After you get your DM cert, how easy is it to get a visa/job?

[tcovyc]

yes, my intentions are to stretch funds a little further. I did consider teaching English however diving seems way more fun than sitting in a classroom teaching English. I have read a little about working illegally and it seems dangerous. I have read stories of people getting thrown in Thai jails which is not where I want to end up. Thank you for all of the information!

 

[scubafied]

If you do decide to go the Instructor route and want to work legally, come on out to Hawaii. I got here 2 months ago and it seems there are jobs at just about every center I've walked into. No visa worries (assuming you are a citizen) for you but it will probably take longer to save than working in a foreign country, depends on what your needs are.

 

[tcovyc]

Thanks Scubafied! I do not know if I am willing to spend the cash to go all the way to instructor but I am very interested in DM. I did plan on making Hawaii my last stop and was trying to find work there as well. How is the market for DMs there? I am a citizen so it would be great not having to worry about work permits. Thanks!

 

[scubafied]

You're still going to be better off getting your Instructor rating unfortunately. The reason being is that a DM is primarily used to assist an Instructor with courses, help certified divers while on board or guide the dive for them. The Instructor can do all that plus teach a course if someone wants it. Most business owners are going to want the person that can bring them the most money if there is money to be made. They don't want to turn away guests because they don't have qualified staff to do what their guests are looking for so they look for individuals that are qualified to do everything that their particular shop advertises. Most dive shops do not bring in tons of money so they are always trying to offer more services to their possible clients. I have yet to see a shop only offer diving for certified divers and not offer courses and I've done a fair bit of traveling around the globe. I would say the one exception to this may be if you have a lot of experience doing mechanical work on boats or if you are a Captain. But then you would probably be hired to do just that and not DM for clients.

I can understand not wanting to spend the extra money on an Instructor course if funds are tight. Just realize that most of us that do this for a living are doing it for our love of the ocean, the enjoyment of the lifestyle it provides and because they genuinely enjoy teaching others new things and opening their eyes to this wonderful sport. Things can seem rather glorified from the perspective of a diver that has done a couple of certs and gone diving on a few vacations. I myself remember thinking after my OW cert, "People get paid to do this?" If money is your motivating factor, find another path. I'm happy to do 4-6 dives a day and make just enough to live in what most people refer to as paradise.

 

[Bubble Junky]

Do you have any other information on where Americans can work as DMs with regards to obtaining work permits? Or other Recommendations on where would be a good place to get certified if not Thailand? Thank you again for all of the info and I look forward to hearing from you again!

I only really know Asia, but maybe check a little closer to home - Utila, Roatan, Mexico etc for courses... I have no idea of the legalities of working in those countries tho'. Maybe send some e-mails asking about the course, but also ask about working too...

 

[DevonDiver]

You're still going to be better off getting your Instructor rating unfortunately. The reason being is that a DM is primarily used to assist an Instructor with courses, help certified divers while on board or guide the dive for them. The Instructor can do all that plus teach a course if someone wants it.

That's the crux of it. An instructor can teach courses and guide dives. The employment market is generally saturated with instructors, so employers will choose the most flexible option - the instructor who can multi-task through all requirements.