Reality of a Skydiving career?

[t0n3z 0]

Ok, first up I am going to say that yes I have done a search on the skydiving diploma in NZ and skydiving as a career, search the web also. But I would like some more recent feedback on it?

I also came across this article and it put a bit of reality on the topic - http://en.allexperts.com/q/Skydiving-w-Parachutes-1652/career.htm

In this forum I can across someone who said they work in NZ (i'm in Australia) and they pay there tandem masters $50NZ a jump, camera, $65 a jump and handi cams $40nz a jump and that seems good in reality but what annual wage would you really expect from that being a contractor and not gettng any thing like 401K/super annuation paid also.

In prespective it seems like an awsome thing to do, to take skydiving career, but in reality it's not looking that good.

I was just hoping some people could shed some light on the topic for me, there is the phrase "find a job you love and you will never work another day in your life" but there there is the reality of possibly only earning $40,000 (if that or possibly only a little more) a year before tax with not superanuation/401k and trying to support a family in the future.

If you guys can sehd some light on this it would be great, and if you are a tandem master/camera mand/DZO at the moment that would be even better.

Thanks guys

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

"supporting a family" and "career in skydiving" are not phrases that go together well.

[t0n3z 0]

Ok, so lets take the family part out of the picture and answer the question that way.

I'd love to hear you comments people, thanks.

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

Assuming you are not independently wealthy to start with, you are not going to make enough money skydiving to do much else. Yes, you can subsist, but I don't know any regular "staff" skydivers who have built up a nest egg of any type. I get away with it because I have a pension from serving 21 years in the army. I get by when the weather is shitty. I get by when the planes are down for maintenance. I get by when there are only two tandems all day long, but eight full-time staff guys to fight over them. I would venture to say that over 90 percent of full-time skydivers I know (read: coaches, AFF, Tandem guys) live in trailers on the DZ or share a house with several other people who also just squeek by. It's definitely not a glamourous life. When it's over 100 degrees f outside and you have 80 tandems to do, it stops being fun. When it rains for a solid week and you are penniless, it sucks. When you sprain your ankle on a tandem and can't work for three weeks, it sucks.

[bigdad510 1]

I like your response to this. my wife wants a career, which would make a lot of money. I'm all for it. I have 8 years left till I retire from the military, and I thought about your comment. Yeah, when the weather sucks, or there aren't a lot of tandems, you get screwed. That's why I'm a SCUBA instructor too. Only weather I stop running a class for is lightning!

Yeah you don't make a lot of money in skydiving, but you have to be doing it because you love it! I want to do what I enjoy hen I retire at 39 years old, not what I'm forced to do to survive!

Brad

[t0n3z 0]

Thanks for the input. It brings a bit of reality to the situation.

I think I will just keep it as a hobby and not something that puts food in my stomach.

Thanks for the input guys, guess it's time to look into which degree I will be doing next year... Or find some sort of job I love that can get me a decent living.

[rhys 0]

It is what you make of it.

I am a graduate of the 2nd year that the diploma course was running.

My first skydive was at the start of the course. I knew I would love skydiving and there were real jobs with good pay going that our country needed to fill with New Zealanders....i was in like a shot.

Many have complained about the course and many have done extremely well. you will find the ones that complain are the ones that did not put their all into it.

I gained a 96% result and was offered a placement at the very busy dropzone in Queenstown that the course director is the Major shareholder of.

Once graduating I still had to go through the usual process of making myself employable as a skydiver, by gaining as much experience as I could in a short period of time.

I found I had to travel away from New Zealand to get my camera slot as soon as I was ready. All the camera jobs in NZ have some sort of waiting list for them. I sold all my stuff and pursued my career in Australia. I found the industry is not so influential over there. I did gain the 'all important experience' though and returned to New Zealand to work as a full time camera dude doing 1000+ jumps a year.

Now I have worked in New Zealand, Australia, Norway and now Tanzania as a commercial skydiver. I am rated for tandems on Sigma, Vector2, Strong and Next, I have an AFF rating, a DZSO rating and have competed at the world meet.

It is my own enthusiasm that has got me to where i am but the diploma course most definitely gave me the opportunity to do so in such a short time and made the process much shorter indeed!

As well as the skydiving you get a better insight to behind the scenes through the diploma course and this equips you with knowledge that helps attain management positions also.

For me the course was very much worth my while. For others not so. It really depends on you, your needs, your expectations and of course the commitment you are willing to give.

good luck in you decision, I think you can student loan the course too if you are an Aussie or Brit?

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[t0n3z 0]

That sounds awsome. It would be an awsome life if I could do what you have done, and I know I can and it will be alot of hard work. But it will be well worth it.

Just out of curiosity how much would you make a year in $NZD?

I can do the course for $7,785 NZD as i'm an Aussie
so thats good.

Regardless of what happens I believe I will still end up there as there is so much good feedback from everyone about it.

I'd be great if you could answer these last few questions as your a graduate of the course and are what I want to become.

Where did you end up in Australia, what dropzone? What did you do there, fly camera for the summer?

Thanks mate.

I can see your not making it all up also and it's all true as the dimploma website says "Rhys is now in Tanzania.". What's it like in that part of Africa? It's the first time i've heard of the country.

[AFFI 0]

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Ok, so lets take the family part out of the picture and answer the question that way.

I'd love to hear you comments people, thanks.

Do a search on ramen noodles...

Mykel AFF-I10
Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

[t0n3z 0]

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Ok, so lets take the family part out of the picture and answer the question that way.

I'd love to hear you comments people, thanks.

Do a search on ramen noodles...

Didn't bring up anything to usefull....

[DSE 5]

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Do a search on ramen noodles...

Didn't bring up anything to usefull....

[bigway 4]

as leight says, if you put your all into it and can handle being back at school again you will do very well. I am not a fan of the course directors but over the years it has become a very good course.

Most people who leave the course and stay at one of their dropzones such as the one rhys was at as soon as you are on a camera slot, from what i know it does not take long at all you will be guaranteed 1000 work jumps a year.

On average you probably make around $50,000 per year.

They send you to many dropzones after the course.

I was doing very well on the course until i had personal problems and problems with the way it was run.
I understand from many friends that have been on it that it has become one hell of a place and the bloke now running the students is an excellent skydiver.

Seriously, if you are thinking of doing it you should just put your all in to it. You put your all into it you will make a living out of it.

Most dropzones in new zealand do around 100 tandems a day.

Good luck

.Karnage Krew Gear Store
.

[bigway 4]

Sorry Leigh, is Rhys's partner (who was one of my coaches on the course ) .... I meant Rhys.

.Karnage Krew Gear Store
.

[t0n3z 0]

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Ok, so lets take the family part out of the picture and answer the question that way.

I'd love to hear you comments people, thanks.

Do a search on ramen noodles...

I though you were replying with a stupid response. There was a post I found and that was interesting.

Thanks for your respone bigway.

$50,000 is only $10,000 more than i'm on now and if that in $NZD, so minus approx 10% off that + taxes and you probaly have about $700 a week.

It is really something to think about for me now I guess, if I want to have the life of a skydiving professional on $700 a week or work my way up the cooprate ladder and end up in a fairly good paying job with all the goodies in life and keep skydiving as a hobby... Of course working the "desk" job always looking forward to the weekend becasue office jobs are evil and i'll probaly get a job that is "ok" not something I love to do.

Ehhh smeh... Thats life, thats for the info people.

[Kynan1 0]

Unless you own a dropzone, the only money in skydiving is that of which coming out of your wallet.
I think it's great to work it part time to offset fun jumping costs, but realistically, there's no money in it.
Not to mention the cost of your own gear.

[AFFI 0]

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$50,000 is only $10,000 more than i'm on now and if that in $NZD, so minus approx 10% off that + taxes and you probaly have about $700 a week.

what does that come out to in USD?

Cuz there aint no way you are gonna make kinda coin that in the US skydiving.

[airtwardo 7]

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$50,000 is only $10,000 more than i'm on now and if that in $NZD, so minus approx 10% off that + taxes and you probaly have about $700 a week.

what does that come out to in USD?

Cuz there aint no way you are gonna make kinda coin that in the US skydiving.

50,000.00 NZD = 37,330.75 USD

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[AFFI 0]

Ain't sure if I know anyone making ($37,330.75) that kinda scratch teaching people how to skydive or shooting tandems.

Maybe a couple guys who do it all (rigging and everything) but they work their asses into the ground and make +-/1,000 jumps a year on top of that but still don't know if they are making all that.

All's I know is I have not gotten close to that during my short 6 year fulltime skydiving sabbatical.

(Maybe I just didnt do it right!)

[bob.dino 1]

Outside camera is all but extinct in Australia, so your options are limited to tandem or tandem.

Tandem masters in Australia need a minimum of 500 jumps before acquiring their rating, though many DZs impose stricter requirements. Why not get started on those jumps and see if you even like the sport before you think about making a living from chucking drogues?

It is possible, but I know very few full-timers that, for example, own a house.

[CSpenceFLY 1]

Another thing to think about is this. If you need to do 1000 jumps a year, how long is your body going to hold up to that? At the hight of my video career I was doing only 350 - 400 jumps a year. I was not doing this as a living and this was only on the weekends. It might not be so bad if you spread them out over the week but there is no way at 40 years old I could go back to jumping like that.

[ZigZagMarquis 9]

Consider getting a real job.

[bozo 0]

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Consider getting a real job.

Heres one more point for you to consider. Skydiving is really dangerous. When an accident happens, if you survive you will probably suffer some sort of injury.
Skymonkeyone alluded to a sprained ankle. I was doing 400 tandems a year added to several dozen demos. I crushed my spine. I was in a hospital bed for five months and in a bodycast for a year. Who paid my bills ? Whos gonna pay yours?

Good luck on you quest.

bozo
Pain is fleeting. Glory lasts forever. Chicks dig scars.

[NewGuy2005 53]

Going for a career as a professional banjo player would be more practical.

[klingeme 1]

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Ain't sure if I know anyone making ($37,330.75) that kinda scratch teaching people how to skydive or shooting tandems.

$35.00 per jump, 1000 jumps per year is $35,000. I don't see 37,300 as being unrealistic.

Mark Klingelhoefer

[popsjumper 2]

What I'm seeing in this thread is what I've heard all along...

Single? No financial commitments? You can only subsist until that accident happens and then you're hosed.

Married? Have financial commitments? You're starting out behind the 8-ball and will likely never catch up.

Nowadays, skydiving is all I do. I had to pay a huge price for the priveledge; 20+ years in the corporate world building up 401k's, pensions, stocks/bonds, etc., was tough. My bank account is shrinking but I've managed to plug the leak a little, so to speak, by reducing expenses for food, clothing and shelter. My style of living is pretty much less than poverty level. BUT! I get to skydive whenever I want! WooooHoooo!

One of these days, I'll completely plug the leak by taking up a paying position but I know I'll never be able to buy additional stocks/bonds, etc., nor save actual money, nor buy that brand-new car, nor eat a steak on a regular basis, nor go to the movies...ad infinitum.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239