Going from novice to IDC instructor

[danvolker]

Hello Everyone,

Can ya help? Like my previous post I'm aiming to get some advice as I'm going to risk it all and try to join the scuba dive professional scene.


Thanks in advance for any joy on the situation.

Am excited to get out there and do it!

Lee

Lee,
There are a few major problems with your plan. First, and hopefully you "care" about this, for an instructor to be valuable to a new diver, they need to be a great resource for "common sense" about diving---and this is something a small percentage of divers gain, after years of diving, and hundreds or thousands of dives...IF IT WAS ALL ABOUT READING THE BOOK AND PASSING A FEW SKILLS, WHY WOULD YOU EVEN NEED A DIVE INSTRUCTOR? Face it, the material you learn in the instructional material should not challenge a chimpanzie to learn... the "basic" skills are so easy for some people, it is almost like they had them before diving the first time, and even for the new divers who don't get the skills easily, this is something that is picked up in a week or so, and then you have it, and you get certified.
Things like how you plan a dive, judgement, how to handle nuances in lots of different current situations, a thousand issues that are NOT in your dive text book, this is what you want an instructor for....and this is something IMPOSSIBLE for a "90 day wonder" in your plan. It would be years before you offered a real value of knowledge to any new divers, meaning you would be doing a severe dis-service to anyone who paid you for quite a long time...and that is assuming you are one of the divers who actually does learn a wealth of common sense behaviors from years of diving ) there are many people with none of this at all after decades.

Second, using your last dollar to become a dive instructor, as we are entering a 6 to 10 year global depression is not showing any common sense. The middle classes and even the wealthy will be cutting back for years now, in their leisure spending, and scuba instruction will not be an exception here.

My advice is to think of something you would enjoy doing in a depressed economy for the next 10 years, and try to find this job in a location with great diving....Dive your brains out for 3 years, gain a good sized peer group of dive buddies you dive with often......and then after several years, see if the people you dive with actually believe you have the "common sense gene" for diving--and if they think you would make a good instructor.

 

[dkktsunami]

DanVolker - excellent advice. Also how many students would want to learn from an instructor with only 6 months experience and a minamal number of dives?

 

[dkktsunami]

DanVolker - excellent advice. Also how many students would want to learn from an instructor with only 6 months experience and a minamal number of dives?

"minimal" that is - I can spell after my second cup of coffee.

 

[dontyouliketheparty]

Thanks everyone for the feedback.
As I mentioned it's something I am considering. I would be silly if I didn't seek some knowledge from existing divers. That said, I am annoyed at how an organisation like PADI and a million dive centres can openly claim I can get a job as a DM within 2-3months. I've seen some dive places offering zero - hero courses including DM certs/membership and being placed in apparent joblistings for as little as $2000 usd. I'm just going on what I've been researching and have been lead strongly to believe that I can get a job as a DM in as little as 3 months. I'm yet to find a website that claims otherwise. Like I said if it's not viable I'll save my money and do something else. I'm fairly pissed to think PADI and others would willingly lead me up the garden path just to get their hands on my money!
I agree totally with the notion that an instructor can only warrant such a term with years of experience and I wouldn't want to be taught from anyone otherwise I'm sure. Appologies on the level of qualification I was referring to in my original post. I mean't the next notch up from DM - Assistant Instructor, I think. That's marker 9 rather than 15 I reckon CFLJASON
Cheers all, Lee.

 

[dontyouliketheparty]

Thanks everyone for the feedback.
As I mentioned it's something I am considering. I would be silly if I didn't seek some knowledge from existing divers. That said, I am annoyed at how an organisation like PADI and a million dive centres can openly claim I can get a job as a DM within 2-3months. I've seen some dive places offering zero - hero courses including DM certs/membership and being placed in apparent joblistings for as little as $2000 usd. I'm just going on what I've been researching and have been lead strongly to believe that I can get a job as a DM in as little as 3 months. I'm yet to find a website that claims otherwise. Like I said if it's not viable I'll save my money and do something else. I'm fairly pissed to think PADI and others would willingly lead me up the garden path just to get their hands on my money!
I agree totally with the notion that an instructor can only warrant such a term with years of experience and I wouldn't want to be taught from anyone otherwise I'm sure. Appologies on the level of qualification I was referring to in my original post. I mean't the next notch up from DM - Assistant Instructor, I think. That's marker 9 rather than 15 I reckon CFLJASON
Cheers all, Lee.

 

[Web Monkey]

That said, I am annoyed at how an organisation like PADI and a million dive centres can openly claim I can get a job as a DM within 2-3months. I've seen some dive places offering zero - hero courses including DM certs/membership and being placed in apparent joblistings for as little as $2000 usd. I'm just going on what I've been researching and have been lead strongly to believe that I can get a job as a DM in as little as 3 months. I'm yet to find a website that claims otherwise. Like I said if it's not viable I'll save my money and do something else. I'm fairly pissed to think PADI and others would willingly lead me up the garden path just to get their hands on my money!

There are places cranking out DMs like McDonalds does hamburgers, while at the same time, dive ops and shops are going out of business all over the place. The math just doesn't work unless a lot of DMs are quitting, being fired or not working as DMs.

It's better that you find that out sooner than later.

Terry

 

[dontyouliketheparty]

Cheers Tel,

Maybe you're right and this thread is a big wake up call for me. What's the worst that can happen, I end up having a working holiday, washing scuba gear and lugging gear onto boats and paying for the priviledge lol. It's a respite from here and as I say 'one door can open many others' diving or otherwise.
Whatever the advice, I'll go and dive and gathered advice of everyone here I won't be paying huge deposits to dive centres for a wing and a prayer. I'll pay course by course and see if diving's for me and weigh it up when I'm there I can tell a lot from someone face to face. If anything I'll save some money and gain a new hobby. The idea of waiting out a 10yr recession in a depressed congested city like London seems ridiculous now. I've done just that my entire life and wasn't much happier before the recession. I'm gonna leave it behind and be poor in the sun. Whether that's with a new diving skill and an income remains to be seen.

Yours a bit worse for wear on cheap Irish Baileys, Lee

 

[Zenobiz]

Get your OW and see if you really love it. If you do, I would say - go for it. In the beginning it's like an adventure, while you're getting more and more experience, doing all the different courses leading to becoming an instructor. However - soon enough you will face the reality of the life as an instructor. As many says it is hard. You would be diving/teaching every day and as a novice instructor the money you get is hardly worth it.
But hey! you find thousands of instructors around the world who is doing this each and every day, and they love it.
And yes! It is possible to go from "zero to hero" in 6 months in Indonesia for less than 4000$. Search PADI website for dive centers around Bali and choose a busy dive center with a good Course Director.

Good luck!!!

 

[RonFrank]

Unfortunately diving just does not pay well. I don't know ANY instructors that make a living doing only that. I do know some instructors that also work at the LDS, or own the LDS, or own a DiveOP, but instructing is only part of what they do.

In this economy, I'd say that many OPs are running very lean, or going out of business. Scuba is a luxury sport for sure. When things get tight, folks don't spend money on luxury so much.

I agree with the others in that learning to dive is your first step. If you still want to be an instructor after 100+ dives, there is nothing wrong with that. However it may not pay the bills.

 

[cflJason]

... I'm fairly pissed to think PADI and others would willingly lead me up the garden path just to get their hands on my money!
... I mean't the next notch up from DM - Assistant Instructor, I think. That's marker 9 rather than 15 I reckon CFLJASON
Cheers all, Lee.

Don't be mad at PADI. The individual dive shops are marketing the junk you are reading. I have no doubt that they will take your money and give you the certification, but you would then be considered a professional diver. You would hold liability for those that are diving under your supervision. Just paying to get the cert and not the experience is not the best thing you could do.

As far as #9 on my post, that is actually the Open Water SCUBA Instructor. There is really a step between #7 and #8 that could be the assistant instructor. I know only one person who did the assistant instructor. Since you can go from DM to instructor in one fell swoop (actually the first 3 or 4 days of the IDC), most skip getting the assistant instructor cert.