Lanky_Raro

I can't recall what the subsidy is but according to this piece of paper I have here it costs $9,194 NZD for NZ/Aussie residents to do the FULL 8 month course and $7,203 NZD for A-licenced students Compare that to $16,050 NZD for the full course and $14,210 NZD for A-licenced students, for international students and it seems like a good deal. For Kiwis and Aussies... Obviously prices may have slightly changed

Worked out ... on paper atleast hahaha. I could still end up living on some desolate DZ, with copies of my 'perfect plan' hanging all over the walls of my rusty old caravan with nothing but my gear, some mouldy bread on the table and the best beard/mullet combo your ever likely to see.

Yep, just a big kid pretty much hahaha. Just a shame playing in the big kids play ground has lost all of its appeal, I need a new hobby!. But valid question in regards to the Diploma. I guess I'm doing it more for the benefit of the training you get with the course rather than the actual paper, if you get what I mean. Having a solid 8 month block of 'skydiving training' pretty much takes all the uncertainty out of getting started. I can take extended leave from work, move out of my flat etc etc and know what's in store for the next 8 months and end up with 200 jumps. Not to mention it's subsidised by the government etc I feel if I do the AFF it'll make building up jump numbers a bit harder and any prolonged absence or time between courses will have a negative effect. And in all likely hood training that way will be drawn out due to a variety of factors i.e finances, time, lack of a decent DZ nearby etc. The only reason I'm thinking of keeping my current job is because in all reality working on a dropzone, as a noob, won't pay the bills. That's not to say I won't be that noob getting paid crap and skydiving at any opportunity! However if I keep my job and get this diploma I've worked out I could fund atleast 10 jumps a week (if I had my own setup) and still have a decent life. I could refine my skills further, gain jumps, make contacts and work towards my tandem etc before then trying to get into employment. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out but I'd be happy in the knowledge that I came up with a plan, stuck to it and gave it everything.

Nice! here I am thinking I need to hurry up and get into it before it's too late and I regret it hahaha. That's good money jumping at almost 50, massive respect. 300 is a nice little milestone too! And yeah I have noted some of the negative talk re:the Diploma. As always there's 2 sides to a story and all I know is that I'm dead keen to learn and work my arse off and this course presents the best opportunity for me to get right into some serious skydiving. The common theme I seem to come across regarding the school is that, like anything, you get out of it what you put into it and I wouldn't want it any other way to be honest. There have been a few other issues I've come across such as the diploma itself being useless, 'slave labour' workplacements (which I had to laugh at), the finite nature of the skydiving industry, the expenses etc etc but none of these I have a huge issue with. I'm sure I'll come across plenty more up until I do the course and that's fine. At the end of the day my individual experience will differ to anyone else's, I'd like to think attitude plays a big part. Anyways great to hear from someone who has recent experiences with the school and hopefully I do catch you in Methven, I'll most probably be going with the Jan 2014 start date. Got all the forms just need to fill em in. If anyone else has any recent experiences with the NZ sky diving school, good or bad I'd love to hear it.

Yes, I've confused even my self haha. Not sure where I got 25 jumps from... probably thinking of the A-certificate? But basically the AFF gives me a start in skydiving and not much more. I think it would take alot to complete anywhere near 200 jumps (which the diploma offers) through further training and on my own as my local DZ is not so local and mainly runs weekends only. Also, from my own research I've found that alot of the AFF trainings are over priced anyway. The majority of DZ's are atleast 3-4+hours away. I thought if I'm getting into this I'm going all in and learning everything, why not live it for 8 months and get a piece of 'paper' at the end hahaha. Maybe I'll have another look through and price up the AFF again and well as some of the training that AFF leads into. At the ripe old age of 27, I'm just keen to get in and jump as much as possible. Can I ask how you made your start in skydiving skymama?

Hi all I'm Nate, from good ole New Zealand. Currently have no skydives under the belt, plenty of bungy's etc. Can't bear the thought of skydiving attatched to someone else, always thought I have to learn to do it solo. So... Thinking of getting trained up at the beginning of next year. Currently the likely option is doing the Diploma NZ skydiving school (includes 200 skydives) runs in Methven, Christchurch, over 8 months. Obviously the purpose of the course is to gain employment in the industry, however I'm leaning towards doing the course then going back to where I work now (which pays half decent) where it'll be easier to gain funds for further jumps. I think once I get on the otherside of 500 jumps maybe employment would be an option worth looking at. If not I'm happy to just keep it as a social/sport type thing. The other option is doing the AFF. But with only 25 jumps, I'm not too keen on it. If I were 18, I'd be keen but sadly I'm 10 years too late. Anyways that's me, thanks for reading. Can't wait to get into it. Anyone got a spare 10K?