Hard to get a instructor job?

[Robnet]

Hi everyone!

I't would be nice to hear, from someone who has just started as an instructor, is it hard to get the first instructor job? And what are the feelings, after you started on your new job?
And what countrys could be the best ones to trye? And is it impossible to earn about 1000$/month, as a newbie instructor?

I will start to do my DM and OWSI-courses next month. After the courses I should have approximately 150 dives. I know, that's
not much, but I have to start somewhere 

Thank you in advance for you replys!

[Andy94]

Hi,

 I am now in my second season as an instructor and have noticed a few things..Firstly some off the countries/resorts that were noted for being places that you could earn good money are no longer that good due to the competition between dive centres and the number of instructors looking for work in those countries.

However having said that you can make a comfortable living within the dive industry. Sure your never going to own flash cars etc. but it is about doing something you love rather than earning big bucks in an office.

I am British and therefore my experience comes from the European areas, so far. Last summer I worked on a Greek island for €800 a month plus commission, accommodation and food. It was a 7 day/week job but the money I earnt was only spent on social activities due to getting free accomm and food. The same sort of thing still happens in the Caribbean which is where I want to head next.. If you have an American Green card there are a lot of places that are open to you.

I am currently doing freelance work in Egypt but again because of the volume of instructors here you do not make that much money in the scheme of things.. You can live comfortably but your not going to save much towards your next adventure.

As it says else where on this site..look at the region you want to work and see what the dive centres offer...if they offer nitox make sure that you can teach it.. If they have there own boats, do a boat handling course and maybe boat engine maintenance course. Make sure that you can offer what the Dive centres want.. Also depending where you want to work Languages are a big plus...

I hope that this helps..

Good luck with your training.

Andy

[Hellas42]

hiya!
nowadays it's become pretty common for dc's that do inst training to have their people start off teaching in the same center. if that's not the case, you'll find many places advertise specifically for fresh inst. but beware, not all of them have your learning the ropes on their list, but rather look for people they can exploit for lack of experience in the industry.
choose a place, get your applications out and then review prospective employers BEFORE you say yes. check the web-boards, ask here for example, check customers' diving boards and not just for a particular center, but the place in general as well. is it a destination with a flourishing industry? what are the costs for living there? working laws? tourist trap or off the beaten track? and so on.
information is key, you can never have enough of it prior to packing your stuff. i had some bad experiences, but some could have been avoided with proper research (see vietnam ^^). i learned the hard way and let me tell you, it's not fun...

alex

/edit there's also a sticky about thishttp://www.scubaprof.com/index.php?topic=81.0

[DevonDiver]

The dive industry differs across the globe.  Over here in Koh Tao (Thailand) there is a very big diving market and lots of opportunities for diving instructors. New instructors tend to start out as freelancers and may work their way into a regular position.  Due to dive centre competition, low prices for courses mean that the pay can suck.  However, it is a great place to gain experience - as you'll rack up certifications in no time at all.

There are some factors that really affect your employability anywhere in the world.  The main one is language ability - this can make a real difference.  People who speak English, plus German, Spanish, French, Russian etc are VERY employable.  In general, I've noticed that some (most?) dive centres will give priority to languages over the dive instructors actual in-water teaching/diving experience.

I had a young Swiss lad work for me last year - he was straight off his IDC and had no experience whatsoever.  Lucky for him he spoke 5 languages.  This meant that he received a fab job offer in the Maldives within 3 weeks of qualifying as an instructor.  I've been diving for 16 years, with many certifications and can teach 24 specialities (also DSAT Tech).....and I've never been offered a job in the Maldives (damn damn damn).  Grrrrr.....I hope Swiss boy catches some rare form of Whale Shark Flu! ha ha

[Robnet]

Thanks a lot for the informations! This helped me much.

This language issue is one of the things that puzzled me. And it's just like i tought, more languages= more/better work.
It weights more than your real diving skills.
Bad for me, I speak only two fluent languages. And my native language is quite rarely heard. There are some tourists that speak my Scandinavian, mother language. But not much as German for instance.

We have this idea to for the task with my friend. He speaks four languages, so he don't have a problem to find he's palce in the industry.
Maby I have to start reading Spanish then 
Well, I hope that it weights some that I do my courses in a cold and dark northern waters (and spek Spanish .

[Hellas42]

errrr, what scandinavian language(s) do you speak?
there are a handful of places that have a big scandinavian diving industry where being or speaking scandinavian helps a LOT. thailand for example, there's plenty of swedish here on gran canaria, the list goes on. just find out where the divers from your country like to go and go there as well...

hellas

[Robnet]

I speak Finnish and English. That's not much, but these are the languages that I have to deal with. I also understand some Swedish. But my Swedish skills are very bad...
But I hope there will be some job opportunitys with these two languages 

[Robnet]

Hi!

Thanks for everyone who replied to my earlier questions!

Now I have gone so far, that I have completed my DM course. My IDC would start at 1 St of October. I would like to do my IDC here, because the waters are dark and cold.
I haven't closed totally the idea, that I could do my IDC elsewhere. This just for the reason that I
think I could have better chances to get a job.
I have a feeling that It's going to be quite hard to be employed, with a reasonable pay.
And the information about the DC's, you never know what they really are, before you have really been there. Except, if you happen to know some good guys from good DC's.
In wich countries the pay and the quality of work most likely will suck? What would be a good country to start my diving career? Where are the best job opportunitys for a newbie? I don't have a green card, so states are no option.

All the best,
Rob