Can I jump start my career as a PADI certified Scuba Instructor?

[MilwaukeeDan]

Hello everyone,

I just want to say thank you to everyone who responded with genuine feedback. I didn't expect this many people to respond but I am glad that there was. I've taken everything that everyone has said into consideration and with some deep thought have decided to really just take it slow a little bit. Now with that said I'm still very excited to start doing some more diving and will probably be going as often as I can, but I don't want to just try to force myself right into a teaching role. I'm going to spend a long time learning while I advance so that when I reach my final goal I can feel proud and accomplished. Thank you again to everyone for your advice, and I'll see you around the forums!

-Danny

 

[Pedro Burrito]

This was posted in the PADI Employment Board today and I thought of this thread:

Royal Caribbean International - OWSI (or higher) wanted


One of the leaders in the cruise vacation industry is looking for PADI - certified Scuba Instructors to staff our private destinations and ships. Valid Passport required. Includes room/board, benefits.

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[cb5150]

Hello everyone,

I just want to say thank you to everyone who responded with genuine feedback. I didn't expect this many people to respond but I am glad that there was. I've taken everything that everyone has said into consideration and with some deep thought have decided to really just take it slow a little bit. Now with that said I'm still very excited to start doing some more diving and will probably be going as often as I can, but I don't want to just try to force myself right into a teaching role. I'm going to spend a long time learning while I advance so that when I reach my final goal I can feel proud and accomplished. Thank you again to everyone for your advice, and I'll see you around the forums!

-Danny

Danny,

I read your post as I was sitting here at my simulated woodgrain desk, basking under the sterile glow of flourescent lights, straining my aging eyes to read the increasingly smaller font on my computer screen...I thought about my dreams of adventure as a young man. I threw caution to the wind, left my friends and family and travelled the world pursuing my passions (not as a scuba instructor).

Eventually life, marriage, children, kids, car payments, mortgages, an expanding waistline and arteries that I can actually hear hardening caught up with me. Now I work for a living and dive when I can. I had a friggin' BLAST running around in my younger days and have no regrets. Lots of fond memories.

You sound like a young guy...and "youth" only comes around once. I say, GO FOR IT! Try your hand as an instructor for a few years, travel the world, meet interesting people, eat exotic food and love exotic women. You'll never regret it.

...then come back and join the rat race. Don't worry, we'll save you a spot.

 

[Pedro Burrito]

I've been thinking much about the choices that I made in my life lately. This thread prompted me to reread the introduction of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

"Whenever we do something that fills us with enthusiasm, we are following our legend. However, we don't all have the courage to confront our own dream.

Why?

There are four obstacles. First: we are told from childhood onward that everything we want to do is impossible. We grow up with this idea, and as the years accumulate, so too do the layers of prejudice, fear, and guilt. There comes a time when our personal calling is so deeply buried in our soul as to be invisible. But it's still there."

He then points out that love is the second obstacle, fear of the defeats we will meet on the path is the third obstacle and then comes the fourth obstacle: "the fear of realizing the dream for which we fought all our lives."



I moved to the Washington, DC area, temporarily, 31 years ago. I never thought that I would be here so long nor did I think I would be sitting at a desk, hiding behind a computer. I figured I would make some money, get some experience, meet some people and then move on to what I really wanted to do. Then came love, mortgages, promotions, children, salary raises, security, soccer games and getting the children ready for college.

I've reached a crossroads. Each day is a struggle to do what I need to do for work. I hate every minute of it although the salary and benefits are excellent. I work part time at a dive shop on the sales floor, in the service room and in the class room and I love everything about it, including cleaning the bathrooms. All for $9 per hour.

My wife was offered a teaching position in Japan and we accepted it. I put my house up for sale and the closing is next month. I'm going to sell my cars, many of my toys and I'm moving to Japan with my scuba gear. I may or may not still be employed in my current job, I was told yes I could until I told them the date and now they don't know if I'll be able to keep the job. It would be nice if I had the job but probably better for my mental health if I did not.

Danny, my advice is do what you want to do while you are still young enough to enjoy it. If you settle down, you might wake up one day and realize you missed something important.

 

[fjpatrum]

You have your entire life to do "the right thing" with respect to a career, family, and societal expectations. The only things in life you'll ever regret are the things you didn't do. If you want to pursue diving as a profession, go for it. Take the time required to be truly good at it and you can make a go of it. You'll never get (financially) rich doing it, but you can have a fantastic life nonetheless. Develop skills outside of diving as well, be it business related, computer related, boat related, languages, or all of the above. Get a broad base education and you can do anything.

At least that's what I'm telling my kids. Good luck with it.

 

[Dive-aholic]

Wow! A few posts about life and responsibilities getting in the way as you age. Life is how you approach it and what you make it. I stated earlier that diving is the end and the job is the means to the end. Someone posted something about the journey. I'm not sure if it was directed at my statement but if it was then my statement was misunderstood. Just because diving is the end doesn't mean there's no journey. I earn part of my living by teaching scuba but I certainly don't depend on it. That's what my nursing job is for. Fortunately, nursing is a flexible enough job that I can balance my time between the two. I'm actually semi-retired and I'm not even 45 yet! I'm not rich by any means but I have enough money to be comfortable and do what I enjoy, which happens to be diving.

Anyway, no matter how old you are you shouldn't allow life to take over and dictate what you do or your happiness. I travel to the Caribbean 3-4 times a year (twice to Cozumel last year and 2 other times to 2 other islands). I've already done my first Caribbean trip this year and have 2 more trips planned back there. I also travel to other dive locations throughout the year. I could let life get in the way and keep me from doing that but I won't allow it. Sometimes you just need to make the tough decisions.

I didn't mean to imply you shouldn't pursue your dream of diving. Rather you may just want to approach it in a different way so you can enjoy it.

 

[nimoh]

I've been thinking much about the choices that I made in my life lately. This thread prompted me to reread the introduction of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

"Whenever we do something that fills us with enthusiasm, we are following our legend. However, we don't all have the courage to confront our own dream.

Why?

There are four obstacles. First: we are told from childhood onward that everything we want to do is impossible. We grow up with this idea, and as the years accumulate, so too do the layers of prejudice, fear, and guilt. There comes a time when our personal calling is so deeply buried in our soul as to be invisible. But it's still there."

...

This doesn't even seem close to accurate. I think that the opposite is true and children are generally encouraged to pursue anything they want to be (even if they want to be a mermaid). This is being done here with MilwaukeeDan with one small difference that Dan is old enough to be given a reality check that although dive instructor may be fulfilling, they generally aren't rich.

Many children want to grow up to be Firemen or Policemen. Who would tell them that it is impossible?

 

[edwardjohnson]

Hey MilwaukeeDan,

It is a big step for you to go professional. Take your time with everything because it´s an important decision. There are many factors to consider since there are so many dive spots and companies.

If you join a company pay close attention to the contract: duration, holidays and pay (according to the local costs). Always ask for a yearly raise if possible (to be included in contract), commission bonuses and so on. Don´t forget that you can also study while working and if you get more certifications, you can ask for an increase in salary...

If you decide to build your own dive class, the hardest part would be to get visibility. Build a website for your class, and sign up on divers´networks like www.scubacrowd.com to properly "jumpstart" your business. It´s free and it gets you listed so that divers can find you on that website. I would suggest this approach since you will be in a much better position if you want to change to work for a company later on (more negotiation power). Plus you will have much more free time to enjoy your life and see your family. Company instructors are usually too busy.

I hope that my opinion will help you!

Ed

 

[Max Speed]

US Navy UDT. You can begin your training near home at Great Lakes. You will get the overseas, the cruise, and the ship part. Equipment, lodging, meals benefits and a great salary.

 

[DownbelowDiver]

Hello my name is Danny

I am interested in becoming a Scuba Instructor and have been for a few years now. I have completed my OW and I enjoyed it very much. That being said I am still extremely new to the world of diving and have only had a few dives (less than 10) but I believe this is something I would like to do for my life. I guess the main question I wanted to ask is if I was to spend the next 6 months - 1 year obtaining all the certifications I needed and logging 100+ dives and passed my Instructor exam, how hard would it be for me to find work? I live in and would most likely be taking all of my courses in South Eastern Wisconsin but I would be very open to relocating if a job opportunity arises as an Instructor. My long term goal is to be an Instructor for a few years and then become a Master Instructor and one day to work on a cruise ship and being able to travel and dive, two things I am passionate about. So if anyone has ever taken the "quick route" or whatever you want to call it, or just has some advice/constructive criticism I would love if you would leave some feedback and tell me your thoughts, whatever they may be.

Thank you,
- Danny

Hi Danny,

Congratulations on obtaining your PADI Open Water Diver certification and great to hear your experience was such a positive one that you’d like to make scuba diving instruction your career!

I am a full time PADI IDC Staff Instructor with Downbelow Marine and Wildlife Adventures in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo and our premier PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Centre offer courses and programs of the PADI system of education from entry-level to instructor-level qualifications.

Our reputation within PADI Asia Pacific is a 5 Star Instructor Development Centre providing the highest quality of dive education and training, which is commemorated with many awards and it reflects our commitment.

Awards & Publications | Diving Sabah? Dive Downbelow!

At Downbelow, we offer internship programs that balance your course training with real life diving experience to fully appreciate the dive industry lifestyle. We believe experience is essential to learning, so assessments are not simulated through role-play. You will exercise the skills you learn through real life diving with real divers and this is the best way to develop your knowledge and confidence.

Professional Scuba Instructor Internship in Sabah, Borneo | Diving Sabah? Dive Downbelow!

To respond to your question about employability after qualifying as a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, you have the right attitude to be open to the idea of relocating for a career in scuba diving instruction, because travel is the reason many divers develop to become professionals.
We are fortunate to be located in Borneo, one of the worlds’ top diving destinations, so the tourism industry provides plenty of opportunity for employment.
Peruse our website on what our past and current Go PRO interns get up to on a daily basis to get an idea of the experienced you can look forward to!

Instructor Development Course IDC Photos | Diving Sabah? Dive Downbelow!

Instructor Development Blog | Instructor Development Course IDC Malaysia, Asia

Don’t hesitate to ask me for further information, Danny! J



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---------- Post added February 17th, 2014 at 03:45 PM ----------

Hello my name is Danny

I am interested in becoming a Scuba Instructor and have been for a few years now. I have completed my OW and I enjoyed it very much. That being said I am still extremely new to the world of diving and have only had a few dives (less than 10) but I believe this is something I would like to do for my life. I guess the main question I wanted to ask is if I was to spend the next 6 months - 1 year obtaining all the certifications I needed and logging 100+ dives and passed my Instructor exam, how hard would it be for me to find work? I live in and would most likely be taking all of my courses in South Eastern Wisconsin but I would be very open to relocating if a job opportunity arises as an Instructor. My long term goal is to be an Instructor for a few years and then become a Master Instructor and one day to work on a cruise ship and being able to travel and dive, two things I am passionate about. So if anyone has ever taken the "quick route" or whatever you want to call it, or just has some advice/constructive criticism I would love if you would leave some feedback and tell me your thoughts, whatever they may be.

Thank you,
- Danny

Hi Danny,

Congratulations on obtaining your PADI Open Water Diver certification and great to hear your experience was such a positive one that you’d like to make scuba diving instruction your career!

I am a full time PADI IDC Staff Instructor with Downbelow Marine and Wildlife Adventures in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo and our premier PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Centre offer courses and programs of the PADI system of education from entry-level to instructor-level qualifications.

Our reputation within PADI Asia Pacific is a 5 Star Instructor Development Centre providing the highest quality of dive education and training, which is commemorated with many awards and it reflects our commitment.

Awards & Publications | Diving Sabah? Dive Downbelow!

At Downbelow, we offer internship programs that balance your course training with real life diving experience to fully appreciate the dive industry lifestyle. We believe experience is essential to learning, so assessments are not simulated through role-play. You will exercise the skills you learn through real life diving with real divers and this is the best way to develop your knowledge and confidence.

Professional Scuba Instructor Internship in Sabah, Borneo | Diving Sabah? Dive Downbelow!

To respond to your question about employability after qualifying as a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, you have the right attitude to be open to the idea of relocating for a career in scuba diving instruction, because travel is the reason many divers develop to become professionals.
We are fortunate to be located in Borneo, one of the worlds’ top diving destinations, so the tourism industry provides plenty of opportunity for employment.
Peruse our website on what our past and current Go PRO interns get up to on a daily basis to get an idea of the experienced you can look forward to!

Instructor Development Course IDC Photos | Diving Sabah? Dive Downbelow!

Instructor Development Blog | Instructor Development Course IDC Malaysia, Asia

Don’t hesitate to ask me for further information, Danny! J



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