Why Become A PADI Instructor After COVID?

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No matter what industry you work in, and whether or not you are still working or are on leave, there are few jobs that have been completely unaffected by the COVID19 pandemic.

Whenever events take place which affect our working lives, salary or general security, it often makes us consider where we are in life, what we are doing and how much happiness we are deriving from our work.

If you’ve been thinking about taking a career break, or are considering a change in direction, read on to find out more about taking a career break as a PADI Instructor.

Benefits of a Diving Career Break

Travel: Of course, you could decide to take a career break and stay at home, but where’s the fun in that? Career breaks are the perfect opportunity to fit a bit of adventure and travel into your life and shake up the routine. Once you have passed your PADI Instructor Development Course the world is your oyster!

You Have Skills: One of the major benefits of taking a career break a few years into your career instead of right out of college is that you’ll have a lot of skills and experience to offer. Taking a career break at, for example, 40 years old means you can use your years of work experience and leadership skills to give you a leg up on the employment front.
 
Don’t sell yourself short, you may be about to become a newly qualified instructor but you might be surprised how your other skills also translate to the diving industry – retail, marketing, languages, customer service, mechanics, IT and many more professions are extremely valuable to dive centres too.

Learn New skills: Just because you’re taking a break from your chosen profession it doesn’t mean that you’re not going to be progressing. Travel is one of the most transformative experiences in life and you will learn so much about yourself and other cultures and communities, as well as gaining new confidence and hands-on skills that will make your resume stand out from the crowd. New languages, environmental projects you get involved in, teaching experience, teamwork and first aid skills are all highly valued skills in the job market.

Gain New Perspectives: Working life with all its responsibilities can be stressful, and burnout is a reality for people throughout the career ladder. So, use this as a chance to get a fresh perspective! Nothing will refresh you in your current career like taking a career break in scuba diving and traveling the world! Immersing yourself in new cultures, meeting new people and crossing a few major items off your bucket list will re-energize you in no time – bring the excitement back into your career again when you choose to return to it.

How is COVID-19 Affecting the Diving Industry?

It’s perhaps not realistic to talk about ‘when things return to normal’. The lasting effects of the COVID19 pandemic are unknown. Will more people work from home in the longer term? Will offices become an unnecessary expense with online meetings replacing bricks and mortar? Who knows…. but one thing is for certain, people will want to take holidays, they will still want to explore and they most definitely will want to continue diving. Starting to work towards your professional dive certifications now will put you one step ahead of the game!

How Easy is it to Find Employment in Diving?

PADI Instructors are the most sought after professionals in the diving industry and finding employment is relatively easy. As in any industry, employment prospects vary from region to region and if you are prepared to travel and are more flexible around the position you are looking for, your employment prospects will increase accordingly). During COVID-19 a large proportion of dive instructors working overseas returned to their home countries, and as travel restrictions open up, it is anticipated that there will be a higher than usual demand for dive professionals globally.

Getting Your Career Break Started

If you are already a PADI Divemaster, your next step is the PADI IDC (Instructor Development Course) – click here for more information.

If you are not yet a PADI Divemaster, you can start your next level of certification online with PADI eLearning. Remember that your PADI courses need to be taken in the following sequence:

Open Water Diver -> Advanced Open Water Diver -> Rescue Diver (including Emergency First Response) -> Divemaster -> Assistant Instructor (the first half of your Instructor Development Course) -> Open Water Scuba Instructor (the final half of your Instructor Development Course).

If you are still on lockdown, it’s never too soon to get started online and complete the theory component of your next course through PADI eLearning! You can sign up for PADI eLearning, or browse the courses available online here.

Why Ocean Divers?

When it comes to taking a professional level course, it’s similar to picking a university or college – you want to have the name of the best school possible on your CV. Becoming an Instructor is both a financial investment as well as an investment of your time, so you want to make sure that you are ‘getting what you pay for’.

Ocean Divers is a PADI Five Star Instructor Development Centre and a Scubapro Platinum Dealer. Established since 1972, Ocean Divers is the longest operating dive store in Melbourne.

Ocean Divers has a range of experienced staff and Instructors on hand, some who have been in the industry for over 35 years. We have 5 full time staff members, both English and Chinese speaking, and 7 part time Instructors who teach with us on the weekends.

Amongst our team we have a PADI Course Director, 1 Master Instructor, 2 IDC Staff Instructors, 3 Master Scuba Diver Trainers, 2 PADI Tec Instructors, 2 CDAA Advanced Cave Instructors, and four OWSI Instructors.

And we are all as passionate about your success and you are!

For more information on what to do next, to make a reservation or to ask us a question, fill in our online contact form or send us an email to: info@oceandivers.com.au and we will get right back to you.

We look forward to scuba diving in Melbourne with you soon!