Instructor burnout

[scubaculture]

Has this happened to any of the Instructors/Pros here?

I started to dislike diving at one stage, was working through a shop that pushed Scuba Diver certs and nothing else, everytime I said cool I have 4 people for Advanced they would say no no we have you booked for a Scuba Diver course again. The shop had become a new diver factory and I was not happy with it but I carried on.

I still loved introducing people to diving, but it got to a stage where I was actually not looking forward to dives. I realised this might impact how I teach I told the store I would not be doing anymore Scuba diver courses and only advanced/specialties etc. They fired me on the spot

So I took some time off, did dives on my own, some solo dives and a lot of fun dives, I was really missing teaching though and when some of my old students from the shop came to me and asked if I could now take them further I ended up teaching independently, doing a lot of advanced, nitrox, rescue etc.

How have you dealt with burnout?

[CompuDude]

I've dealt with burnout by not going past DM, and by only working on an occasional basis when I feel like it. I'm fortunate to have a shop that is ok with such a loose schedule.

I dive for fun. I teach (perhaps Assist would be the better term) for fun. I keep teaching fun by simply not over-doing it.

[Daved]

With the overwhelming demand for production certifications burnout is all to common. Having to run a shop as a business is one thing--running it as a factory to sell gear is another. Most "pool" shops never have to dive with the clients. They are supplying the new breed of diver who has more money than brains. They have taught the diver basic skills which need to be practiced in real life. These people are the "instant buddy" on the boats. It is no wonder why solo is popular.
Sad

[texdiveguy]

I did active DMing for a few years but got bored with it,,,same old thing,,,I still keep my DM Pro status and insurance current but now I apply all my time to diving vs DMing.

[adv_diver1]

Yes. I taught martial arts for over 10 years. There just comes a time when you need a little break, or sometimes you even need to move on or start your own school so you can do it the way you know is right.

This is something that happens to all of us in the teaching realm. Take a little sabatical and think about it. Really the students are the reason your teaching, nothing else.

[mm_dm]

Originally Posted by texdiveguy

I did active DMing for a few years but got bored with it,,,same old thing,,,I still keep my DM Pro status and insurance current but now I apply all my time to diving vs DMing.

Same here. I remember at one point I did 40 straight dives over successive weekends all DM'ing Open Waters. Man, I don't even remember their names.
I guess I'd still do it in a pinch for a couple of the guys that are my close friends.

I had to drift off into the tech side to renew my passion.

[plot]

Originally Posted by mm_dm

I had to drift off into the tech side to renew my passion.

Yup. Keep looking for ways to furthur your own diving and set goals to acheive them.