Open Water Certified Seeks Training and Employment

[kman458]

I saw an ad last summer from caymen before ivan hit that they would take someone from uncertified to i think instructor. the catch was you did not get payed and had to buy the course material. they did recomend a second night job( bar tender, waiter) to pay for some place to live as well as any expenses( food, clothes, etc) if i remember right it would require working 6 days a week 12-14 hours a day but you did get to do some diving during the week at no charge. sorry i do not remember the name of the shop as it did not really interest me to sign myself into indentured servitude.

 

[Greg D.]

if you find a job that will pay you 15 bucks an hour to get your certs let me know, cause I'd be all over it

 

[wscdive]

Look for a shop to work in that has nice instructors (and they will probably pay less than 10 an hour). In our shop anyone working for the shop gets free classes from one of the instructors if they show potential. I know we are training our future competition, but none of us are making a living doing this, we are just covering part of our diving costs. One of our former trainees is working as an instructor in Maui. Those of us with wives and kids hate him lol. Seriously though look for a comfortable spot to start out, get your knowledge and experience and have fun with it. You will most likely never make enough money to save any but people are making enough to live on.

 

[drmobil2002]

There are several Dive shops in Key West and Key Largo that pay $10 p/hr as a retail position, but the cost of living there is a little high so you would need to get a second job just to survive.

Good Luck....

DUTCH

 

[dutch-scuba-kid]

All who replied are dead right.
First of all you're writing as if the dive centers should be fighting over who you get to work with.
You're an OW and no dive center will pay you thát much to work for them if you can't return a favor so to speak.
There are some dive centers in Greece for example who do offer internships for Open Water divers or AOW divers. But again, for free! But with some pocket money you should be able to cover the costs of living there.
Or just pay for your own certifications up to DM and then try to find a job, cause what you're looking for is near impossible, but if you will *cough* get a paid internship, you have my email address... It's on my profile.
Good luck anyways.

(Dunno if this will get any ideas into your head, but I will be working in Greece this summer, and they will train me up to DM, and after that I'll work for them for the remainder of the summer. BUT! Up to where I will be trained as a DM I don't get paid! No work, no payment. After the course, I'll start working and the money will be flowing in. Penny by penny of course, it's still diving. )

Ramón

 

[Scubakevdm]

I'm supposed to have been getting paid all this time? Darn boss. She tricked me!

 

[Quarrior]

The US Army but the pay is not that good!

Isn't somthing like $.40 an hour with the US Military?

 

[gradiver]

I'm a NAUI IT and licensed Capt. I'll work for $15 (or less), free divng and gear at cost! Get a job sweeping the floor of a dive shop at night for minimum wage and work your way up. Any thing worth having is worth working for.

 

[was_one]

look into commercial diving, there schools all over some for only 2-3 grand. It is hard diving due to the type of work involved. Dark gloomy and long. Most schools want a ow to start but will give you lessons for an additional cost. There grants available such as the pell grant{i think that is it} about 4 grand depending on your income. There is a school in the mid west but i can't remember the name, they will give you the basics for the commercial diver, then it is ojl, on the job learning. Padi is a good base but there is a whole world of diving to look at.

 

[was_one]

there is a sight that offers a free dm training i think it is www.coralcay.org/index.php, it is a volanteer group but it is worth a shot.