Fun...Or Not So Fundies Review

[MXGratefulDiver]

I have never heard of any Fundies instructors charging an additional fee for the re-evaluations, even for students they did not originally teach, but again, this is something that should be discussed with the instructor(s) to get the real answer.

Actually, I did ... I re-evaluated with a different instructor, as did all of my classmates, because the instructor who taught our original class never came back to the area.

The re-evaluating instructor charged me $100 ... for which I felt I received more than adequate compensation in terms of the effort he put into my evaluation.

It's unreasonable to expect these guys to work for free ... becoming a scuba instructor isn't cheap. They don't really make money at it (compared to working a "day" job) ... but it costs them money to put time into your re-eval and, at a minimum, you should expect a nominal fee to cover those expenses.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I have been told that the provisional is good for 6 months, if you don't upgrade your certification to pass in that time you have to take the class again. I think it is here:
http://www.gue.com/Training/Standards/GUE_Standards_2003v2a.pdf
section 1.3.2
HTH

Again ... not my experience. I took my re-eval one year after I took the class. The initial class cost me $300. The re-eval cost me $100.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MHK]

I have never heard of any Fundies instructors charging an additional fee for the re-evaluations, even for students they did not originally teach, but again, this is something that should be discussed with the instructor(s) to get the real answer.

Each instructor has his/her own policy with respect to how, or if, they charge for a re-eval. GUE HQ has no formal, or informal, position on the issue.

That said, I have a policy along the lines of, I do not charge for a re-evaluation to the extent that the student has taken the time to practice on what I requested they needed pracitising on between class time and re-eval time. If the student puts in the effort and time to work on his/her skills then I'm more then willing to work with them in that regard. But if the student does nothing in between, then I have no problem charging them for, in essence, wasting my time. I may from time to time, depending on the facts, ask the students to chip in for out-of-pocket expenses, ie; airfare [if applicable], boat fees, etc. etc. I know Brando and Scott W follow the same policy, but I suggest each student discuss this in advance with their instructor. My experiences with other GUE instructors are that they are willing to work with students that are willing to put in the time and effort, so I doubt you'll be disappointed, but I don't want to speak on behalf of other instructors since they may have a different policy.

Hope that helps.