If you think once you are an instructor you are going to sit in a dive centre and get emails like ‘I want to book an open water course to begin in 2 weeks – how do I pay my deposit’ then you have a shock coming. I can remember spending hours and hours talking and emailing potential students / divers only to realise that they have other motives like the email below which I just came across from my time in Phuket where they basically want to move to Phuket and want you to help them with all the information you can provide. Quite often the more you put into your communication with potential students the more they trust you but also you can spend a huge amount of time on people that dont really have a real intention of coming to your dive centre, but thats life 🙂 Read this exchange about an Iranian diver wanting to learn to be an Instructor.
[dive student] This is just written to inform you my husband is a diver.He have passed some courses in recreational / sport diving as well as some interest in commercial diving. He is now a PADI Divemaster in Iran.
I have read on scubaboard that you are such a great Dive Instructor and so I decided to write some information about my husband due to come to your spot for passing special courses there.
My husband has PADI Rescue Diver and CMAS *** qualification. Now he is a diver in one the diving club in South of Iran.He wants to come there to pass other courses but he needs your advices in order to have the chance to get the best degrees.
I want to know about your professional courses.If you arrange a plan for him to come there ,which countries will have the vacancy for his career?Is it possible for him to work abroad? My all efforts about diving courses are making him ready as professional diver to have chance to work in other countries.
Would you please do me a favor and reply my mail? I want to do everything upon progressing him in his profession so your regards will be appreciated.
[dive center] Now in order to train your husband to be a dive instructor, he must go from PADI Rescue Divers / Divemaster to PADI Instructor (OWSI) and / or CMAS *** star diver to CMAS * Instructor. To begin with with this level of training he can work in any country that recognizes PADI / CMAS but he will have to pass an equivalent level in any country he wishes to work in (crossover course). The other option you husband has is to train as a PADI Instructor which will open the door to most of the world as a dive instructor. He must however be fluent in English or it will be difficult to secure a job, unless he caters for the Iranian market abroad (which although is small now could increase).
If you believe that there a big enough iranian market then he could work for us and teach PADI and CMAS courses to Iranians until his English is fluent and continue his education to 2* or even 3* or go down the technical training path
[dive student] Think you are such an efficient person to reply quickly,it shows your high kindness. As you know my husband is so enthusiastic in learning new things in diving courses and I really want to help him in any way to improve a lot .
He really believes that under your observation he can have good future in diving courses.It is good to know that he is a diver in Iran and makes costs of living through his job. He doesn’t really like to do other activities but all kinds of tasks related to sea, diving or fixing diving equipment.
Anyway, I want you to help him to be one the best divers in divers society but he needs your training and strict observation.
Would you please tell me how he can come to your club to train special courses and also be one of your Divers to make money there? He knows Engligh and he can improve there too.I just want his progress .Lots of people knows that you are knowledgeable person, so it would be a big chance for him to be one of your employees.
I am really happy cause of your qualified position.I really adore you.
[dive centre] Well he first needs to come over to Thailand before high season to pass is Instructor levels. We also need to talk how we can develop the Iranian market here in Phuket so he can actually teach courses or assist me on instructor or technical diving courses until he is qualified to teach them himself.
The key point for him to earn money here in Thailand is to break in to the Iranian market and iranian dive clubs. Do you have any suggestions about this? How can we work on that?
[dive student] Is it possible to let me know how much money should I pay?
I have heard that you are great dive instructor trainer so I want to know if so, my purpose is sending my husband to learn them.
I need your help, can I come to your land with my husband to work and make money and my husband passes the special and the best system that you offer?I want to do any kinds of activities that my husband can learn and may work for you. Please help me to make the wishes come true. I can work cause I have lots of energy and abilities,now I am working in Iran as a teacher, translator and the marketing executive in a company and I know lots of things about diving cause I am the working in my husband’s dive club as a interior manager for women, I can prove them all with enough documents. So would you please read my mail carefully to help me to make money there to help my partner to pass the courses? I am waiting for your nice reply.
[dive centre] In order for him to complete his Instructor ratings (CMAS and then crossver to PADI) he needs the following:
CMAS 4* Diver
Crossover -> PADI Divemaster
CMAS 1* Instructor
Crossover -> PADI Instructor (he requires good English or a translator)
CMAS 4* will take 15 days
PADI DM crossover 4 days
CMAS 1* Instructor 10 days
PADI Instructor crossover 12 days
All these courses have extra fees in terms of books, agency fees, certification fees and exam fees.
Once he has these basic instructor levels he can start to work in Thailand if he has a work permit, or if he work for us he can use a Student status (in which case he must get student VISA and then apply for student card from TDA)
We must promote CMAS and PADI in Iran in order for him to get the customers visiting Phuket, because we never have Iranian customers walk in to the shop previously we have only had them book diving and courses via email from Iran directly.
If he really wants to do the PADI recreational program to start that will help a lot if he moves on to pro diving. But he must start pretty soon now in order to be ready for high season. If he came in August he would be finished by end of September which leaves us some time to promote Phuket to Iranian clubs and divers.
[dive student] I want to know if it is possible for us to come there to start my husband’s diving schedule then work towards finishing the courses there.
The real fact is that I want to establish a company there in Thailand to do a business there ,do you have any information upon that? Would you please help me if it is possible for you?
Would you please do me a favor and help my husband to finish his courses and start to work in your club.In fact we want to move to Thailand cause I really am tired of working here in Iran. Please let me know when We should come there to visit you. I really want you to train my husband, because from your website I think you are a great instructor and I really believe in you.