If you are thinking about doing your divemaster training, there is a strong chance that you don’t know where to begin and wonder where the best place would be to do your divemaster internship. It is hard to filter information on the internet when you don’t know what to look for and can’t tell the difference between a legitimate offer and an empty promise that looks attractive but is, in fact, just a smokescreen of nice pictures and attractive pitch giving you what you want to hear. In this article, we are going to give you some tips and help you create a search compass built on your particular needs that will help you find the best divemaster internship offer.
Step one : clarify and prioritize what matters the most for you
First, you need to create a list of your personal desires that will have to be fulfilled by the divemaster offers you will come across. Start by defining what your end goals are, and put them in order from the most to the least important. To help you, here are some core questions that should be answered, but you must create and add your own questions.
- What is my maximum budget?
- How much time am I willing to take?
- Why do I want to become a divemaster?
- Does cultural and lifestyle experience matter to me?
- In what type of diving conditions do I want to dive? (Sea conditions, water temperature, daily dive rotation, daily time spent on the boat, number of open water dive per day, etc…)
- Do I want to have the opportunity to learn about marine conversation while doing my divemaster internship?
- Am I planning to become an instructor soon after my divemaster?
- How much value do I place on the vibe of the dive center and the environment where I will do my divemaster (nature versus concrete buildings)?
- Who is going to be in charge and supervise my daily training?
With your priorities a bit more in order, you should now know what to look for in the first place. Geographic location or paid versus free internships or offers with marine conservation projects, etc. are all factors that will contribute to your divemaster training experience.
Step two : do your homework, talk to people, and don’t be naive
When the time comes to evaluate an offer, do not stop at the beautiful pictures and catchy titles. Look for priceless feedback from people who have done it. There is nothing better than getting input directly from someone who has been there, done it, and has nothing to gain from their feedback. Testimonials are not enough though, email and chat directly with those ex-interns to hear it directly from the source.
How much should you pay for your divemaster internship or should you get it for free?
The cost of divemaster training depends on the country where the dive center is located. To give you a rough idea though, the average price for a divemaster course across the board is around US$1400. Of course, the quality of the dive center, the time spent on location, and the number of open water dives included are cost-determining factors.
If you don’t have finance for your training you can try to find a “work exchange” type of free divemaster internship, but BE CAREFUL! Those types of offers can end up being a “slave labor” type of situation and that the quality of the training you will receive is not always solid. If you would like to learn more about the pros and cons of a free divemaster internship, we get more in-depth on the topic in this blog post: Should You Pay for a Divemaster Internship or Not?
If you don’t have finance for your training you can try to find a “work exchange” type of free divemaster internship, but BE CAREFUL! Those types of offers can end up being a “slave labor” type of situation and that the quality of the training you will receive is not always solid. If you would like to learn more about the pros and cons of a free divemaster internship, we get more in-depth on the topic in this blog post: Should You Pay for a Divemaster Internship or Not?
Which diving agency should I do my divemaster with? PADI or SSI?
The differences between the PADI and SSI divemaster course program are small. At the end of the day, where and with which diving instructor you train with are what matter the most! What you want to look at is the diving conditions, the quality of the dive center, and how passionate the diving instructors are. Those are the factors that will make the difference when it comes to your divemaster training. To understand a bit more about the differences between PADI and SSI though, we wrote all about it here: PADI or SSI: Which Agency is Right for You?
Can I find a job as a divemaster and make a living out of it?
Many candidates dream to get a divemaster job offer at the end of their training. However, in most tropical countries the reality is that not many divemaster positions allow you to earn decent money. Divemaster jobs are also scarce for westerners for many different reasons. This issue is quiet complex but very interesting and you definately want to have a good grasp on the divemaster job situation in the diving industry. The following article is a MUST READ if you are thinking about working as a divemaster: Is it Possible To Make a Living as a Divemaster?
We hope that this article has cleared things up for you and you’ll now be able to get on your quest to find the best place for your divemaster internship with more confidence.
One last, but not least, important tip from us is that if you are 100% sure about wanting to work in the diving industry, go one step further and become a dive instructor. While looking at your divemaster internship start already looking at places that offer the IDC (instructor development course) in the same area that you are planning to do your divemaster (even if it won’t happen in the same time frame). Or, perhaps you might not automatically want to do your IDC in the same dive center where you did your divemaster. Doing your IDC in a different dive center can be valuable, in that it can offer a different diving set up. At the end of the day, meeting more people from the local diving community and knowing the local dive sites like the back of your hand will be VERY precious when it comes the time to find your first job!
For more detailed and specific information about the divemaster training itself take a look at our divemaster course FAQ.
One last, but not least, important tip from us is that if you are 100% sure about wanting to work in the diving industry, go one step further and become a dive instructor. While looking at your divemaster internship start already looking at places that offer the IDC (instructor development course) in the same area that you are planning to do your divemaster (even if it won’t happen in the same time frame). Or, perhaps you might not automatically want to do your IDC in the same dive center where you did your divemaster. Doing your IDC in a different dive center can be valuable, in that it can offer a different diving set up. At the end of the day, meeting more people from the local diving community and knowing the local dive sites like the back of your hand will be VERY precious when it comes the time to find your first job!
For more detailed and specific information about the divemaster training itself take a look at our divemaster course FAQ.