SCUBADIVING INSTRUCTOR JOBS

How to land your first job in scubadiving

Newly certified PADI Instructors often ask me for help in finding a job after the IDC. We can not guarantee all of our Instructor candidates a job at our dive center after the IDC but I am always happy to use my contacts in the diving industry to help new Instructors. And I am happy to give you a few tips here on how to find scubadiving instructor jobs.

Nowadays it is very easy to find job offers on social media. There are facebook pages dedicated to diving jobs, worldwide or for a specific region. Also the good old PADI Pro’s website still has a very good job board.
However, over the years I noticed some dive centers that are looking for staff every few months. Other dive centers don’t have to put job offers on facebookat all. They keep their staff happy, and instructors stay with them for several seasons.

Freelancing

I still think the best way to find a job is to simply go to the location where you want to work and talk to the dive center managers personally. Maybe they can offer you some freelance work. This is a good way to start. You get to know a few dive centers and choose where you would like to work.
If you do apply for a job that you found online, write them a professional application. Even if the job is on a laid back, tropical island, managers are not looking for laid back tropical staff!

Make sure you have a good CV that you can edit to your needs. Managers don’t want to go through dozens of 4 page CV’s. Keep it at 2 pages maximum but make sure you mention the skills and experience that are important for this specific dive center. Only mention the skills that set you apart from other applicants. We all love diving. That why we became instructors. You don’t have to explain that to your future boss.

Have a look at our job board here →

Where to start

It starts with your education

Your job search starts with choosing the location and dive center where you do your Divemaster and Instructor course. It makes sense to do your pro-level courses in the same country where you would like to work. You will get to know the dive sites, the dive centers and the dive instructors working in the area.

Some destinations in Asia are famous for their low budget courses and huge number of certifications. These destinations have a reputation for ‘quantity over quality’. I won’t argue whether this is justified or not but if you do your professional education in this location and get your first job there you run the risk of being ‘branded’ for the rest of your career.

A word on internships

Some dive centers offer Divemaster or IDC internships. I think this is a scam. “Free work experience” may sound good but it means “work and don’t get paid”. The dive center will tell you that it is very difficult to find your first job. It is NOT!

Good dive centers are not reluctant to hire new diving instructors, as long as they show the right attitude. Good dive centers will let you ‘team teach’ a few courses before letting you teach on your own.

Also think about your costs. Internships are not free. You still have to pay accommodation and food. How about your health insurance and liability insurance?
Does the dive center provide you with a work permit? If not, then you are working illegally and your career in diving may be over before it even started!

Your job search

Is it easy to find scubadiving instructor jobs in Asia?

Yes! It is very easy to find scubadiving instructor jobs in Asia.

Thailand is a very popular tourist destination. Compared to other regions it is relatively cheap to do your diving course in Thailand. The diving in Thailand is pretty good but people don’t necessarily come to Thailand to dive. This means there are many ‘beginners’ that love to try scubadiving and maybe do a scubadiving course.

Indonesia has many famous diving destinations like Bali, Komodo, Bunaken and Raja Ampat, just to name a few. Some of these places offer awesome diving but are mostly visited by experienced divers on their diving holiday. Experienced divers don’t need an Open water course so, if you like to work there you should be able to teach some specialty courses like Photography or sidemount, etc.

The Philippines offers a good combination of nice diving and other tourist attractions. There are many great diving destinations all over the Philippines. This means that there is plenty of work for dive instructors.