Instructor Contract
and Terms of Employment
This is an example work contract that is typical for a new or 1st year Scuba Instructor at the OWSI level, this one below is for a Malta dive center in 2008
Scuba Instructor Work Contract
Dive Centre Information
We are open all year but really start just before Easter (this year we have a group arriving 25th March for which the new instructors will have to have learned at least the main dive sites) and the bulk of work is May – end October.
You would be doing a mix of accompanied dives, beginner dives and courses, plus some general work around the centre. Courses are given according to languages but we do 300 – 400 certifications per year, roughly.
We usually keep one instructor (plus one of the owners is also an instructor) over the winter doing a few dives but working a lot on servicing / testing of equipment, but then from March start with 3 and we have 12 or 13 in July / August we also have a resident DM who assists and also helps with the transportation.
The instructors do the filling when we are not busy but then we have a ‘compressor boy’ who comes when the instructors have a lot of dives.
Main nationalities are English, French and German but we also get Russians, Dutch, Swiss, Scandinavian Italians etc. (We have course materials in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch and Russian)
As you can see from the contract the more our instructors work the more money they make, in July / August they are making Lm100 plus every week.
We have a regular core of return staff which is very helpful but as they have other work they come later in the season. Usually we are very busy throughout October and then in the 2nd week of November go very quiet.
The basic wage will be of Lm50 per week for a 6 day working week. The wage covers all ‘stand-by’ time and general duties around the Dive Centre from 15 minutes before opening time to 15 minutes after closing time (this will vary according to the time of year and demands of work). It also covers the first Lm50 earned through diving, courses (credited as below) and extra work. Extra work paid at Lm1.25 per hour and diving calculated at Lm6 per day dive (Lm8 per night dive). 5% commission on sale of equipment over Lm50 will be given for sales carried out solely by the instructor.
Dive Centre duties may include filling of cylinders, cleaning and maintenance of company premises and vehicles, maintenance of company equipment, customer services and work for designated associate companies.
Courses are credited toward the wage at the following rates:
Open Water / 1*
1 student @ Lm30
2 students @ Lm40
3 students @ Lm45
4 students @ Lm55
5 students @ Lm65
6 students @ Lm75
Advanced Open Water Courses and Referral dives
Lm6 per dive, Night dives @ Lm8 per dive.
Emergency First Response
1 student @ Lm13
2 students @ Lm15
3 / 4 students @ Lm20
Rescue Course
1 student @ Lm30
2 students @ Lm40
3 students @ Lm45
4 students @ Lm55
Dive Master and Assistant Instructor
1 student @ Lm45
2 students @ Lm60
3 students @ Lm80
The Company is offering accommodation at a subsidised rate of Lm10 per week, inclusive of water and electricity but exclusive of gas, cleaning, laundry and food. Before leaving instructors must ensure accommodation is left in a good state, clean with breakages replaced. Guests (including spouses) are only allowed to stay with permission from the management and will be required to pay a fee stipulated by the management.
Incentives include discounts on personal equipment at the rate of at least 15%; up to 2 weeks sick leave (for those on a minimum 6 month contract) or 1 week (for those on a 3 month contract). For sick leave of more than 3 days a doctor’s certificate is required.
If Instructors wish to terminate their contract before it expires, a formal, (in writing) one- month notice should be handed to the company, giving reasons. The company reserves the right to terminate this contract forthwith for failure to pass the local instructor medical, or failure to comply with the conditions of this contract, dishonesty, disloyalty, lack of safety and / or substantiated complaints.
Instructors should arrive at the centre ready for work 15 minutes before it opens in the morning. Company vehicles are to be used only for work; keys should be handed in to the shop (or to the designated instructor) by the end of day. Permission may be granted for the above conditions to be waived with agreement from the management. If permission has been granted for private use of company vehicles then fuel will be charged accordingly.
Upon signing this contract, and because of the industrial espionage laws of Malta, no instructor signing this contract is allowed to work in a similar type of industry for a period of 5 years in a 5 kilometer radius from any our premises: any breach of this condition carries a fine of Lm5000.00.
Date of Start of Contract:
Date of Termination of Contract:
Instructor Name and Passport number:
Instructor Signature:
Company Director Signature:
Other offers of employment letters and contracts
Example Repy from a dive center in the UAE
This is a brand new diving center and the first one in the city of Ras Al Khaimah. The salary that we offer our instructor is $595.23 per month and we also plan to pay our instructor a commission of 10% on every course he/she sells or conduct. We thus feel that there is a good earning potential for the instructor that decides to work for this diving center and as the center grows and earns more money we will definitely improve on the basic salary. We will provide accommodation and air fare.
Diving can be great fun and interesting sea life can be in great abundance! Personally I like the little things like nudibranches, different types of coral and other small fishes that people always miss because they rather look for dolphins, sharks, turtles etc. Visibility is not always very good and can be as bad as 3m but it can also be as good as 25m on a good day. Dive sites have not been greatly explored in Ras Al Khaimah but we have recently learned about a wreck at about 30m that apparently makes for good diving. Water temperatures vary from about 20 degrees in winter to about 39 degrees in summer.
The center owns a boat, about 28ft long with two 85hp outboard motors from which we plan to do our diving. We will either be stocking Beuchat or Mares diving equipment for the center but I am still negotiating for the best prices, this should be finalized by Sunday. We are not affiliated with Padi yet but plan to do that in the very near future. I am also currently in negotiation with the local Hilton hotel to move our diving center over to their beach club from where we will then be operating but this process is going to take a few more months as the Arabs are not subjected to time constraints.
If you are still interested to make the move to the UAE I would appreciate it if you could let me know as soon as possible so that we may contact your references and make a final decision. I also want to know how soon you will be able to start if you are interested in coming.