Skydiving Instructors - Whats your usual work day? How many hours per week?

Question

I'm interested in becoming a skydiving instructor but I only want it as a second job because it is such a fun sport. How many hours a week do you devote to your job and are you capable of having multiple jobs?

Answer 1

Becoming a skydiving instructor is not as easy as a job application (believe it or not). I'd been skydiving for 3+ years and made over 500 skydives before I was allowed to even be evaluated for the necessary skills to take on ONE  "instructor" title. Training for the necessary skills to be an instructor can take some people much longer. It will definitely take years of time and money invested. Granted, it is way fun and the best thing in the world, but it will take a significant amount of financial investment for the training and experience necessary to become an instructor. If all you want is the instructor title, then it will probably not be worth the effort required. A better way to go about it is to want to be just a skydiver, try and become the best skydiver you can, then eventually you'll possess the skills to teach others, then some of your continued jumping will be more free, sometimes somewhat profitable. You will never be a millionaire as a skydiving instructor. You must actually have a passion for the stuff and find other reasons than monetary to do it.

Answer 2

I have been a jumpmaster, coach, and a camera flyer at various levels of commitment over the last 11 years.

Part time as a second job for 12 - 24 hours (Saturday and/or Sunday sun-up to sundown) every week is a more common M.O than full time.  So you can definitely do that.  I worked 5 days a week at a full time engineering job and worked at the DZ all weekend every weekend for years and years.

That did burn me out after awhile though.  Your results may vary.

You can also do skydiving full time, but work typically dries up quite a bit on weekdays unless you're someplace really busy or touristy (i.e. Skydive Las Vegas).  

I knew I wanted to work in Skydiving, so I looked at the cost of my student jumps + gear + 500 jumps (minimum number of jumps before you're going to be qualified to think about going after some instructor ratings or doing freefall video and photography) as though it were tuition for skydiving school.

I loved it then, and I love it now.  If you decide to pursue it, I hope it's as good to you as it has been to me.  

Be smart.  Don't be in a hurry to be the "most awesome" dude on the DZ.  There are risks.  It's a reasonably safe sport so long as you're not an idiot.  But if you are an idiot it is a very unforgiving and dangerous sport.

Answer 3

Most I's do it volunteer. Or at least what they get paid is very little and in jumps and personal reward.

An entusiastic I is vital to any DZ.

Students are what allow the rest of us to afford this sport. And their excitement feeds all of us. Every skydiver helps in this but it is a main job of an i to keep that fire alive as well as the skydivers.

If you work well with others and love the sport go for coach and pitch in.  There are allot of jobs at a dz and nothing pays well in $$. You can make a living of it for sure, but the living will be skydiving. So be very carefull of giving up a "JOB" to devote your life to skydiving. It can be very addicting.

What ever you do enjoy it. When it stops being fun find another avenue within the skydiving world to continue your enthusiasm. If $$ is an issue pack, mow, ...you'll me amazed at the things that need done at a dz and they're allways willing to work with you for air time. That's what got me thrue the initial expense. I packed tandems, worked with students, sold t-shirts, Since skydiving is mostly a weekend thing it's easy to fit in little jobs here and there while your jumping. That's part of the fun you get paid to play and share your passion with others.

10 years down the road you go back  to your old dz and there is one of your students as the i.

The amount of time you devote is purely up to you. I think it is one of the best things on this earth. (and off it) The skydiving community is a family of sorts and a passion that lives in you forever.

Keep up the good work and share the passion.

Blue skies