The life of a full time instructor?!?!?

[SCarolinaDiver]

Hey guys, I, like many others, one day would like to be able to be a full time instructor. I would love to get some input form some instructors already in this status. Id love to know where you live, about your typical work day, how you went about getting where you are, etc. etc. etc. and also your family situation if you dont mind sharing. And of course everyone always wants to know how much you can make in the dive industry, so share as much or as little as you like only if you feel comfortable. (dont want to put anyone on the spot Thanks!

 

[mitsuguy]

This thread hasn't gone unnoticed... its just a realllly realllly long story...

the short of it - moved a few different places, spent a lot of money, loving life on a caribbean island now...

 

[mitsuguy]

So, for lots of reasons, the wife and I decided to "go pro" and become divemasters... figured out real quickly that the DM rating was almost worthless if you want to travel and work in the dive industry - most places won't even consider hiring a divemaster... So, we decided to work through up to our divemaster ratings while we were still in the states, and do our IDC in Utila, at Utila Dive Centre... Amazing place, amazing program... Cost a ton of money, but, we moved there for 3 months, spent 1 month working as DM's and re-learning everything for the IDC, then the IDC, then we interned as instructors after the IDC/IE... We also got some specialty instructor ratings out of the way while we were there - mostly the ones that you can't self certify in...

getting close to our 3 month mark, we started browsing PADI's employment boards and found our current jobs here in St. Croix... We found a place we love - granted, we won't be here forever, but we are super happy here... We make a decent living, but our needs are much simpler than when we were in the states.... no expensive cell phone plans, real crappy island car, etc... we've been here 15 months and I've personally done over 1000 dives and taught almost 200 students, as well as hundreds of discover scubas (not in the pool, in the open water)... our apartment is on the dive shop property and is small, but nice - rent is subsidized by the dive shop, which is definitely a bonus... even though we don't make much, we still have more money saved up now than we ever did when we were in the states...

the dive shop property is on the beach so we can walk to the beach (100 yds from our house) any time, we can shore dive any time, and, if you can drive a boat, you can borrow one of the two smaller boats, provided it isn't in use at the time...

all of this being said, between the two of us, we make about 1/3 of what I made in the states, plus tips... for us, its just the wife and I with no plans of kids for a long time, if ever - you simply can't take kids with you on an adventure like ours...

since moving here to St. Croix, I have also gained my USCG captains license, so that makes me a little more valuable...

my typical day (when I captain our big boat):

wake up 7:00, at the shop 7:45 (its a 2 minute walk)
go pick up the boat @ 8:00 (she is 15 minutes away from the shop)
load divers at 9-9:30
two dives, unload divers 1:00-1:30
park the boat (or maintenance time)
back at the shop 2:30ish, then sometimes I have stuff to do around the shop - fix regs, lead a shore tour, etc
if nothing is going on by 3:30 or 4:00 then I leave (unless its my night to close, in which I am there until 7), if it is busy, I'll be there til 5 or 6, depending...

if I am not captaining and working in the shop, same morning routine, usually help load the boats if I'm not busy, then go on to teaching, leading shore dives, etc...

responsibilities:
teach
lead certified divers
discover scubas
captain
maintenance (boats, shop, gear)
reg repair


I am sure there is so much more I am leaving out, but if you have any questions or want any advice, I can definitely provide it...

 

[TTT103]

Like any profession, you must enjoy it, or it will become mundane. You certainly will not get rich instructing, and you shouldn't go into the field if your desire is to live on a Caribbean Island in the lap of luxury. There is a difference between vacations and work. Like any other profession, diving is what you put into it. As someone with four college degrees, and a DM, I sometimes dream of throwing it all in to become a dive instructor or ski instructor, but I then realize that I also enjoy the good life. Living on $40K a year in a place like the Caymans isn't for me, as a prior instructor friend of mine did a couple of years ago. She lives a simple life, but living in the Caribbean is not inexpensive. She very much lives from paycheck to paycheck.

Keep in mind that anything that comes easily, may not result in the fruits of your desire. Instructors and DM's generally work six days a week for very little pay. That's OK for some, but not all. In addition, you can earn a DM in a week (after OW, AOW, and RD), so keep in mind that there is little value associated with such a quick vocation.

 

[tkdgodess]

Instructing scuba is my only source of income.
I work classroom, pool and ocean only. I'm not a retail scuba salesperson.
It makes us as a family break over even, I get a break from mommy-land, and I get to do what I love.

Classroom/pool 6:15-11 pm x 5
Ocean 7:00 am - 3-4 pm x 2
If you count out my actual instruction/dive time, and not travel time it's about $10 an hour.

 

[orangelemon]

You will find loads of instructors that are working and have been in the job <1 year and the turnover of Instructors is huge due to the general low pay and high demands put on them coupled with the fact its a super competitive occupation that everyone wants to do.
Here is an article about Pay for an average instructor working in Phuket, Thailand

I would say go for it but dont expect the world and your eyes will be opened for ever