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RJP, Here are Torpedo Rays Scuba stats:
(all figures in Canadian Dollars- Can.$ right now = 80 cents U.S., so of course it translates to 4/5 of this in $US)
--OW Course: $419.99 Includes materials. Students must supply m/f/s, the rest is shop provided.
--# of students: varies from maybe 4 to 14 or more. If large numbers a 2nd DM may be used.
--Instructor pay: $75 per student I believe. Recently the larger classes have been split into 2, meaning each of the 2 instructors may not make
more than $150 more than the DM.
--DM duties OW Course: I would assume the usual--helping students with skills, supervising, assisting instructor or buddy skills and possibly demonstrating some to class. The usual logistics-tank hauling (often students help out), ocean duties like setting the training float, shore duty, the usual. Loading
/unloading dive truck with the usual stuff needed. General supervising in pool & ocean.
--Hours, etc. I only do the weekend course which I believe is standard. 1 weekend class (or e learning review, etc.) with instructor + all pool work. We can sit in on the academics but don't have to and don't usually. Next weekend ocean checkout dives. I guess that means 4 eight hour days, depending on what you include as "work" time (driving to OW site, lunch, etc.)
There is also a few OW course that are 3 weeks of 2 nights each (pool, classroom--not e learning). This is what I took 10 years ago. I figure DM pay works out to minimum wage in Canada or a little under.
--other courses DM pay:
AOW -$150 (DM not usually needed)
Rescue- $150.
DSD, Scuba review- something like $20 first student (or first 2?), $5 for additional students.
Charters (I don't do these): $5 for every diver on board.
The only thing worth it financially for me is OW course (due to my being 50 mls. from the shop and another 25 to ocean sites used). OW course run pretty much every weekend starting last week in Feb. Ending 1st weekend in Dec. Prior to this year the first ocean checkout dives were 1st week in April. I couldn't believe they start this year for the first time with March ocean dives. Even in April the ocean here is not much warmer than the low in Jan.
History: The highest DM on seniority list told me that years ago pay was $100 for OW and many DMs quit. The pay was raised to $200. About 3-5 years ago (when I started) it was again raised to $300.
---------- Post added February 10th, 2015 at 01:05 AM ----------
I can't talk about other shops in Canada, as ours is the only PADI shop for probably a hundred miles or more in the Maritimes (also the only real "large" shop offering just about everything). At present I think we have 20 instructors and 7-8 DMs (some of each are not as active as others). I am familiar with a few in the U.S. and none that I know of pay DMs, though one in FL does pay the DM to do charters (plus tips of course)--yet that same shop doesn't pay for assisting with courses.
Didn't mean to reply to my own post-- hit wrong button.
(all figures in Canadian Dollars- Can.$ right now = 80 cents U.S., so of course it translates to 4/5 of this in $US)
--OW Course: $419.99 Includes materials. Students must supply m/f/s, the rest is shop provided.
--# of students: varies from maybe 4 to 14 or more. If large numbers a 2nd DM may be used.
--Instructor pay: $75 per student I believe. Recently the larger classes have been split into 2, meaning each of the 2 instructors may not make
more than $150 more than the DM.
--DM duties OW Course: I would assume the usual--helping students with skills, supervising, assisting instructor or buddy skills and possibly demonstrating some to class. The usual logistics-tank hauling (often students help out), ocean duties like setting the training float, shore duty, the usual. Loading
/unloading dive truck with the usual stuff needed. General supervising in pool & ocean.
--Hours, etc. I only do the weekend course which I believe is standard. 1 weekend class (or e learning review, etc.) with instructor + all pool work. We can sit in on the academics but don't have to and don't usually. Next weekend ocean checkout dives. I guess that means 4 eight hour days, depending on what you include as "work" time (driving to OW site, lunch, etc.)
There is also a few OW course that are 3 weeks of 2 nights each (pool, classroom--not e learning). This is what I took 10 years ago. I figure DM pay works out to minimum wage in Canada or a little under.
--other courses DM pay:
AOW -$150 (DM not usually needed)
Rescue- $150.
DSD, Scuba review- something like $20 first student (or first 2?), $5 for additional students.
Charters (I don't do these): $5 for every diver on board.
The only thing worth it financially for me is OW course (due to my being 50 mls. from the shop and another 25 to ocean sites used). OW course run pretty much every weekend starting last week in Feb. Ending 1st weekend in Dec. Prior to this year the first ocean checkout dives were 1st week in April. I couldn't believe they start this year for the first time with March ocean dives. Even in April the ocean here is not much warmer than the low in Jan.
History: The highest DM on seniority list told me that years ago pay was $100 for OW and many DMs quit. The pay was raised to $200. About 3-5 years ago (when I started) it was again raised to $300.
---------- Post added February 10th, 2015 at 01:05 AM ----------
I can't talk about other shops in Canada, as ours is the only PADI shop for probably a hundred miles or more in the Maritimes (also the only real "large" shop offering just about everything). At present I think we have 20 instructors and 7-8 DMs (some of each are not as active as others). I am familiar with a few in the U.S. and none that I know of pay DMs, though one in FL does pay the DM to do charters (plus tips of course)--yet that same shop doesn't pay for assisting with courses.
Didn't mean to reply to my own post-- hit wrong button.
