A career as a dive instructor - realistic or idealistic?

[SkullVogue]

Oh My GOD! Today is the day I leave my home in the UK... I am so twisted up with anxiety and emotions at leaving my family. I have about 3 hours left to complete my packing! One thing is for sure, there will be tears before the afternoon is ended. I should be really excited, and probably I am, but the leaving home thing is the biggest thing on my mind right now.
<----needs a little reassurance!

Hi Sirenita :

I know is not an easy to decide quit everything from ourself but we did it ... i have the same aspriration too but that's is too hard for me to done my dream .. im from Malaysia i left my home town to island working because my financial not allow me to take any diving course but i won't give out to find my own life that is join diving world ... u know when i left i have nothing not even had save because i have to support my family until i left home for ten more year .. start im working in 1 dive shop in the island from my friend's they promise me im working there they will train me until DM but they lied me im working there for 2 and 1/2 month not even had salary and i only did 6 dive ... however that's very hard way to me to done my course i still won't give up ... so i belive is ... life is belong to ourself just do it what ever we want if not will be regret one day ...

So all the best to you ...


Malaysia ....:10:

Harn's

 

[Xizang]

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...

ABlue you don't need 25 specialty certs. You need only 5 Specialty Instructor Ratings to apply for MSDT. OWSI is good but I don't believe that a shop looks at an OWSI and someone who is IDC Staff or MI the same, at least here in the Philippines. You know why? because it makes the shop a lot more attractive to have someone who is a senior instructor on the dive shop. It still doesn't replace a good personality though, which unfortunately you cannot prove or show on a CV.

 

[rakkis]

From PADI General Standards and Procedures:

Have issued at least 25 PADI certifications. No more than five of the 25 certifications can be from nondiving courses.

 

[Xizang]

From PADI General Standards and Procedures:

Have issued at least 25 PADI certifications. No more than five of the 25 certifications can be from nondiving courses.

ablue,
correct me if im wrong, I thought you meant you had 12 specialty intructor certs. otherwise the above is correct you need to certify 25 students plus 5 specialty instructor certs.

 

[ABlue]

I am Instructor of 6 Padi specilaities but I haven't certified 25 students, until now I have only certified 12... So only after the 25 students I will be able to ask for the MSDT....

Thanks guys.

 

[k4man]

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!

Hey, Little Mermaid. I've been lurking and am quite envious that my 'earlier years' didn't involve the world of scuba. Congrats, again, for your success.

For the rest of you---I've followed the thread, but have only read 2 or 3 who actually have addressed the REAL $$$ of the instructor. Is it possible for a person interested in a career switch (not a 20-something without a family, but a 40-something with spouse and kids) to be financially successful and be able to make $50,000 US or more as a divemaster or instructor?? OR, as an early comment was made, is this more of a "keep-your-day-job-but-teach-diving-on-the-side" income????

THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO KNOW!!! The hard truth and numbers (ok, dollars). It's not that I'm out to get rich (after all, I'm in education) but to be able to SUPPORT a family...that's that question

thanks!

 

[Falco]

Hey, Little Mermaid. I've been lurking and am quite envious that my 'earlier years' didn't involve the world of scuba. Congrats, again, for your success.

For the rest of you---I've followed the thread, but have only read 2 or 3 who actually have addressed the REAL $$$ of the instructor. Is it possible for a person interested in a career switch (not a 20-something without a family, but a 40-something with spouse and kids) to be financially successful and be able to make $50,000 US or more as a divemaster or instructor?? OR, as an early comment was made, is this more of a "keep-your-day-job-but-teach-diving-on-the-side" income????

THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO KNOW!!! The hard truth and numbers (ok, dollars). It's not that I'm out to get rich (after all, I'm in education) but to be able to SUPPORT a family...that's that question

thanks!

I can't comment about DM and instructor salaries in the US, but the instructors here (at least in Chicoutimi) all have day jobs that aren't related to diving or the LDS to be able to support their family. Same thing applies to the DMs.

 

[Maule]

For the rest of you---I've followed the thread, but have only read 2 or 3 who actually have addressed the REAL $$$ of the instructor. Is it possible for a person interested in a career switch (not a 20-something without a family, but a 40-something with spouse and kids) to be financially successful and be able to make $50,000 US or more as a divemaster or instructor?? OR, as an early comment was made, is this more of a "keep-your-day-job-but-teach-diving-on-the-side" income????

Absolutely, positively, without a doubt, "keep-your-day-job-but-teach-diving-on-the-side" income

I'm not saying it can't be done, or hasn't been done by someone. But it would be the exception by far. Like the high school dropout becoming a CEO of a large company would be the exception.

 

[k4man]

Thanks for the couple of responses, maule and Falco. I sort of thought so. Seems that to, "make a living" you need to be at the beginning of your career and build up rather than the other way around....unless you are owning your our LDS...and still then it's uncertain!!

 

[oceancrest67]

In my opinion, if you are young and single with no heavy obligations (mortgage, debts etc) then adventuring off to be a DM or Instructor in some resort paradise might be the ticket for a couple of years. If you are older, in your 30's or 40's and still single, then wandering off to be a DM or Instructor full time might be a way to blow off some steam from the corporate world. If you are, older, married with kids forget about being a DM or Instructor as a sole means to support yourself and family. In my area, most of us have full time career oriented jobs in order to pay for our certifications, equipment and time to dive...some of us part-time DM or Instruct after hours for fun and to keep our skills in check. In sum, it all depends on one's own circumstances and geographic area...these variables decide many other things in terms of choice and access.