So you have successfully passed your Instructor course and now looking to work in the dive industry? It might be difficult to know where to start. Today let's look at how to apply for scuba diving jobs, with one of the key tools to do so: your CV.
How to write a CV for a diving job?
You will find a lot of templates and advice online for CV. However a CV for a diving job needs to be slightly different.
Content of CV for a diving job
First, essential information:
- contact details
- nationality (this is not inappropriate to ask by a dive company, a lot of dive jobs require working permits and some passports will be easier than others)
- social media: if you feel this could help, as in you have cool underwater photos for example, then definitely a good idea to mention some of your social media channels.
Then, work experience info:
- start with the diving. Even if you are a brand new instructor, you can list your certifications, where you did your training, any specialty you can teach, etc
- other relevant work experience: while they might not apply to diving as such, if this is a new field for you, a dive company would be interested to know what line of work you did before. For example if you already worked in hospitality, it indicates you have customer service experience
Finally, other skills:
- languages are key in the dive industry, if you speak more than one, list them.
- as a new dive instructor you might not have a lot of diving experience, but you might have other skills that could be useful in a dive company: boat licence, photo skills, marketing, technical skills to name a few.
Layout of a CV for a scuba instructor job
After seeing hundreds of dive instructor CVs, here are some recommendations for layout and practical aspects:
- Make sure it is error-free. This might seem like a given, but make sure there are no typos or spelling mistakes in what you send to potential employers.
- Keep it short and sweet: if you have less than 15 years of work experience, it should fit on 1 page. Employers need to understand in less than a minute what you have done so far and if you fit the profile they are looking for.
- Use a template: the dive industry is a bit more easy-going than others, your CV does not have to be black and white with only text. No need for animated unicorns either, but find a design that stands out a bit and draws attention straight away to the key information.
- Do not lie: if you are not fluent in Spanish, then don't say you teach in Spanish. Sooner or later, lying about your skills will get you into trouble.
During our PADI IDC here at Purple Dive, we conduct a CV workshop to help you put together a good diving CV that will help you land a job as a dive instructor!
You can also ask dive pros around you to give you some advice, preferably to someone that has been in a position to look for staff before.