Diving Instructor for one year?

[Marcel92]

Hello there,

I've had this idea, and I need to know from experienced divers if it's possible or crazy.
I've done my PADI Open Water Certificate roughly 1 year ago and I loved it. Did only about 15 dives though. Since then I had no time to do another dive. I had this crazy idea, that I pause my study at the university for one year and become a diving instructor.
My plan would be to make the whole PADI IDC at some cheap place (like Thailand) and then get a job for 10-11 months somewhere. I saw that the course roughly costs 3000€ all together, I can afford that.
I guess the main question is, how hard it is to find a job (somewhere in the world, basically, I'm from Germany, don't wanna work there though), if you are limited to work for only a year. Also how good is the payment. And, is there a good time to start this year, like 2 months before the peak season or something, in order to find a job.
If you have any other tips or if there are things I didn't consider, please write them here

Thanks in advance for your answers,
Marcel

 

[Yoyodyne-88]

Have you thought about how difficult it can be to get a work permit in other countries?

Are you aware of the pre-requisites (dives and training) to be an instructor? Often people take more than a year to complete them.

In general, jobs are scarce and pay is not a lot.

 

[Scott]

Continue your studies and find a good paying position in the career of your choice and then go diving where you want.

 

[TMHeimer]

To be honest, IMHO it is a crazy idea. At 15 dives (and none for a year), it is not an idea that would even enter my head. Practically as well, too many road blocks. Cost, course time (doing everything else up through DM first, getting way more dives--100 before you'd finish Instructor course--then the instr. course itself). All for what-- one year? I would finish your univ. degree and get into a career, hopefully with dive time in there somewhere. Then see if you want to pursue a career teaching diving, or possibly do that on weekends, etc. All sorts of threads on SB regarding trying to make a living as a scuba instructor.

 

[uboettger]

Hmm, the numbers are against you. For Egypt, the nearest job market you can find as a German regarding year-round diving, I see a massive number of instructors get certified every month. There, one of the PADI course directors alone ist producing 15 to 30 new OWSI certifications every 2 months. For Thailand it is the same. One big shop at Koh Tao is probably issuing 10 new OWSI certifications each month alone. Where are all those new guys supposed to work?

Since training and certifying new instructors is big business for the organisations nobody cares whether there is enough work for those new instructors once they are on the market. For Egypt, as an experienced instructor with the ability to teach specialties, knowledge of 3 or more languages you might end up at maybe between 900 and 1.000 Euros per month (if anybody has other numbers please correct me).

Your idea is crazy for another reason. As a customer I would not like to have an instructor who might barely fulfill the requirements regarding numer of dives at the end of an IDC. I would lile to have someone with a high number of dives, experience in a lot of situations, being calm and relaxed.

Once you figured out why you are willing to run away from your university so quickly go to the taucher.net section regarding diving jobs. Maybe you can find a (unpaid) summer internship there that brings you to DM within 3 or 4 months. Take you time during the summer to find out whether working on a base is something for you or not. Until then, find a buddy and go diving in the German lakes as often as possible.

 

[rivers]

Hmm, the numbers are against you. For Egypt, the nearest job market you can find as a German regarding year-round diving, I see a massive number of instructors get certified every month.

Malta is closer, and being a citizen of an EU country wouldn't need a work permit. but i echo most everyone else when i say learn to dive, and actually enjoy a bit of diving before becoming an instructor

 

[RJP]

With an OW cert and only 15 dives you don't even know if you're a competent diver at this point. So, yeah, leaving university for a year to become a scuba instructor is a crazy idea.

Go diving during your breaks, finish up at university find a decent job "in the real world" and then decide if you still want to pursue scuba instruction.

 

[sheeper]

finish your university studies and keep diving. you need a lot more dives in different conditions and get comfortable with skills. take a few more dive specialty classes.
After University, go do an instructor program.

I mostly say this because what you learn in University will make you a better more well rounded instructor. And you need to rack up lots more dive time. Look into if your university has a dive club. If not, start one!

 

[scoobydrew]

Marcel

What you are suggesting is entirely possible.

The general regular community on this board would not approve because of your lack of experience so far and the lack of experience you would have as an instructor but to answer your question - yes you can do what you are suggesting.

find a zero to hero program then let your language skills (presuming German & English) get you a job. The result is not pretty but is certainly possible

 

[Doppler]

Marcel: Consider this. In spite of what you think, you are not a diver. You have only 15 dives and have not been able to or not found time to dive for a year.

SO, ask yourself what special skills you can bring to your students? What makes you believe that you can make a difference to an industry flooded with incompetent instructors who have 15 dives and decide to become an instructor for a year? Will you make safe divers, confident divers?

Perhaps you will make a great instructor, but the odds are you will be well-within the bell-curve containing the also-rans. Please do not bother dipping your toes in the pool, we already have too many wanna-be "dive professionals."

Finish school, get some life experience, and if you wanna take a year off, go teach German and English in S.E. Asia. Dive on your time off.

When all that is over, if you still wanna teach divers, do it as a professional not on a ****ing whim.