SparticleBrane
Contributor
Obviously, the instructor in your story is at fault because of his untimely death.
Should instructors be required to be with a shop to be able to certify people?
- Thread starter Jorbar1551
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
Diver Dennis
Contributor
Here is another point of view. I was talking to an instructor from Thailand recently and she was telling me that they have a problem with young instructors traveling through their country, backpack style and meeting people in bars and on the beach soliciting them to take a course from them at less than half of what the shop was charging. They had a couple of students come in and tell stories of very poor instruction with little time spent in the water. The instructor just wanted some quick cash to continue their trip it seemed.
I'm sure this happens in a lot of tourist destinations, not just Thailand. What about these situations?
I'm sure this happens in a lot of tourist destinations, not just Thailand. What about these situations?
Jorbar1551:
Yes.
Shop affiliation adds nothing and generally forces a conflict of interest which some manage better than others.
Pete
SparticleBrane
Contributor
You get what you pay for? Caveat emptor!Diver Dennis:
H2Andy
Contributor
you get what you pay for
none of the independent instructors i know are cheap. but they sure are worth it
none of the independent instructors i know are cheap. but they sure are worth it
SparticleBrane
Contributor
Most of the independent instructors I know are top-notch. They got fed up teaching such low standards in the shops that they went out on their own.
Jorbar1551:
I'm sure it happens, just as this board is loaded with stories of students ill served by affiliated instructors.
Diver Dennis
Contributor
It's true you get what you pay for but someone who has never been diving before is not as savvy as more experienced diver might be. It's just bad for the industry. Point taken though.
I'm certainly not against instructors being independent.
I'm certainly not against instructors being independent.
H2Andy
Contributor
Dennis, if someone came to you at a beach and said, "hey, here's this watch i'll sell you for half the price than the stores are charging..."
and you buy it...
don't you think you deserve to buy a fake Romanian Rolex?
and you buy it...
don't you think you deserve to buy a fake Romanian Rolex?
realdiver7
Contributor
H#LL No! An instructor should NOT have to be affiliated with a shop. I am an independent instructor, and I had to pay for every dime of every hour of my training on my own, without any help from anyone, especially an LDS.
When I approached my LDS about becoming an instructor, the manager told me I should not pursue it because it was too expensive, I would have to travel to get it, it was too hard, the insurance was too costly, it was too much responsibility, and it was just too much hassle to go through. In other words, he didn't need any more instructors, so he didn't want any more local competition.
I can be much more objective in helping my students. I am not obligated to get them to buy any specific brand simply because I'm told I have to. I have to work harder to get my own resources, but my classes are more flexible with scheduling, I can spend as much time as I'd like with students (no extra charge), I can set the number of students I want to teach at one time within maximum agency guidelines, and I don't have to follow any shop limitations, or deal with being managed by shop personalities. And yes, I am known locally for teaching the highest quality courses, with many referrals, so it's not a comparsion of the quality of education one gets from an LDS vs. an independent instructor. The quality depends solely on the instructor.
In short, if you pay for your education, regardless of what type, then you should be able to do what you want with it. It's no different than any other type of work in a free democracy.
With this being said, independent instructors and their LDS should try to work together to support each other. The shop can send their student overflow, or students with scheduling problems to the independent instructor, and the independent instructor can buy gear and air fills, and send students to the LDS to buy gear. It can be a local battle, but it should be a win-win for all.
When I approached my LDS about becoming an instructor, the manager told me I should not pursue it because it was too expensive, I would have to travel to get it, it was too hard, the insurance was too costly, it was too much responsibility, and it was just too much hassle to go through. In other words, he didn't need any more instructors, so he didn't want any more local competition.
I can be much more objective in helping my students. I am not obligated to get them to buy any specific brand simply because I'm told I have to. I have to work harder to get my own resources, but my classes are more flexible with scheduling, I can spend as much time as I'd like with students (no extra charge), I can set the number of students I want to teach at one time within maximum agency guidelines, and I don't have to follow any shop limitations, or deal with being managed by shop personalities. And yes, I am known locally for teaching the highest quality courses, with many referrals, so it's not a comparsion of the quality of education one gets from an LDS vs. an independent instructor. The quality depends solely on the instructor.
In short, if you pay for your education, regardless of what type, then you should be able to do what you want with it. It's no different than any other type of work in a free democracy.
With this being said, independent instructors and their LDS should try to work together to support each other. The shop can send their student overflow, or students with scheduling problems to the independent instructor, and the independent instructor can buy gear and air fills, and send students to the LDS to buy gear. It can be a local battle, but it should be a win-win for all.
Similar threads
