IANTD's Essential's Class

[Superlyte27]

I'm going to call BS on this! Not intending to be confrontational, just pragmatic.

Just to become a completely standard recreational instructor probably costs a person around $10k. To become a tech or cave instructor you can add at least that again - more if you want to do it properly.

Add in to that the cost of all the dives you do in order to get the breadth of experience to be a *good* instructor.... the insurance, the gear and everything else.... the investment is easily $50k in total.

You need to generate sufficient income to make a return on that investment. Otherwise you are crazy.

Teaching "for the love of it" is ultimately what drives lowering of standards. The industry comes to expect that instructors should work for less than the minimum wage. So the instructors end up putting in minimal effort once the "joy" of teaching fades... which for a full time instructor is about 6 months, part time maybe 2 years.

The bottom line, really, is that if you don't value your time then neither will your students.

It's not going to cost me a penny out of pocket. It's the only reason I'm considering it. Money isn't everything. I learned that in the last three years. Doing something you enjoy for the sake of enjoyment and not the sake of the almighty buck is a powerful thing. 99% of people will never understand that. And quite honestly, neither would I have, had it not been for last year. This is getting way off topic, but... 3 years ago (almost 4 now), I built 87 houses. I had a butt ton of money (a metric butt ton, not an imperial butt ton). I lost it all, and after searching far and wide for a job for more than 22 months, I was offered a job doing something I believed in, teaching something I believed in. Instead of making $1000/day, I was now making that every two weeks, if I was lucky. But here's the interesting thing... For the first time in my life... I liked my job. I looked forward to going in everyday. I missed it on my days off. And it never felt like work because I truly loved being there. Most people will never get to experience that feeling.

So call BS if you want, but the people who really know me, and have seen the evidence of what I've encountered this past year cannot deny the change I've had. And it doesn't matter how much or how little money you make in this world. If you wife and kids don't like you, you've failed at life.

It was my thread, I guess I can derail it if i want to.

 

[LiteHedded]

I'm going to call BS on this! Not intending to be confrontational, just pragmatic.

Just to become a completely standard recreational instructor probably costs a person around $10k. To become a tech or cave instructor you can add at least that again - more if you want to do it properly.

Add in to that the cost of all the dives you do in order to get the breadth of experience to be a *good* instructor.... the insurance, the gear and everything else.... the investment is easily $50k in total.

You need to generate sufficient income to make a return on that investment. Otherwise you are crazy.

Teaching "for the love of it" is ultimately what drives lowering of standards. The industry comes to expect that instructors should work for less than the minimum wage. So the instructors end up putting in minimal effort once the "joy" of teaching fades... which for a full time instructor is about 6 months, part time maybe 2 years.

The bottom line, really, is that if you don't value your time then neither will your students.

it doesn't cost 10 grand lol

 

[Superlyte27]

Nah, Open Water is going to cost $1500 + books/materials. I have 12 sets of gear in various sizes and just gotta increase my insurance.

 

[UCFKnightDiver]

If that essentials video is any measure of the class, I think it will be just a *bit* different from a Fundies class.

 

[LiteHedded]

there's probably way more meditating and new age bs in that than you'll find in fundies.

just a guess

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

I hate the whoooo saaaa crap

 

[AndyNZ]

it doesn't cost 10 grand lol

Doesn't it?

Don't forget to factor in the previous training to meet the pre-requisites.... plus the dives... plus the 10 days lost income from taking leave to complete the ITC... plus the membership fees that aren't included in the course price... the examination fee... plus travel and accomodation if the course isn't run in your home town. Even if you ignore previous training costs - it's not cheap.

Here, a PADI IDC costs $2700 just for the IDC. You are looking at another AU$650 (=$800) for the examination fee. Materials are $650. PADI Application & Membership is another $300. Insurance is $350. So in direct costs alone that is nearly $5000.

I only get paid if I work, so a bare minimum 7 day IDC would result in 5 days of lost income. That's another $1500 to add in, making it $6500 in local currency.


I'm looking at crossing over to another agency - the application and materials fee is US$500, the cost of the ITC is US$2500. This will run in Australia, so I have to pay flight and accomodation for a week that will cost about another US$1200. I will then need to intern on a number of courses that creates lost revenue. I will then need to travel to the US for the instructor examination that will cost a good US$5000 in total by the time I include lost revenue... so the US$10k figure is not looking that far from the truth.

 

[AndyNZ]

It's not going to cost me a penny out of pocket. It's the only reason I'm considering it. Money isn't everything.

All power to you, I wasn't being "confrontational".... but I think your idealism will fade after a certain number of courses.

If it were going to cost you, would you think differently?

 

[Superlyte27]

A few things to input...
I always intended on becoming a cave instructor, But at 36, I thought I would have to wait until kids were out of the house and I was nearing retirement. I won't treat it any differently. I do everything I can to the best of my ability, regardless of whether the value rested on my checkbook or someone else's checkbook. As far as "idealism" fading... Wow, that's genuinely sad that your ideals are so easily changed.

As far as instruction in FL. I know 10+ Instructors who from 0 to Instructor invested less than 3k. + their equipment this year. Now, of those 10, only 1 of them was a great instructor.

Here in florida books/dives/everything is less than 2500.00 for PADI


*edit
Your numbers simply are not reality in the US.

 

[azchipka]

@Superlyte for what your looking for you most likely are going to want the GUE course. Keep in mind though the path to GUE instructor is a commitment. GUE Fundamentals is just that a fundamentals to technical diving course and is required to enter into any other GUE course.

GUE courses are very very specific in the standards for the courses which can be found online. You have made mention in your other posts about DIR divers putting a bad taste in your mouth for DIR. Take the course see for yourself what its all about and see if its for you.

If you have a great experience with it share your experiences with others as they to may have missed out on something they thought was great cause someone put a bad taste in their mouth about it.

I have to second Superlytes cost information for becoming at least in the florida keys. That is assuming you are already a Dive Master. If your not already pro getting up to pro does get costly and a am of the same thought 0 - instructor rarely makes for a good instructor. 0 - hero internships although they do leave you with the ability to instructor you lack the foundational experience that makes for a good instructor.

If you already hold a dive master rating you are looking at between $1,200.00 and $1,500.00 for the IDC itself plus course materials Retail on the IDC Crew Pack is $717.50, last but not least you have a $619.00 cost to PADI Direct for the IE and Instructor registration. So your looking at $2536.50 if the IDC itself is $1,200. Now that said most locations will give you better pricing on the materials when you are doing the IDC with them.

Where PADI gets pricy is if you want to follow your IDC with a MSDT Prep course which normally runs about $900.00 plus the application fees of $46.50 for each speciality. MSDT Prep normally includes five speciality course.

You can pass on doing the MSDT Prep course and wait till you have issued 25 certs on your own then do direct application based on experience as a diver to be a speciality instructor.