New To ScubaBoard

[Martymar]

Hey all. I thought I should introduce myself. My name is Martin and I'm currently living in Sunny Florida. I'm a reasonably experienced diver (approaching 80 dives) having dove all over the world. Due to family and work commitments the diving have been scattered over the past 20years. The times that I do get to dive are quite special to me. Having just turned 50 and out of work for the past 8 months I have decided to embark on a path towards the IDC and MSDT. At this point in my life money is not a priority in the next job that I do. Can anyone help by giving me your thoughts on the dive instructor market as it relates to job availability and pay? I am also new to ScubaBoard so any advice on the best way to navigate the wealth of information would also be appreciated. This is a fantastic resource for divers and I only wish I'd found it sooner.

Nice to meet you all.

Regards

Martymar

 

[HowardE]

Welcome to SB.

 

[Scott L]

Greetings! What part of Florida do you live?

 

[Martymar]

I am on the west coast in Ft Myers. I was over on your side of the state and dove Jupiter in September. Impressive Goliath Grouper on many of the dives.

 

[orlandoscuba]

Hi Martymar,

Welcome to scubaboard! I am based in Central Florida and I not sure about the job market in Ft Myers so I am not able to answer that question. Where are you going to take your IDC?

 

[boulderjohn]

Welcome to ScubaBoard!

There are a lot of threads on ScubaBoard related to the ability to make it as a diver professional. You indicate that you don't need a lot of money, and that is good. That does not mean you can't make a living. In Florida, you will find a lot of competition for work. A lot of divemasters are working for tips alone. If you really want to devote yourself to the work, though, there is a possibility. The key is not planning to make it on one part of the dive profession alone (like instruction). You may need to work in a capacity that does a whole lot of different thing for a company.

There are definitely ways to make it, but it isn't easy.

 

[Martymar]

Hey Dennis, I will be taking my IDC down in Key Largo. I am flexible where I can work so I was inquiring about the job market in general. Are jobs easy to find once one has their MSDT?

Martymar

---------- Post Merged at 12:20 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 12:17 PM ----------

Boulderjohn,

Thanks for your input, any information is appreciated. How do I go about accessing the treads you mentioned?

Martymar

 

[orlandoscuba]

Marty,

I agree with John, that there is A LOT of competition for Scuba Instructors in Florida, but going into the market knowing this and not expecting to make a lot of money is the right attitude. Every day there are many instructors competing for very few jobs, there are Dive Shops that are going under because they can not afford their rent. This is the reason why I choose to make Scuba Instruction a second job rather then a primary job and staying as a independent instructor.

Once you become a Scuba Instructor I recommend that you teach as many classes as possible (while producing excellent divers) in order to gain experience. Experience is what will get you to be a MSDT (which requires teaching 25 students and be able to teach 5 specialties) and which will help you get a job since most dive stores are looking for instructors with experience.

Once you become a divemaster I recommend you to join the Instructor to Instructor forum where there is a lot of good information about instructing.