Getting Hired to Teach SCUBA Diving

When you start looking for a SCUBA diving instructor job you will have to approach resorts and hotels in various different ways as they all have different hiring processes and some don’t actually hire instructors directly, but rather work through a dive shop where they send hotel guests. This means that aside from applying to resorts and hotels for jobs, you will also find that you should apply to various SCUBA shops and equipment hire shops to work as an instructor, especially in Hawaii where there are tons of SCUBA shops within close proximity to a number of resorts and hotels.

Prerequisites for SCUBA Instructors

If you want to apply for a SCUBA instructor job there are certain requirements that you will need to have before you are even considered. The main thing you must possess is a SCUBA Instructors Certification, which you can obtain by:

• Being at least 18 years old.
• Logging at least 60 dives comprising of night dives, navigation dives, and deep dives.
• Logging at least 100 dives to participate in the SCUBA Instructors Exam.
• Being an assistant instructor for 6 months with a relevant certification.
• Being a certified emergency first responder instructor and having a valid CPR and 1st aid training certification.
• Having a signed medical statement for the last 12 months.

SCUBA instructors applying for jobs will not only have to provide the employers with their instructor certification, but their resume and other experience in sales or customer service.

Did You Know? SCUBA Instructors often obtain their instructing certificate whilst interning with resorts or dive shops who offer dives to tourists.

Applying for a SCUBA Instructor Job

Applying for a SCUBA instructor job will mean that you either apply directly at the resort or you will need to apply to a nearby dive shop. The shops and their staff are often contracted out to the nearby resorts in busy destinations, and they organize the trip, provide the equipment and transport and also provide the SCUBA instruction.

When you go about applying here is some advice from someone who has done it before:

“You need to be clean cut and professional even though you are applying for a water based activity and the inclination will be to pitch up in your t-shirt and shorts. Professionalism is the key to getting a job, in your look, but also in the way to talk and act.”

Another tip when you are applying for a SCUBA instructor job is to be confident in yourself, be outgoing, and demonstrate good sales technique. Ultimately you will be selling yourself and your services, and this is what resorts will want to see.

One SCUBA instructor explained:

“It is important to have good sales skills because this is what the job is mainly about. You must you’re your trips, the equipment and basically sell yourself to the guests and make them want to learn how to SCUBA dive. We are basically entertainers, so we have to be outgoing and good with people. We babysit, entertain, and we’re psychologists too!”

Another way to get work and experience is to apply for a SCUBA internship, usually lasting 1 month, which will give you all the necessary skills you require, accommodation, free dives and travel opportunities, as well as allowing you to apply for better jobs.

Quick Summary:

• You can apply for jobs through resorts, as well as dive shops
• You can apply for internships to learn the ropes
• You must be at least 18 to be hired as a SCUBA instructor