Good luck with your practical exam! 
A career as a dive instructor - realistic or idealistic?
- Thread starter Sirenita
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Sirenita:
Congrats you are doing fantastic work.
Relax and rely on your training, you have done all of these exercises before, you know what you need to do.
Get a good nights sleep, don't forget to drink your usual amount of liquids.
Only 1 more day to do, then party time.
Mikorinko
New
I was just thinking about quitting my carrer as a scuba instructor.
Became an instructor last summer.
Before that, I used to work for famous invenstment bank.
It was my dream for 10 years to become a scuba instructor, and I never felt so successful and proud of myself than when I completed my IE and shook hands with PADI examiner.
I imagine you are experiencing the excitement and happiness and success of passing the IE by now.
When my dream came true, there was reality.
I get paid in air. More senior instructors never consider me any good.
Once you have that instructor number on you, all the other instructors are your rivals. They don't teach you. They judge you and criticize you. You compete them for customers.
You are alone in the water with many lives depending on you. Everyone is your customer or potential customer underwater and on the land. You entertain them on the land as well to make them come back to dive with you.
All the responsibility and stress you must experience. The mean captains and everyday sexual harrasments.
Friends back home, they envy you, but they are jealous. They draw lines and won't let you in the crowd anymore because you smell like fish. They ride the taxi home and you take the subway, or worse, walk.
Being underwater used to release my stress.
Now, I furrow my brows underwater, worrying about being scolded again by senior instructor, or customers start to have problems....
Maybe I am just not good.
But at IE, I aced all the tests.
I get paid in air, so I won't be able to pay for the PADI membership fee and insurance fee since payment by air is not accepted by PADI. So I find other part time jobs.
I am sure you are a lot better than me on many aspects, so you won't have problems like me.
I wish you all the best.
Became an instructor last summer.
Before that, I used to work for famous invenstment bank.
It was my dream for 10 years to become a scuba instructor, and I never felt so successful and proud of myself than when I completed my IE and shook hands with PADI examiner.
I imagine you are experiencing the excitement and happiness and success of passing the IE by now.
When my dream came true, there was reality.
I get paid in air. More senior instructors never consider me any good.
Once you have that instructor number on you, all the other instructors are your rivals. They don't teach you. They judge you and criticize you. You compete them for customers.
You are alone in the water with many lives depending on you. Everyone is your customer or potential customer underwater and on the land. You entertain them on the land as well to make them come back to dive with you.
All the responsibility and stress you must experience. The mean captains and everyday sexual harrasments.
Friends back home, they envy you, but they are jealous. They draw lines and won't let you in the crowd anymore because you smell like fish. They ride the taxi home and you take the subway, or worse, walk.
Being underwater used to release my stress.
Now, I furrow my brows underwater, worrying about being scolded again by senior instructor, or customers start to have problems....
Maybe I am just not good.
But at IE, I aced all the tests.
I get paid in air, so I won't be able to pay for the PADI membership fee and insurance fee since payment by air is not accepted by PADI. So I find other part time jobs.
I am sure you are a lot better than me on many aspects, so you won't have problems like me.
I wish you all the best.
someone is feeling sorry for them selves. Stop thinking like a banker, "it's all mine and you owe me something", life is hard. You need to find a better location or operation to work for, and if you are being put down by other "senior instructors" it sounds like you mite be the problem or the instructors are just full of it. move on buddy, find a better location. but remember you will not make big bucks doing the general instructor thing, you need an edge
Sirenita, just re-read this thread and now you almost are at the end of your journey to become an Instructor, I am pretty sure by the time you have read this that you will be happy to have passed so Congratulations but if you made a silly mistake in Open Water you will not get chance to do a make-up and have to do it again but that is not the end of the world as I know lots of good instructors that needed to re-sit an exam or re-do the Open Water Sessions. What I am attempting to say is that im sure you are going to feel delighted to have passed but dont dwell on your scores or those of others in relation to yours. If the PADI examiners award you the IE pass then you are ready and you have all the tools at your disposal to change your life and become a Professional Dive Instructor, living and working in some of the most beautiful places on the planet. Isnt it good to be alive
So if you are now an Instructor, and im sure you are or soon will be, then as this journey ends another starts and unfortunatly, as Mikorinko stated earlier, not all people that take this path have a happy and easy time. I believe you know Justin that trained at the same place as you, couldnt get a job there and moved to Phuket to take up a job here but as mentioned earlier 'was paid in air' and eventually decided to move on. I hope that you find that you are 'made of the right stuff' to live and enjoy the Dive Life, it is not the path to riches and you may find yourself initially spending more than you earn but if you have some savings / spare cash to support you in the early months then once your reputation grows then so does your employability and earning potential.
I will state the obvious here this business more than most others is a people business and regardless of your IE scores you will not make it unless you can adapt to all the strange and wonderful, students, divers, divemasters, dive shop owners and fellow instructors that you will meet on your way. Dont treat customers as money, dont treat other instructors as competition, treat everyone as friends.
I felt so sorry for Mikorinko in the earlier post, it seems that the dream has turned a bit sour at the moment. I was let to believe that Japanese Instructors were financially rewarded better than others for their Scuba Instructor position but this isnt true in all instances obviously. Dive Instruction is surely one of the most responsible and demanding positions in professional 'recreational' sports but due to the volume of people willing to 'work for air' to get a leg up or just because they love it enough to do it for free I cant see that situation changing, as I said earlier, dont expect riches but possibly expect a rich life.
Mikorinko, I am sure you are a good instructor and perhaps you shouldnt worry about pleasing others, just have fun with your students, diving is fun, teaching is fun, dont lose that or you have lost the battle, also please contact me if you do decide to move on as I may have an interesting idea for you, something that hopefully doesnt make you furrow your brow underwater
Once again Congratulations Sirenita I hope and wish you good luck (hope this isnt pre-mature congratulations) and to anyone else thinking about becoming an Instructor then yes, its hard sometimes, yes, its not financially rewarding, yes, its competitive, but if you want to try to make a life where you are surrounded by happy smiley people that want to be with you, want to learn from you and trust you with their life (hope that doesnt sound over dramatic) and want to have fun with you then go for it.
So if you are now an Instructor, and im sure you are or soon will be, then as this journey ends another starts and unfortunatly, as Mikorinko stated earlier, not all people that take this path have a happy and easy time. I believe you know Justin that trained at the same place as you, couldnt get a job there and moved to Phuket to take up a job here but as mentioned earlier 'was paid in air' and eventually decided to move on. I hope that you find that you are 'made of the right stuff' to live and enjoy the Dive Life, it is not the path to riches and you may find yourself initially spending more than you earn but if you have some savings / spare cash to support you in the early months then once your reputation grows then so does your employability and earning potential.
I will state the obvious here this business more than most others is a people business and regardless of your IE scores you will not make it unless you can adapt to all the strange and wonderful, students, divers, divemasters, dive shop owners and fellow instructors that you will meet on your way. Dont treat customers as money, dont treat other instructors as competition, treat everyone as friends.
I felt so sorry for Mikorinko in the earlier post, it seems that the dream has turned a bit sour at the moment. I was let to believe that Japanese Instructors were financially rewarded better than others for their Scuba Instructor position but this isnt true in all instances obviously. Dive Instruction is surely one of the most responsible and demanding positions in professional 'recreational' sports but due to the volume of people willing to 'work for air' to get a leg up or just because they love it enough to do it for free I cant see that situation changing, as I said earlier, dont expect riches but possibly expect a rich life.
Mikorinko, I am sure you are a good instructor and perhaps you shouldnt worry about pleasing others, just have fun with your students, diving is fun, teaching is fun, dont lose that or you have lost the battle, also please contact me if you do decide to move on as I may have an interesting idea for you, something that hopefully doesnt make you furrow your brow underwater
Once again Congratulations Sirenita I hope and wish you good luck (hope this isnt pre-mature congratulations) and to anyone else thinking about becoming an Instructor then yes, its hard sometimes, yes, its not financially rewarding, yes, its competitive, but if you want to try to make a life where you are surrounded by happy smiley people that want to be with you, want to learn from you and trust you with their life (hope that doesnt sound over dramatic) and want to have fun with you then go for it.
OP
Wow, James, that was profound. And...funnily enough I am feeling pretty profound at the moment...as.. I HAVE PASSED MY IE!!!!!!!!!!
HOLY COW!
I'm walking on sunshine, (so to speak!)
I'm soooooooooo happy!!!! I just got back from open water exams 1 hour ago....got a 5 and a 3.8.... that means I'm through!!!
The examiner debriefed us earlier...and said something that really stuck in my head. That there is no good or bad or "better" instructor...we all start off the same and make our choices along the way. It's all about attitude. So my attitude is that I will treat people and teach people the way I would like to be taught. (Which involves a lot of fun!!) I will also develop new skills along the way to stay fresh and "employable"...ie skipper licence, repairs. etc. Progress never stops, and neither will I
Ok, now I have to go and get REALLY REALLY DRUNK!!!
Thanks everyone for all your support so far! I will continue this story onto the second chapter!!
xxxx
LISA
HOLY COW!
I'm walking on sunshine, (so to speak!)
I'm soooooooooo happy!!!! I just got back from open water exams 1 hour ago....got a 5 and a 3.8.... that means I'm through!!!
The examiner debriefed us earlier...and said something that really stuck in my head. That there is no good or bad or "better" instructor...we all start off the same and make our choices along the way. It's all about attitude. So my attitude is that I will treat people and teach people the way I would like to be taught. (Which involves a lot of fun!!) I will also develop new skills along the way to stay fresh and "employable"...ie skipper licence, repairs. etc. Progress never stops, and neither will I
Ok, now I have to go and get REALLY REALLY DRUNK!!!
Thanks everyone for all your support so far! I will continue this story onto the second chapter!!
xxxx
LISA
andydiver06
Guest
Hey Lisa that was fantastic. Congratulations on your passing the IE. You are the inspiration to lot of people on this board. I had a nice cushy job but decided to quit it and start a dive shop. So instead of getting monthly paycheck I have to decide how I'm going to pay myself. Oh I got finance available from my promoters- thats was easy part but Government clearances, Boat, Equipment import, marketing strategies, manpower, meetings, correspondence, the list has become endless. Plus the season here is only Oct to May , so I have to pay back the interest and principal on seed capital and also show profit on the business. I won't get much sleep for years to come.
Enjoy your party and if you ever decide to come to Goa India PM me .
Enjoy your party and if you ever decide to come to Goa India PM me .
tee_jay
Registered
Great work! It must feel great to finally be done with the course and be an instructor.
You might now have thought this far ahead, but do you have any idea where in the world you would like to work?
It must feel great to finally be done with the course and be an instructor.You might now have thought this far ahead, but do you have any idea where in the world you would like to work?
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