Do Scuba Internships Violate Labor Laws?

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Yeah, I think it's all about how long you would intern unpaid. There may be an issue of unpaid labour taking a job away from a certified DM, but I imagine this would be hard to prove, especially since DMs (and instructors) are not unionized (a whole other topic). There are different ways to look at unpaid work. If it's a reasonable time frame then you are getting paid in that there is no charge for the course. But how many hours/days on any menial job would you have to work to earn what the DM course may cost--like maybe a total of $1,000? DMing is menial in some ways (tank hauling) and not in others (helping students with skills)-- but the pay is menial--I figure about minimum wage here (and from what I hear non-existant except for perks and tips in many shops). From what I've read on SB, a scenario mentioned in the previous post is not all that unusual. You can also look at it in that you're learning the job by interning, as well as learning the ropes of how your own shop runs things. Our shop requires shadowing one OW and one continuing ed. course and you're probably ready to get certified and work for them. Of course, we pay for the course. But this would indicate that our (and many) shops consider shadowing 2 courses as enough training. As well, we all know you continue to learn ON the job. I found that out as a Band Teacher for 19 years--always learning new things, refining your skills, etc. I think this is especially true the first couple of years working. So, you've got one DM getting paid for the first year or so while learning, and another (DMC) not getting paid while learning. Maybe there should be a line drawn as to how long/how many classes of free labour equals to what the DM course actually costs if you paid for it. Then maybe adding a LITTLE extra unpaid time after certified, as sort of "interest" on the money you would have paid if you paid for the course.
 
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