Are you considering becoming a dive instructor? We get it, we love it too! However, let's just make sure you are doing it for good reasons...
GOOD REASONS TO BECOME A DIVE INSTRUCTOR
#1 You get to do what you love
The old saying goes ‘get a job that you love and you’ll never work a day in your life’. Now that’s not to say that being a dive instructor isn’t hard work, because it is. But if you love teaching and you love diving and you love people then you’ll love your job. You’ll get to go to work everyday and open up people's worlds to the other 7/10 of our planet, the most fascinating and incredible realm. You get to hang out with happy people on holidays who hang off you every word and, of course, you get to go diving pretty much every day. What's not to love!
#2 You take it to the next level
Being an instructor takes you to the next level of observation and diving. You’re now responsible for people who are not certified yet, responsible for their safety, for them picking up good habits and learning well and with ease, and for them having a good time whilst they do it. You’ll learn to pick up subtle changes in a person's behavior and be able to gauge with a lot of accuracy what they are going to do next underwater. It takes psychology skills, attention to detail, and, of course, irreproachable dive skills so you can deal with whatever situation may arise in a timely manner.
#3 You get to share your passion
Some of your non-diving friends might at this point be bored of your tales of underwater magic, but your students won’t be. In fact, you’ll be able to show them the stuff you love, explain it to them at length, and do it all over again the next day. You’ll feel a little like a dealer pushing a very addictive drug, a good portion of your divers will get hooked like you … but of course, it’s all good wholesome fun (unlike cocaine).
#4 You get to travel
If you train with an international agency like PADI, you can pretty much work anywhere in the world. The great thing is the teaching bit is a standardized setup, so even if you need to learn new logistics, dive sites, and conditions, you are teaching the same courses in effect. Teaching diving is a wonderful way to discover new countries and ways of living, and of making local friends fast since you will be working with locals day in day out.
#5 You get to meet lots of cool people
As mentioned in the previous paragraph, working in diving is a great way to meet like-minded people from other countries (or your own). Your local workmates will share your passion as will your divers. You will meet people from around the world, mostly ocean and nature lovers, on holiday, relaxed and happy and out to enjoy themselves. As a dive pro, you’ll also build up a network of other instructors who work and travel. They will be a great source of information on good places to work, jobs going, and things to watch out for. You’ll often be pleasantly surprised to bump into someone you met in one part of the world where you least expect them at the antipodes. The big dive family vibes…
BAD REASONS TO BECOME A DIVE INSTRUCTOR
#1 You get to dive for free
This is kind of a bad reason because of course your job isn’t just about diving. But let’s face it when you work in a dive center you do get to dive for free almost every day in great locations if you choose where you work right, have access to tanks for dives with other pro mates, and often have mates working in great dive places where you’ll get a hefty discount for being a pro and being the instructor’s mate. So really it may be a bad reason on paper, but really deep down most people become instructors because they love diving and want to do it all the time, so it’d better be free, right? In fact, better still, you actually get paid for it!!!!
#2 You get to show off your big watch in bars
Don’t lie, we know dive instructors love to show off their tanned bodies, sun-bleached hair, muscular arms (lifting tanks, mate) and of course their MASSIVE watch - which is actually a dive computer - in bars and blag free drinks. Look me in the eye and tell me, without lying, that's not even a little bit true? Ha, I didn't think so!
#3 You become amazingly attractive
It’s a well-known fact that diving instructors get laid. Whether you are male or female just being a dive instructor immediately increases your sexual charisma by 200 percent, it's a scientific fact. One very good bad reason to become an instructor, right? Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Check out ways to make it memorable click here.
#4 You get to tell (bore?) people with your fish / teaching / diving stories and they will actually listen
Most of your friends and probably quite a few other dive professionals will be bored with your nudibranch facts, current diving exploits, strangest student tales; but your students and divers won’t. To be honest, even if they are, it’s not like they can escape anywhere. Haha! you have a captive audience of potentially interested people who will listen to your stories. Winner.
#5 You become irresistibly attractive
(oh wait did I say that one already?)
Any others to add? Leave or send your comments...