How much for a professional Instructor?

[alant]

Some schools now keep the instructors on during the exams!! (I think this is a sign of a good school - the instructor sees the examination process and keeps his instruction relevant and appropriate.)
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This is usually entirely down to the YM Examiner. Most do not want the instructor onboard, while the candidate is being examined.

 

[alant]

Hear! Hear! Al

If you pay peanuts etc etc

When you have highly demanding clients, would it be fair to them, to land them with an instructor who has an issue with his school regarding 'poor' money? Of course it doesn't! Going that 'little bit extra' as an 'employer', means that you have an instructor with the 'right' attitude to ensure repeat business from satisfied clients.

Would you be successful with demanding corporate clients, if you filled the galley with 'value' supermarket food? Of course not!

Clients these days, demand, demand, demand & rightly so, since they ultimately are paying for it.

All well run schools know this, appreciate what their instructors put into 'their' clients & pay reasonable wages, have good food & content clients.

Anyone who has been on one of Al J's boats, will be aware that the clients are satisfied, because as he pays a reasonable wage (& has well stocked yummy grub).

From a business viewpoint, it gives the odd client who 'might' want to moan, little to hang a complaint onto, hence no reason for any possible refund situation to arise. Its a leisure industry these days, not an outwardbound course.

 

[alant]

There's a scratchcard being advertised on tele now that has as its top prize a £40k a year salary. If I won that I would consider going back to instructing!

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I bought a scratch card the other day, turned out I'd won an 'A' Level

 

[Solitaire]

Our rates of pay start at £90/day for a newly qualified Level 2 PB instructor and will rise according to qualifications and they are are above a £100/day! The more qualifications they hold the more work they get from us and this ensures we can vary the work. About 98% of our instructors are full time and frankly we prefer it that way.

As a school, our investment is fairly major. We run two boats, we have just forked out £35k for a new rib ( we replace our rib every 2 years)

Then there is the cost of insurance, office, servicing and the like. All our regular instructors have kit supplied by us - as others have said, yes it's branded but it all costs money.

We make no bones about not being the cheapest about, but we still have to remain competitive. We have a small nucleus of outstanding instructors covering a multitude of disciplines and have a great deal of practical experience who we like to think like working for us. We are also very much into growing our own instructor base so we provide additional training to improve their skills and knowledge.

We supplement teaching work with deliveries, demos, charter and other sources of income such as chandlery and coding consultancy; we also provide courses for commercial operations such as the police, engineering companies, the Environment Agency and even last week, the Irish Navy. A sea school is no different to any other business,it has to make a profit! To do that it must charge to meet it's costs and repay investment. We believe we offer value for money and that it's more than just teaching people to drive boats and build confidence - we are there to protect their investment as well!

 

[john_morris_uk]

[ QUOTE ]
Some schools now keep the instructors on during the exams!! (I think this is a sign of a good school - the instructor sees the examination process and keeps his instruction relevant and appropriate.)
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This is usually entirely down to the YM Examiner. Most do not want the instructor onboard, while the candidate is being examined.

[/ QUOTE ]Interesting response. I am invited to examine for a variety of schools and although some have mentioned that the instructor is staying on board, I always take the view that its the school's boat and they can choose to pay for extra crew or not. Its not my choice. In fact the instructor usually ends up as head cook and tea maker letting the other candidates/crew get on with sailing the boat. I don't think its in my gift to send him off the boat.