I went Pro and broke

[nereas]

If you want to make money in scuba you need to own a store. The rest of the work is done by part time amateurs that work essentially for peanuts while they are already supported by their day jobs.

Flipping burgers at McDonalds pays more than scuba instructor or divemaster, on an hourly basis.

Owning the store is where the living wage is.

As for PADI, they are parasites. Not simply a rip off or a joke. They provide sub-par services for minimal fees, and by doing so they plague the entire retail scuba industry, and put new divers at risk. They are to scuba what Walmart is to retailing. Same business niche.

I feel sorry for anyone who gets sucked into the PADI vortex.

It sounds like you escaped. Count your blessings. Then pull yourself up by your bootstraps and start over.

 

[Don Wray]

If you want to make money in scuba you need to own a store. The rest of the work is done by part time amateurs that work essentially for peanuts while they are already supported by their day jobs.

Flipping burgers at McDonalds pays more than scuba instructor or divemaster, on an hourly basis.

Owning the store is where the living wage is.

As for PADI, they are parasites. Not simply a rip off or a joke. They provide sub-par services for minimal fees, and by doing so they plague the entire retail scuba industry, and put new divers at risk. They are to scuba what Walmart is to retailing. Same business niche.

I feel sorry for anyone who gets sucked into the PADI vortex.

It sounds like you escaped. Count your blessings. Then pull yourself up by your bootstraps and start over.

Same old bull crap from the same old crapper. Those circle flies still bothering you?

 

[nereas]

Same old bull crap from the same old crapper. Those circle flies still bothering you?

I take it that you are still firmly sucked into the PADI vortex.

 

[dennisp28315]

I ve tried to change it. Again im new at this site.

 

[robint]

I ve tried to change it. Again im new at this site.

a few things.
#1 you have been diving less than a year and expect to become an instructor and make a living at it.
#2 You should have done a bit of research before you started. No one makes a living as a scuba instructor unless they also own a dive op. All instructors across the US have real jobs during the week and teach scuba as a sideline, because they love it and love being with students. Money made barely covers liability insurance and gear and expenses. Scuba instructors do it for love of scuba, not as a job.
#3 you are blaming PADI for the actions of one dive shop.
#4 you aren't presenting yourself as the type of person I would want to take a class with. What do you think you have to offer to students? Is this something you want to do for a reason?

Just my 2 cents.
robin
wife of a PADI scuba instructor

 

[scubadreamtime]

I'm a PADI instructor and I make a living in a location with one of the highest costs of living. Better yet, I save over 25% of my gross wages every month. A higher savings rate than most of the country. You need to work for a good, solid operation that does not abuse its workers. Next live within your means, the credit crunch is evidence that most of America regardless of the industry have failed to live by this standard. Next, you do it for the love of diving not money.

 

[cappyjon431]

I made a very good living as an instructor working on a liveaboard. Salary was low, but tips were excellent (and pretty much tax free). No rent/mortgage/phone bills/electricity/cable, etc. Because we were out at sea for 8-9 weeks at a time with only one day in port, i was able to save quite a bit of money. I supplemented my income by teaching courses on the boat (commisions were mediocre, but I just considered this money as "gravy."), especially AOW & specialties. And yes, I was a PADI instructor. Once I had enough sea time and got my captain's ticket, the money got even better. It was actually a financial step backwards for me to leave the boat and start teaching (literature, not diving) at our local university.

 

[Danny D]

I would say get some dives in instead of collecting cards... Everyone above has pointed you in the right direction and finding a quality outfit is a big deal. Like a normal job, you can not knowingly work for a crappy company and expect to stay afloat. Its a grind with the reward coming from the experience not from the pay check.

 

[uncleavi]

I'm with Cappyjon431.
I made good money as a Padi Instuctor and ended up marrying a guest on the liveaboard that I worked on. I have run into people I don't like in diving and I don't teach as much as I used to. Now though,I really enjoy when I do. It is so easy to get bitter in this world of recreational diving. I wish you success and all the nice sunsets and the good folks in diving that are out there.