would refuse to take the money. I told him that I was only fulfilling my responsibility, and that my employer to fulfills their responsibility to me by paying me. That I was just happy to help him out of a bind. In my life I have turned down three or four tips all substantial. I believe that it is Just differences in cultural norms that’s all.