Marine Biologist searching for a lifestyle

[Seahunter]

Well, after reading and reading the board I finally decided to write. First of all, I would like to congratulate all of the moderators for their great work... ;)THANK YOU! This is the best organized way to find information about the bussiness.

I would like to know how an average week for a dive instructor is, and the truth about salaries (aprox...). I'm Open Water Padi Diver and my husband is 2 Stars Cemas Diver. We are currently working in a Furniture Store managed by our family, it's a really comfortable job: the hours are great, the salary very good, we are all family....there's just this little thing: we don't really like it! I am a Marine Biologist but have never worked as such. My husband will get his degree in Acquaculture in a few months too. And we kind of feel like we are trapped in a cage! I'm 28 and he's 26 and we are trying to imagine what life in the diving bussiness is like. Since we would have to invest a lot of money, and time, and effort prior to being able to work, we want to be sure what we are getting into.

What would you do in a "regular day in the office", and how much would I expect to be paid as a novice Divemaster / OWSI in Spain? When does the day start / finish? Some typical tasks one would have to perform every day? And any other things that you like / dislike from your job? Is there a lot of competition in the bussiness?

Being an Marine Biologist in the Caribbean I got used to working in really bad conditions: through the whole carrer we dealt with lack of materials ¡even lack of money to get gas to go out in the boat to the sea to collect samples!!!! and I didn't like strugling all day, every day with that kind of stuff. Call me crazy. That's why we ended up working in a shop owned by some relatives.

The political situation in our Country is not exactly calmed either! And now that my husband is getting his degree would be a good time "to go for it" (what ever "it" means). When I graduated and started working in the store I felt terrible, alfter all... my dream all my life was to become a Marine Biologist, or at least to have contact with the sea!

But for some things you say one would think that the diving bussines is really for slaves! Don't get me wrong, I understand the importance of hard work, and I am not afraid of it. But only if the compensation (and I don't mean $) is interesting, then I could really jump into water again. My husband has experienced the world of diving more than I have, and he's dying to go ahead. It would be really important for us both knowing if it could be possible to make a real living out of it... having schedules, children: what "people" call a "normal life".

Also, being in a South American Country makes us very humble people and we are thinking about going to Spain for an internship next year. Do you think that's a good choice? I have read a lot about the Union and about the problem with the "Work for certs" attitude, and I feel a little guilty about it, but that's the best way I have found to acomplish such a plan without going completely broke!

So I think that's it for now... thank you again for the board.

Best regards...

[LSDeep]

thanx for the praise, nice to hear that somebody likes it and finds it useful . makes it worth the time and effort.

the truth about salleries is as widespread and area depending as it gets. expect from from U$100 to U$750 a week, depending on where you are. the rare below or above is possible. often you will find basepay plus commissions and varied (fringe) benefits. it will get better with experience. some areas are notoriously bad. you will have to do some serious research before taking jobs about cost of living vs. income in any case. just because your cost of living is high doesnt mean your sallery is adequate.

as for the "typical week", there is no thing like that. again, much depends on where you are. you might have your local staff plus dm's that do the "grunt" work or you do that along with your "normal" instr. jobs. in any good dc you will as a team with your local guys and dm's and share the work that needs to be done, period. obviously the focus for an instr. is on teaching courses and pref selling them also. but you do stuff from checking in divers, loading boats, filling tanks, repairing equipment, sweeping the shop, selling gear / classes, doing intro sessions (usually in resort areas), washing boats, driving boats, maintaining compressors, equipment, engines, driving ppl from and to hotels, doing airport pickups, be the entertainment guy and tourguide, guiding dives, giving advice in any way and form, brewing coffee, doing paperwork, painting, decorating, dealing with complaints (in a way that the client feels apprechiated) and 1 million other things you would never imagine when thinking about being an instr. rule of thumb - the more classes you teach / sell and teach, the less you do all the other less desireable jobs .
i can see your point with the furniture store ;D!!!!
you both have a marine background with marine biology / aquaculture, so getting up to instructor wont hurt anyway, kind of supplements your jobs and cant hurt anyway, even if you decide to get back into it i would assume.

pay in spain, no idea - but not great as i heard. as for day start and finish - very job dependend, i had jobs that have been pretty much "9 to 5" and others where i started at 5:30 and was done by 10 at night. expect to be flexible and go with your clients needs! weekends are often work and in tourist areas saison depending you might often work 7 days.

for good jobs you will have competition , it will get better for you with more experience, but there are many jobs around. i never had a prob to get one, as long as youre mobile and willing to move.

the dive biz is not really for slaves, as you put it - but there are many companies out there that seem to believe exactly that and get proven "right" every day by ppl that are willing to work for free or peanuts. you need to set lines in terms of what youre willing to do. youre a professional after all as instr and also as a dm. you have costs (not exactly low) to maintain that status, so dont let people trample all over you. just say no and wait for a better offer!

as for kids and "schedules", enjoy it while youre young! it will be still a good option later on, but kids will slim down your opportunities quite a bit, what doesnt mean its impossible. the call what a "normal live" is for you, you have to make that yourself

is spain a good choice? - i guess there is worse and better. once again it depends on the deal offered. the union topic should give you some ideas about the problems in this industry. as for "work for certs" - i dont think anybody tries to say its evil. it is the problem of many shops using it to get free "slave" labour. there are quite a few shops out there where you get a fair deal. once again research it well before you commit to it.

another thing you might want to consider is the passport(s) you hold, it can make your live a lot easier / harder, depending on visa and workpermit requirements in many countries and your ability to travel. i have no experience at all with venezuela - but its worth to check into as well.

good luck, hope that answers some of your questions, feel free to ask for added info

[Seahunter]

Thank you very much Isdeep! Again thanks for the board!!!

[goproutila]

Hi,

Here's a link to a typical day in the life of an Instructor on Utila, www.utiladivecenter.com/utiladiving/pro/life_pro.htm though as lsdeep said there's no such thing as 'typical' in the dive industry.

We offer complete professional training here on Utila, you can check my dedicated professional site www.goproutila.com for more details, and if you have any questions let me know?

Most Instructors that we train earn on average $1000-$2000 pe rmonth, depending on how busy they are, which is reflected by tourism on the island and also each individual Instructors own productivity, but that's the way Instructors are paid here. It doesn't take too long before you can find a management position, which is more stable and pays better, plus the benefits, and if you speak both English and Spanish that can really help.

Warm regards,
Andy