Best Value Agency?

[NW Dive Dawg]

Teaching for me was more of a passion and hobby and definitely not profitable at all in the form of tuition / fees. I was never independant and I taught for a shop. I also managed two shops which also did not pay very well.. My shop did not cover any of my insurance... I was PADI and my best friend was NAUI so we helped out each other in classes a lot.... If I could have done it all over again I think I would have gone the NAUI route as I just liked the curriculum and flexibility a bit better. But nothing wrong with PADI.

My main "compensation" was that I just loved it. Also, I took full advantage of the shop giving me key man pricing on gear, free services, free air etc. The other awesome compensation was setting up group trips where my wife and I would basically go for free as compensation for booking a group, filling a boat, etc. ... Did many trips to Bon, Little Cayman and Coz. Also, we did MANY trips up to the San Juans on the Starfire, and also up to BC on the original Nautilus VII and then the Explorer...

But the best compensation was simply the people and lifelong relationships that I made throughout the years that may have never happened were it not for teaching....

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

So besides RAID, what other agencies have no dive center/pro fees?

I'm not with RAID, but I think their training materials are top notch. They standalone with their instructor guide that covers weighting and more.

The shred of integrity that I have forces me to admit that.

 

[BlueTrin]

The mind becomes static over time. PADI is a brand name people can relate to.

 

[tcole89]

Teaching for me was more of a passion and hobby and definitely not profitable at all in the form of tuition / fees. I was never independant and I taught for a shop. I also managed two shops which also did not pay very well.. My shop did not cover any of my insurance... I was PADI and my best friend was NAUI so we helped out each other in classes a lot.... If I could have done it all over again I think I would have gone the NAUI route as I just liked the curriculum and flexibility a bit better. But nothing wrong with PADI.

My main "compensation" was that I just loved it. Also, I took full advantage of the shop giving me key man pricing on gear, free services, free air etc. The other awesome compensation was setting up group trips where my wife and I would basically go for free as compensation for booking a group, filling a boat, etc. ... Did many trips to Bon, Little Cayman and Coz. Also, we did MANY trips up to the San Juans on the Starfire, and also up to BC on the original Nautilus VII and then the Explorer...

But the best compensation was simply the people and lifelong relationships that I made throughout the years that may have never happened were it not for teaching....

Teaching for me was more of a passion and hobby and definitely not profitable at all in the form of tuition / fees. I was never independant and I taught for a shop. I also managed two shops which also did not pay very well.. My shop did not cover any of my insurance... I was PADI and my best friend was NAUI so we helped out each other in classes a lot.... If I could have done it all over again I think I would have gone the NAUI route as I just liked the curriculum and flexibility a bit better. But nothing wrong with PADI.

My main "compensation" was that I just loved it. Also, I took full advantage of the shop giving me key man pricing on gear, free services, free air etc. The other awesome compensation was setting up group trips where my wife and I would basically go for free as compensation for booking a group, filling a boat, etc. ... Did many trips to Bon, Little Cayman and Coz. Also, we did MANY trips up to the San Juans on the Starfire, and also up to BC on the original Nautilus VII and then the Explorer...

But the best compensation was simply the people and lifelong relationships that I made throughout the years that may have never happened were it not for teaching....

This has largely been consistent with my experience, as well. In many landlocked states, working for a dive shop means you are primarily a hobbyist, and most I know have a separate, primary career. “Pay,” in my experience, has often meant something more akin to having access to diving resources as part of a ship, free/reduced fee trips, and those great relationships with students/other professionals.

 

[JonnieB]

there are a lot of expenses involved with becoming an instructor. Don't forget if you are in the US, you still need insurance for 7 years after you stop teaching! You are better off saving your money for technical diving. You have to teach like crazy to actually earn. You are better off working part time at McDonald's or retail somewhere to pay for your technical diving.

If you want to pay for helium, well, selling one of your kidneys is a more economically viable way to go.

I'm not sure where you keep getting this 7 years of insurance after one's last year of being an instructor. If the professional liability insurance is an "occurrence" policy, it covers any accident, injury, or incident that occurs during the policy period. It does not matter when the claim is made or lawsuit is filed (e.g. 4 months later or 4 years later) if it happened during the policy year of insurance policyholder is covered. Therefore there is no need for any insurance for the years after one stops being an instructor.

 

[berndo]

I'm not sure where you keep getting this 7 years of insurance after one's last year of being an instructor.

Must be an US thing. I've never heard about it either. I guess in the US you can be sued for anything.
Apparently last year a lady sued a car insurance company because she caught an STD on the backseat of the insured car and won. Who knows what you can sue your instructor for in the States.

 

[boulderjohn]

I'm not sure where you keep getting this 7 years of insurance after one's last year of being an instructor. If the professional liability insurance is an "occurrence" policy, it covers any accident, injury, or incident that occurs during the policy period. It does not matter when the claim is made or lawsuit is filed (e.g. 4 months later or 4 years later) if it happened during the policy year of insurance policyholder is covered. Therefore there is no need for any insurance for the years after one stops being an instructor.

Insurance misinformation is rife in this thread.

• You are only covered for an accident if you have the insurance when the claim is made. Those polices are called "claims made" policies. If an accident occurs the year before you retire as an instructor and the claim is filed after you have dropped your insurance, you are on your own.
• As has been well established on a number of recent threads, a claim must be filed within the statute of limitations for the state in which it is filed. In almost all states, that is 2 years, not 7. I am not aware of a state with a 7 year statute of limitations for such liability cases. It is 2 years for both states in which I have worked the last couple years. I retired from instruction in December, and I have not had a student since June. My insurance runs through June. This coming June I will purchase what is called a "tail policy," a reduced rate for retired instructors. It will run through the following June, more than 2 years since my last work with a student. I will not renew the insurance after that.

 

[JonnieB]

Ther

Insurance misinformation is rife in this thread.

• You are only covered for an accident if you have the insurance when the claim is made. Those polices are called "claims made" policies. If an accident occurs the year before you retire as an instructor and the claim is filed after you have dropped your insurance, you are on your own.
• As has been well established on a number of recent threads, a claim must be filed within the statute of limitations for the state in which it is filed. In almost all states, that is 2 years, not 7. I am not aware of a state with a 7 year statute of limitations for such liability cases. It is 2 years for both states in which I have worked the last couple years. I retired from instruction in December, and I have not had a student since June. My insurance runs through June. This coming June I will purchase what is called a "tail policy," a reduced rate for retired instructors. It will run through the following June, more than 2 years since my last work with a student. I will not renew the insurance after that.

There are generally two types of liability policies...1) Occurrence policies and 2) Claims made policies. As you state, claims made policies cover claims, i.e. lawsuits filed during the policy year. Occurrence policies cover any incident/accident that occurs during the policy year, no matter when the claim/lawsuit is filed. The occurrence policies are more comprehensive but are more expensive. If the policies are occurrence type, there is no need to purchase any "tail" coverage after leaving teaching.

 

[boulderjohn]

Ther

There are generally two types of liability policies...1) Occurrence policies and 2) Claims made policies. As you state, claims made policies cover claims, i.e. lawsuits filed during the policy year. Occurrence policies cover any incident/accident that occurs during the policy year, no matter when the claim/lawsuit is filed. The occurrence policies are more comprehensive but are more expensive. If the policies are occurrence type, there is no need to purchase any "tail" coverage after leaving teaching.

I am not aware of any scuba liability insurance policies that are not claims made.

 

[JonnieB]

I am not aware of any scuba liability insurance policies that are not claims made.

Then the instructor should go the LLC route and when they stop teaching dissolve the LLC.