I have heard larger schools on KT are considered "DM factories" and therefore student DM proficiency from these schools can be low, Is there any truth in this?
'Sausage Factories', is the term, not just DM factories.
It's been ten years since I was last working on Koh Tao... so I won't venture to make specific suggestions on individual schools etc. I'm sure not much has changed, except that the dive scene has grown even bigger and more industrialized since I was there. It was pretty big and industrialized even ten years ago....
If
you felt that your previous courses at Bans were of acceptable quality, then I am sure you'll find their DM program to be of equal standard.
Bans, or the Koh Tao dive industry in general, wouldn't meet some people's opinions of 'high quality'. That, of course, is subjective and depends on what you consider to be a standard of high quality.
Do you have specific factors or parameters that are important, when it comes to determining quality of instruction and courses?
Do you have comparisons in mind, for ascertaining quality and the pros and cons of training?
It really depends on what
you want to get out of it. There are far better diving places in SE Asia.. Koh Tao really doesn't have world-class sites. There are also far more exclusive, and challenging, diving programs than you'd get in the big schools on Tao.
But Koh Tao does have a great diving social scene and wicked nightlife. For some, that's the real priority in choosing the place.
I'd suggest that you take some time to evaluate the dive industry before investing in 'pro' level training. You really have very little breadth of perspective with your current experience.
If you're in the UK, why not take a look at the diving industry there... go do some diving... look at perceptions of quality training...look at quality of instructors... that gives you some comparison from which to judge Bans and Koh Tao.
Do ask a lot of questions about what the work involves. As a customer before you only see the tip of the iceburg. You see 'happy smiling' dive pros... but remember it's
their job to be be happy and smiley... and to sell you more training (especially DM courses).
Do understand... you are being SOLD on doing more training when you are on Koh Tao. That doesn't stop... not even when you become a DM, or an instructor.
As with all sales pitches, you only get the positives.
Find out what the work, and lifestyle is
really like...
For what it's worth, I wrote about my experiences in the dive industry. It's worth a read for insights into what's really involved with being a dive pro in SE Asia. You can find it at this thread link:
Virgin diver needs to go from no experience - employed ASAP
After completion of the DM course, what are the opportunities for work like on the island? Do any dive schools guarantee work after completion of a DM course with them?
If you want to persist in Koh Tao after training, there's usually a way... but the income is pretty low, so for most people it's more like an extended vacation over a season or so...
I'm not aware of any schools that offer guaranteed
paid employment post-qualification. One benefit (
from an employers' perspective) of DM training is that you get an extended look at the candidates - so there's little benefit to promising paid employment in advance.
Do understand that literally many hundreds of DMs are trained on Koh Tao every year.
If an individual DM trainee 'shone' amongst the hordes getting qualified there ,then I am sure that a school would consider hiring them
if they had vacancy. Work ethic, sales capacity, customer service and 'entertainment quality' are important. Language skills are important also, but more so with instructors.
The DM program is really 'just another' (lucrative) course to sell visitors on Koh Tao. Of course, it's sold with an illusion of becoming a dive pro....and this notion that you can have a 'career' in diving from doing it.
With a bare handful of dives and no real experience... you are just as employable in the dive industry as you'd be in any
highly competitive, highly desirable industry without anything of merit to differentiate you from your fellow job seekers. (hint: not very employable)
.
Many DMs working on KT are freelance. Running around the island handing out resumes and wiling to work here, there and everywhere.
This is always a little tricky to ask but does anybody know if a Divemasters take home sustains a basic living on KT?
I am trying to understand if i need additional income to live on the island post certification
1. No
2. Yes
If you're looking for an extended vacation, then having money in the bank will permit that. The little work that you might get helps extend that vacation. But ultimately, your earnings aren't likely to be sufficient as a sole source of income in the medium-long term.
That's before you consider work permits and appropriate visas. If you choose to work illegally, then there are risks you should be aware of.
IF you have good language skills... and
IF you have a great customer-service personality...and
IF you are a super-star on your DM training... then you '
might' be able to claw out a very basic existence on Koh Tao for a season or two.
But every time you blow your budget on a night out or a decent meal, get sick, miss work, take a day off, do a visa-run, buy diving equipment etc etc... you'll be cutting into whatever savings you took there with you. Eventually that runs out and it's time to leave.
Going there as a very basic diver with virtually no diving experience... and doing a fast-track sort of DM program at a sausage factory doesn't make you all that employable in the dive industry. There are instructors on the island, with 0000's of dives experience who struggle to get work and make ends meet. Even for instructors, the competition for reliable sufficiently well paid work is extreme.
Honestly... and you might not want to hear this... but DM training on Koh Tao is about having a good time and enjoying yourself. It's a working vacation, at best. Those that turn it into anything more are a tiny, tiny minority.... and even then, they are normally instructors...at MSDT or staff instructor level.
