A career as a dive instructor - realistic or idealistic?

[Utila Simon]

You might just have to gather your danglies up in your hand, get out there and punt yourself around every shop in your chosen paradise. As a former dive shop manager I can tell you that there are a hundred emails from new instructors every year but only a precious few come to your shop, offer to DM for free, work in the shop and prove themselves... basically make yourself invaluable, fun and known.
Good luck ABlue and BELIEVE!!!!!!
All best
Simon

 

[Chuffy]

I have just returned from Koh Tao having done my DM course and worked as a DM for 3 months. Despite the longish hours as a DM and the little pay, you can live on it if you try.

The instructors all seemed to survive quite well as you can earn good money when things are busy. If I didn't have to return to my office job I would still be there, monsoon or no monsoon. I would probably do my IDC and start teaching. Having said that I enjoy my diving so much that I may well move into something like videography.

All in all I have a lot to think about when sat back in my office this winter!!!

Good luck Lisa, I wish I had the courage to give up my office job and move somewhere tropical. Maybe next year who knows.

 

[Sirenita]

Thanks for everyone's fantastic support!! While you're at it, does anyone want to help me pack?! LOL! I leave in 4 days! It's getting very 'real' now! Here's where I'm going, by the way!
http://www.canouan.com/default.asp

 

[Sirenita]

I have been here 3 days now, and I am the LUCKIEST girl in the world! This place is utterly fabulous, and the diving here is fantastic! This dive shop is run like a small family and I already feel like a part of it!

Just got back from the morning's dives, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow when we will be collecting customers from a yacht and heading over to the Tobago Keys!

 

[Scotty g]

I have been here 3 days now, and I am the LUCKIEST girl in the world! This place is utterly fabulous, and the diving here is fantastic! This dive shop is run like a small family and I already feel like a part of it!

Just got back from the morning's dives, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow when we will be collecting customers from a yacht and heading over to the Tobago Keys!

If you didnt hear me saying this earlier (Darn Skype!)...

GOOD ON YA!!!!

Sounds like your having a good un out there already! Typical of you to get settled in so quickly! ha ha

Watch your back girl, i'm following in your footsteps - 7 more weeks!!! Mwahahahaha

Scotty

 

[dspphoto]

Brat.

 

[Xizang]

Why is it so hard to have a first chance? At least for me...I am sure I would do a good job, I would certanly work hard but how can I prove it?
Not very optimistic today

im not sure if you are still applying through the internet but if you are doing that, that will probably get you no where. why don't you get an upgrade to PADI MSDT, pick a country here in Asia and enroll in an IDC Staff Instructor Course. While taking the course go and meet the dive shop owners and Im pretty sure you will get a job somewhere.

Firing CV's through email from a country half way around the globe to find a job is not the way to do it. No dive shop will hire someone that they just met through an email.

 

[victor]

I have been here 3 days now, and I am the LUCKIEST girl in the world! This place is utterly fabulous, and the diving here is fantastic! This dive shop is run like a small family and I already feel like a part of it!

Just got back from the morning's dives, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow when we will be collecting customers from a yacht and heading over to the Tobago Keys!

Oh you do know how to make us jealous.
It’s great that you have found a good job so quickly after qualification.
Please keep on posting, describe your new life on the Island, your customers, the locals, the atmosphere, etc.
It makes life in an English winter a little more bearable

 

[lazyturtle]

It's realistic for a while. Despite what I've seen many people post, I've never had trouble paying my bills or making enough to survive as a dive instructor in the last 10 years. I've always made enought to pay my rent, feed myself, get boozed up, buy a steady stream of new dive gear, go on a yearly vacation and move someplace new every year or two.
On the flipside I've never really had much stuff (personal preferece keeps my possessions to what I can lift at one go) and never had more than a couple of grand in the bank.
The downside is that it's not a long-term career solution. You will eventually need to do something else if you ever have hopes of retiring. You'll get bored with answering the same questions over and over (YES WE MIGHT SEE A SHARK, BUT IT WON'T ATTACK US DAMMIT!). But the dive industry is abound with opportunities; I've known instructors who became shop managers, resort managers, business owners, gear reps, professional photographers, bar owners: all sorts of things.
In the years I've been an instructor I've lived on a boat, lived in a killer apartment on the beach and lived in straight up caribbean ghetto. I've always seen each shop as a temporary job that provided me with the opportunity to do the best diving in an area. Realise this:as a tourist you might get lucky and be there on the day that ________(insert something you've always wanted to see here) swims by. As an resort instructor it'll be a regular occurance. You'll get to dive the best sites on the best days (and of course the worst days ever).
Just like every job out there there are downsides, but (at least in my opinion) they're counter-acted by the great stuff that happens.
PS don't waste a dollar on anything other than OWSI. Despite what the IDC center will say, nobody cares if you are a MSDT. Despite what's said above I've never had a trouble finding a job via the internet. In fact I've gotten most of my jobs via a phone or email interview.

 

[ABlue]

Axua and Lazyturtle,

Thanks for your opinions (very diffrent ones ). Actualy I already have 6 specialities but I need the 25 cert. to became a MSDT.... I have 12 so far.... working to have more on the next months....

I am only afraid to go somewhere with no contacts at all searching for a job... I don't have much "spare" money to pay for the travel and keep me sometime without work...

I have been trying the Red Sea but with the low season starting it is not the best time to apply....

Any suggestion, idea contact etc... is welcome.
I will keep searching...