After 20 years in the Army, a few years sales experience,and currently 13 years as an office manager with the local PD, I'm contemplating a change in jobs. I have been diving since the late 70's and am passionate about diving and sharing my experience and knowledge with others. I am 57 years old and approaching retirement. However, recent changes in the municipal retirement program have led me to consider retiring a few years earlier than initially planned. My question is this. As an instructor in the central Texas area (preferably Austin) what can I realistically expect to earn? I would prefer working with an LDS and not independently. To maintain my current lifestyle, I would need to earn 2500 to 3000 per month, gross. Is this a realistic salary range to expect? I will greatly appreciate any feedback from those of you out there who can pass on some sound advise and wisdom to a guy who is ready to pursue doing something he has thought about for a very long time. Thanks in advance.
Contemplating an Instructor Career, need sound advice
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Salary range not likely..I do not say its impossible, just unlikely.. I suggest going to a LDS and asking about employment opportunities. I know of many instructors that may like to see an income you stated for the year, sorry to say..I know of 1 instructor who claims to make $100,000. a year..He is employed as a firefighter with FDNY and is assigned to a special operations unit. He found a niche where he can use his rating.
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cb5150
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I don't think its a wise move.
$2500-$3000 gross a month translates into $30k-$36K annually. Maybe in sunny south Florida, but not Central Texas. Conservatively speaking, the dive training season slows down dramatically Nov-Feb. Some would say it seriously drops off at the end of September. So now you have to cram that $30K a year into an 8 month season. Could it be done? Maybe…but probably not.
Dive instructors working at shops making $30K or more a year are probably also making money from sales commissions. Can you handle being a salesman first and a dive instructor second? If the answer is NO, then I suggest finding another job and teach part time. If the answer is YES…then I still suggest find another job and teaching part time.
The problem lies in your salary needs. If it were that easy, we'd all quit our miserable jobs and teach full time. Unfortunately, I enjoy fine dining, living in an upscale neighborhood, frequent travel, and expensive cars…so, I drag my ass out of bed everyday and head to the salt mines. I scuba dive to decompress from daily life and I instruct part time as a way of sharing my passion with others. It works for me.
Either way, good luck with your decision.
$2500-$3000 gross a month translates into $30k-$36K annually. Maybe in sunny south Florida, but not Central Texas. Conservatively speaking, the dive training season slows down dramatically Nov-Feb. Some would say it seriously drops off at the end of September. So now you have to cram that $30K a year into an 8 month season. Could it be done? Maybe…but probably not.
Dive instructors working at shops making $30K or more a year are probably also making money from sales commissions. Can you handle being a salesman first and a dive instructor second? If the answer is NO, then I suggest finding another job and teach part time. If the answer is YES…then I still suggest find another job and teaching part time.
The problem lies in your salary needs. If it were that easy, we'd all quit our miserable jobs and teach full time. Unfortunately, I enjoy fine dining, living in an upscale neighborhood, frequent travel, and expensive cars…so, I drag my ass out of bed everyday and head to the salt mines. I scuba dive to decompress from daily life and I instruct part time as a way of sharing my passion with others. It works for me.
Either way, good luck with your decision.
same here ..Instructed for years as a part time gig. Retired from corporate and now make my own hours pretty much at a large LDS here in Westchester and work the sales floor as well as teach. Income from this pays for toys (boat upkeep, trips, toys)..not really enough for real expenses like mortgage, etc. Need other income for that stuff.
Q: What's the difference between a scuba instructor and a large pizza?
A: A large pizza can feed a family of four.
A: A large pizza can feed a family of four.
Nothing is guaranteed, either.
Started the week with 6 students for this weekend. By Thursday was down to 4, by Friday morning was down to three, by Friday afternoon down to 2, and by 9:00 a.m. Saturday had 0.
All I ended up with was a portion of the reschedule fees.
Started the week with 6 students for this weekend. By Thursday was down to 4, by Friday morning was down to three, by Friday afternoon down to 2, and by 9:00 a.m. Saturday had 0.
All I ended up with was a portion of the reschedule fees.
As a recreational instructor you can maybe expect to break even each year. As a technical/overhead instructor your income ranges are possible but your costs to maintain that status will also be significant. I'm guessing when you say gross you mean before taxes and not before taxes and expenses. Keep it a side gig and keep a job that will pay the bills.
SanDiegoSidemount
Contributor
I would echo what others have said: none of the instructors I personally know here in CA make a living just from instructing.
Most would be very happy just to break even and cover their costs for equipment, continuing education and training, insurance, car expenses, etc. Heck, many are content to make any income at all to offset these expenses.
In the US, a working instructor can deduct these items on tax returns as business expenses. For some, that alone is enough.
Most would be very happy just to break even and cover their costs for equipment, continuing education and training, insurance, car expenses, etc. Heck, many are content to make any income at all to offset these expenses.
In the US, a working instructor can deduct these items on tax returns as business expenses. For some, that alone is enough.
Thanks to everyone for the sound advice. After posting this thread, I spoke with a dive buddy of mine who is now livng in Florida and got lots of valuable insight from him as well. At this point, my plan of attack will be to find a job that will provide the salary I desire. In the meantime, I'll be sticking with my present job and start working on my dive master and instructor certifications.
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