Career development

Question
Do you have any idea what kind of average starting pay is offered to recreational diving instructors. Are these jobs full time most often, or will full time work be hard to find? Oh, and do you have a forum you suggest looking at?
Thank you very much for your help!
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
I'm currently looking at the Hall's Career Institute for a career change. I have a degree in psychology and have been a certified fitness trainer for the past 2 years. Hall's claims to have (or nearly have) 100% job placement after graduating. After reading their catalog, and reading some responses to questions on this site, I have a few more questions about it. I am not a certified diver, but have a little experience from the Marshal Islands in the South Pacific. I absolutely know I would love it. The catalogs seem to claim you need no prior experience, and you still will be hired when you graduate. How true is this do you think? And what is the career outlook for a person of my qualifications (once I have completed at the institute)?
-----Answer-----
You can enter any dive training program with no experience and qualify as a recreational scuba diving Instructor within 6 months.  This is a standard set by the 'Recreational Scuba Diving Training Council' (RSTC0 irregardless of the training agency.  If you find the right facility that can provide you with daily experience through an internship then within 6 months you could have logged 200 dives and a broad range of experience assisting on various courses.

The career outlook will depend on many factors, graduating as a diving Instructor, is no different from graduating with a college degree.  Once in the 'real world' you have to find employment in an area where there is market demand for professionals, and your personality, profile and demographic, are similar to that of your clientele.  If you speak additional languages to English, have boating experience, are mechanically minded, have interpersonal skills, are business savvy then you can go a long way, it's just a question of the right break.

The dive industry is globally encompassing, so it might help you to direct your questions at a 'regional' section a scuba forum board.

Don't be put off though, ask yourself if you want to spend the rest of your live in a profession and lifestyle that tires you, or live life for what it is, day by day, that is what dive professionals enjoy!!

I hope this helps and I would recommend you compare various facilites and programs to get a feel for th emarket and provide the training director with specific information about yourself, experience, objectives and your goals.

Answer
Again the pay will vary depending upon your role and location.  A full time Instructor in our region who earns his main income from issuing certifications, averages between $700 (per month) low season to $2000 (per month)high season, with an average monthly living expense of $700.

I have colleagues in the Caymans who are paid a fixed $1200 per month, with small commissions, they average $1400-1800 per month, with a monthly cost of living of $1400.

Instructors with experience can move into resort mangement where the an attractive salary is enjoyed by provided living expenses, in terms of board and lodging.

When I travelled as an Instructor I would normally arrive pre high season, by a month or two, settle in and get to knwo the dive sites and environment, and then work through the high season, and have saved enough to cover the next flight, reinvest in additional training or equipment, and bank a little.

You also need to consider the training agency you will qualify with, on a global scale PADI are the biggest and have most employment opportunities for professionals.  However there are strong regional agencies, like SSI in parts of Australia, BSAC in the UK and NAUI in North America.

I hope this helps.