Becoming a diving instructor.....

[scubajunky17]

HI all,
I am a rescue diver with around three hundred dives. I am forty one years of age, single with no kids.
I have been teaching for the last 18 years and am kid of burnt out with it and the last job ended badly so it will take time for me to get things happening again.
For the last few years I have been fantasizing about becoming a diving instructor somewhere in Asia. I have around $80,000 in savings but no property.
At my age am I making a mistake doing this ? will I make enough money that I won't eat into my savings ?
I am a native English speaker but only speak English.

 

[northernone]

You are in the best situation to know if you'll flourish as a dive instructor... even as just a few years to rekindle your fire...

 

[decompression]

If I may, to make a small fortune in scuba, first you must start with a big fortune. Anyways, scuba really isn't about money but lifestyle. Warm sun, sandy beaches and cold beer. Your situation is common. But it has several advantages, if, while teaching, your ethics are challenged, you have the means to move on, many don't.

As it's just you and not a significant other and 17 kids, decisions are easier and accommodations/locations are more flexible.

So, a few points I've learned and have passed on over the years....
These tips will increase your ability to gain and remain employed;
Speak more than one language
Be a full instructor with as many useful specialties as possible
Regulator technician for several makes
Boat captain
Small engine repair
Marketing
Computer webmaster


You can become an instructor at home or possibly the location you wish to work, sometimes paid by only your slave labor. Good and bad points for both.

Anyways, feel free to ask any questions you may have.

 

[scubajunky17]

Thanks for your input. Boat captain and reg technician , I can see the advantages of doing that. Which boat captain course would I need to do and can I do that from scratch ?

 

[RainPilot]

For a single person, you can earn enough as a SCUBA instructor to live and eat in many parts of the world. Supporting a family and building a retirement nest egg is pretty near impossible outside of some unique circumstances. In your situation you should be able to find employment that won't eat into your savings (outside of the initial cost of certifying) if you live cheaply.

 

[RainPilot]

As far as the certifications necessary, you might be well-served by first determining where you want to work and then building your training around that, it won't help getting a skipper license from country A if your new employer doesn't recognise it. Same applies to servicing tech training, that may be determined by the equipment in use at your future dive op. I do agree that as many useful certs as possible will make you attractive to an employer, just make sure that the dive op can actually benefit from them.