What Can The Industry Do To Help Independent Instructors?

[Chris Gates]

I read this thread with much interest. Over the years I have spoken with many scuba instructors whose primary complaint about working at a scuba shop was lack of pay, but perhaps more importantly was they didn't feel that they could produce a good diving student due to high volumes the shops required.

I had no interest in taking on more than one or two students at a time max. I had always heard you couldn't make any money as an independent instructor. Prior to last dive season I was introduced to the National Scuba Instructor Alliance (www.nsiausa.com) This is an organization that is focused on showing how the independent instructor can teach and make a great hourly rate, have much less stress while teaching and produce a student who has excellent and measurable skills as well as excellent buoyancy.

I put into practice some of their ideas. First, my target market was someone who was willing to pay a premium for one on one quality education. My open water class starts at $600 per certification. My goal wasn't to compete with the shop offering open water classes for $199. When a student called and price was their primary consideration I passed them off to the other scuba shop and made sure the shop knew I had referred them a student and this helped me to build relationships with a couple of the local scuba shops. I also sent my students to buy equipment from the shops (most offered a discount to my students) and used the shops boats for charters as well. With the exception of one shop I have a great working relationship with the local shops.

I know this system works for a new instructor as well. A very good friend of mine followed the same concept and had a very busy scuba season as well and it was her first year as a scuba instructor.

I think that once scuba shops recognize it is to their advantage to embrace independent instructors everyone can make more money and produce great divers at the same time.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

The people I have run into taking the GUE cave 2 course in High Springs were from Europe. The cost of the class doesn't come close to the cost of getting ready to take the class and showing up for it.

If all this money was going into the pocket of the instructor then I would say that the GUE business model benefits the instructor greatly. However as others pointed out the certification costs for him with this agency would be so high that he would probably have to work a few years just to recover his own training and certification investment. UTD on the other hand appears to be more friendly and beneficial towards the Freelance instructor but they have other issues.

 

[Deep6_Official]

This is a great thread, and it seems like an appropriate time to share what our company is planning to initiate in the later parts of this year. As was mentioned in the second post, Deep Six is a very different business model - one that embraces the independent instructor and the unique challenges they face. Yes, this goes against the historical, and in my opinion "antiquated," dive industry business model.

Many refer to "problems" and/or "challenges" that face the independent instructor whereas we see an opportunity... and, the opportunity we see is a win-win-win for the instructor, their students, and our company. This opportunity is to enable independent instructors to sell high quality equipment and give them the business knowledge to be successful doing so, and it works like this…

Utilizing the classroom at our primary facility in Georgia and eventually expanding to regional locations across our markets, we’re going to spend several days investing in our independent instructors, providing them with training on the Deep Six model, equipment, service, and philosophy. This training will also provide them with foundational business practices to ensure instructors who are selling Deep Six products are successful throughout their business.

Once they’ve completed our training, they will have the opportunity to sell D6 equipment to their students and receive a respectable commission from those sales. The only investment the instructor makes is their time and dedication. They will never make an investment in inventory. Deep Six maintains the inventory, processes the transactions, fulfills the orders, provides the back-end system support, and will be an on-going resource for our independent instructors while delivering unprecedented customer service.

So that’s how Deep Six has created an opportunity for independent instructors from the challenges described in the original post, and we’re really excited about it. If anyone would like more information, just shoot me a message and I’ll be glad to talk about the program in more detail.

Doug, VP of Buzz

 

[sheeper]

This is a great thread, and it seems like an appropriate time to share what our company is planning to initiate in the later parts of this year. As was mentioned in the second post, Deep Six is a very different business model - one that embraces the independent instructor and the unique challenges they face. Yes, this goes against the historical, and in my opinion "antiquated," dive industry business model.

still waiting on ya'll!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

SEI has it's roots in independent instructors and the majority of them do not teach for or own a shop.
SDI does allow independents to teach. They have to affiliate with a shop. That shop can be local or a thousand miles away.
TDI does not require shop affiliation and the support I get for both SDI and TDI is phenomenal. As a TDI Instructor I am also listed as an independent on the TDI website and when my name comes up it lists ALL the SDI/TDI courses I can teach.
For gear sales as an independent I do pretty well with HOG/Edge and Manta/Highseas Millworks. The support I get from those entities is great.
I also sell EEzy Cuts but have to be careful about saying that as some other dealers get all whiny and pissy about it. Technically I'm also an Apollo dealer.
The biggest plus though is I have two shops that are local to me that work with me. They realize the value of an independent who brings students for rental gear, personal gear, air fills, and trips that they otherwise would not see. In return we swap training as well. I don't teach some specialties because I'm not passionate about them. They are so I send students who want those ratings to them.
The best thing I have done as an independent in terms of getting students is to focus a lot of time on Facebook. That gets me the "local" students. Local being the eastern seaboard from SC to NY.

 

[Deep6_Official]

still waiting on ya'll!

The initial inventory is on its way to the warehouse and, as I'm sure you can imagine, we're excited to get started. Phase 1 will be direct sales and phase 2 will be where instructors and non-profits can start to partner with us. As for phases 3 & 4... you'll just have to stay tuned, but that's when the big stuff starts.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

This is a great thread, and it seems like an appropriate time to share what our company is planning to initiate in the later parts of this year. As was mentioned in the second post, Deep Six is a very different business model - one that embraces the independent instructor and the unique challenges they face. Yes, this goes against the historical, and in my opinion "antiquated," dive industry business model.

Many refer to "problems" and/or "challenges" that face the independent instructor whereas we see an opportunity... and, the opportunity we see is a win-win-win for the instructor, their students, and our company. This opportunity is to enable independent instructors to sell high quality equipment and give them the business knowledge to be successful doing so, and it works like this…

Utilizing the classroom at our primary facility in Georgia and eventually expanding to regional locations across our markets, we’re going to spend several days investing in our independent instructors, providing them with training on the Deep Six model, equipment, service, and philosophy. This training will also provide them with foundational business practices to ensure instructors who are selling Deep Six products are successful throughout their business.

Once they’ve completed our training, they will have the opportunity to sell D6 equipment to their students and receive a respectable commission from those sales. The only investment the instructor makes is their time and dedication. They will never make an investment in inventory. Deep Six maintains the inventory, processes the transactions, fulfills the orders, provides the back-end system support, and will be an on-going resource for our independent instructors while delivering unprecedented customer service.

So that’s how Deep Six has created an opportunity for independent instructors from the challenges described in the original post, and we’re really excited about it. If anyone would like more information, just shoot me a message and I’ll be glad to talk about the program in more detail.

Doug, VP of Buzz

This could be a major game changer. It will tick off a whole lot of people but this is the future and ... the future is here already. In fact, I would actually encourage the development of a very high-powered website which would list D6 endorsed instructors by state. The potential students you send their way the more gear you sell through them.

Let the revolution begin ...

 

[PatMyGreen]

Well alot has been said already but my shop has always worked with independent instructors because a rising tide floats all boats. They have channels of acquiring new divers that are better in some circles than ours and ultimately we have only ever been in competition with them for students not gear sales, charters, or fills. In fact frequently they increase the demand for our rental gear and air fills..... sounds like a win to me.

I do however reject the idea the the industry needs to do jack **** to help an independent instructor. Its what makes them independent. If all the shops in an area suck and are hostile to you then pony up a few grand for a compressor and fill station, sign a lease and stock up some gear so you don't need them....... this may require a loan or really generous patrons that don't like having piles of cash laying around. Create a website, get a phone line and internet onnection, advertise, hire people, sacrifice your freetime with family friends and lovers..... I did...... in the middle of the worst economy of a decade. Then smile when a new guy comes into town and undercuts your price because he didn't do all of that. Smile and be professional while you watch people pick other instructors who do less for the same amount of money, smile and be professional when those guys feel like they aren't getting their fair due..... Smell what I'm cooking here?

If manufacturers want to offer commissionable sales to instructors and cut out dive shops that a cool new business model. As is going direct from the factory to the consumer like Mako freediving has done. However, be prepared for those guys that ponied up the cash to buy compressors, store fronts, pools, sponsor scubaboard, host tournaments and beach cleanups and form the nexus of the community to gaze upon these industry changes with skepticism. In my experience independent instructors are about 50/50 either the best or the worst sorts of instructors with little middle ground. (My thanks to the indy guys I work with for be among the best on the planet.)

It seems alot more to me like people are looking to get the maximum gain with the minimum input, both some manufacturers and free agents. This is why agencies that require a shop affiliation are much appreciated. Its not hard for me to get to know you and sign off on you teaching "through" my shop without ever touching any money from the student you did all the work to acquire and train after all. All you have to do is not be a total asshat that I have a relationship with, right? (not directed at anyone in particular)

To my independnet instructor friends and allies, thank you guys for always recognizing a shop as a necessary place to meetup get gear and fills and always working with us and not against us. I won't work against you either and I'm sorry some have done so.

 

[demed]

Hmmmm.... Interesting thread.

I look at this from a macro economic perspective..

It started with a cry for Manufacturers to give gear to Independent Instructors and cut out the shop (not the middle man).
D6 has been thinking about this, wants to go one step forward from HOG, and "fund" showroom displays for Independents.

However, it seems the Independents need investing in some kind of infrastructure to be successful - Air Fills & Gear Servicing are still hard (hard not impossible) to deliver over the Internet.

So the model being invoked is a thousand mini-one-instructor-LDS instead of a few larger ones?
Is this the revolution?

Assuming that a given area instead of being serviced by let's say 5 shops, is serviced by 50 mini-one-man-LDS with smaller compressors (assuming all instructors feel like going independent), selling and servicing one full line manufacturer each (ultimately there is only 4 tier 1 that matter today, plus 6-10 tier 2 or 3 ), under much stronger cost pressure given the smaller scale, offering less choice (of agency, of gear, of ability to service).
Now each instructor-entrepreneur is competing with every one else in the territory for customers.
As a consequence, instead of making an extra easy buck on gear, each one is fighting everyone else for eyeballs (please do not tell me there is enough customers for everyone)

How is this benefiting the consumer? Well, it might up to a point, as instructors might decide to forfeit margins on gear as loss leader to gain on instruction, or discount instruction and hope to make it on gear. If the instructors take on each other in a price war, the customer wins.
Is this benefiting the Instructor? On paper yes, they now get the lion's share of revenue - instruction, gear sales, and service.

However, given the above macro dynamics, the costs to maintain the full operation and acquire customers are just going to increase as share of revenue, and in the long run, operations will consolidate back into a smaller number of outfits with the necessary scale to sustain the cost structure.

So in the end, the 'revolution' seems to really work only if a number of smarter semi-independent instructors can munch on LDS selling Air Fills and Service at a loss, while they undersell the LDS (and maybe a few Internet storefronts) on some gear pieces - so that the 'Independent' have none of the costs but can clean some crumbles off the table. Is that it? Isn't that what most of the smartest independent already do with HOG and a bunch of taiwanese manufacturers?

 

[Oldbear]

As an independent instructor PADI has met my needs, thus I don't have any complaints. I feel that I have a good relationship with the LDS and other instructors. This is what I have found to be keys to my success:

1. I genuinely care for my students
2. My goals are that my students have a good time and learn to be thinking divers
3. I never poach another instructor's students, even when they come to me
4. I never bad talk other instructors
5. Since we all pretty much charge the same fees, I always add more to my classes than the standardize course expects.
6. Facebook has been a good success for me
7. I try and throw as much business to the Divemasters (who are independent also) as possible, never going for the quick cash that a local discovery dive can provide
8. I do NOT set timelines when a course needs to be finished, we go at students' comfort paces
9. I show a willingness to accommodate non-typical work schedules
10. I prefer to keep classes small, then run large assymbly line courses
11. I do not sell gear that is available thru the LDS
12. I own some rental gear, but I will not rent it if there is still some available thru the LDS

I really cannot think of how the industry can assist me any more that what is in place right now. I am sure there are possible ways. But I prefer to rely on my own hard work for my success...it just feels better when you earn it yourself.