Diving Jobs
How to get work
Once you have passed your PADI IDC course and IE exams you will now be up against a lot of competition to gain work at dive centers from other Instructors, unfortunately like every ‘dream job’ there are always going to be lots of other people seeking their ‘dream job’ and as such its good not to expect to fall into work straight after your IE.
While working in dive centres around the world and indeed actually looking for work, the instructors at IDC Guide can state that the factors that go against a new scuba instructor when looking for their first job include:
- Lack of official documentation to work (work permits / licences).
- Relative Inexperience.
- Competition from other Instructors.
- New instructor inflexibility (may not be MSDT certified and cannot teach specialities).
- The ‘gamble’ a dive center takes when paying a new instructor as its their reputation on the line.
- Lack of equipment (SMB / Camera / Reels as well as the full scuba equipment)
- Limited timeframe that the new instructor can work.
- Lack of Diving CV / Business Cards
- Lack of contact info (so important to have a local registered mobile phone)
Its really important to just accept you are a newbie and to try your best to make a good first impression and to be as flexible as you can, you can offer to do your first 2 certifications for free on a trial basis, most dive center owners will like that offer as margins for profits are generally small in holiday / resort dive locations.
A nice touch is to get a diving CV printed and to leave that and a business card with your telephone number on it when you visit a prospective employer, you may not get to see the dive center owner and may get an admin person or receptionist, do not underestimate the importance and influence of these people as they see hundreds of new instructor wanting work and normally have some weight in the decision as to who get work in terms of dive courses and guiding divers or dayboats and liveaboards. What you shouldn’t do is just sent a generic email to hundreds of dive centres like these dive job requests that we have received in the past.
Scuba Diver CVs
Here are some sample CVs that you can download and use as a basis for your own dive life CV, to download these instructor curriculum vitaes you will need adobe acrobat reader
Covering Letter to the Dive Center or Course Director
You should also include a covering letter or an introduction to yourself if you are posting or emailing a CV to a dive center / course director.
Should you be so lucky as to get a response and then an offer of employment you will probably be asked to sign a dive instructor work contract, this is standard practise and if worried get another friendly Instructor to give it a read over. If in any doubt you could get a contract lawyer to proof read any contract you are asked to sign
Some Further questions you should ask
- When would you expect myself to start ?
- Are you a PADI diving centre ? what number are you ?
- What percentage of people on the boats take diving courses ?
- What type of people travel with you ? what nationalities ? Single / Married ? ages ?
- On average how many courses are taken on a cruise
- Would any instructor have one night free between cruises every week
- Will there be Internet connections available when we dock so I can contact home
- I have my own underwater Camera / editing facilities / Laptop Computer, can I take and sell guests dvds of their dives ? These are professionally produced and would be willing to brand them with your companies Logo if required.
- Is the salary negotiable as the monthly salary is a little low, I am a hard working professional Instructor.
- How many days on the cruise are dives done ? how many dives in total ?
- Do people come on your cruises for the diving or for the Sailing ? Both ?