0
Lanky_Raro

NZ newbie, doing the Diploma

Recommended Posts

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?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Welcome to the forums! I'm a little confused about what you wrote here:

Quote

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.



What do you mean by that? I'm wondering if you are confused about AFF training. It has worked great for many people of all ages all over the world!
She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
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?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Hi Nate, I did my AFF at the school 4 years ago as a 45 year old with my 55yo mate. Never wanted a tandem either, went straight to AFF and should do my 300th next time I'm out there.

Last year my 16yo son and his mate came over from Oz for 2 weeks in April and did their AFF/A Licence at the school. They returned for 3 weeks in December and did their Year 10 school work experience there and almost finished their B. Son's mate Michael was back last month for 2 weeks and my son comes back for 2 weeks next month.

The school often gets a lot of crap put on it on these forums that is in most cases completely wrong. With world-class coaches like Gary Beyer and his staff working in a teaching only environment, almost all of the 200+ students I've seen go through the Diploma course have come out of it with some exceptional skills. Have a look at some of the student videos on the facebook page and you'll see kids with under 200 jumps doing 3 point 10 ways, 20+ point 4 ways, and 30+ point 2 ways.

My Aussie boys have 3 turbine dropzones within an hour of home but they still come back to the school for 4+ weeks a year simply because they've seen how much quicker they advance in comparison to home.

Even with nearly 300 jumps I'm considering the Diploma myself next year to use the 175 jumps included to do my AFF rating. Hopefully I'll see you there mate.
Ian Purvis
http://www.loadupsoftware.com
LoadUp DZ Management App
[email protected]

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Hi Nate, I did my AFF at the school 4 years ago as a 45 year old with my 55yo mate. Never wanted a tandem either, went straight to AFF and should do my 300th next time I'm out there.

Last year my 16yo son and his mate came over from Oz for 2 weeks in April and did their AFF/A Licence at the school. They returned for 3 weeks in December and did their Year 10 school work experience there and almost finished their B. Son's mate Michael was back last month for 2 weeks and my son comes back for 2 weeks next month.

The school often gets a lot of crap put on it on these forums that is in most cases completely wrong. With world-class coaches like Gary Beyer and his staff working in a teaching only environment, almost all of the 200+ students I've seen go through the Diploma course have come out of it with some exceptional skills. Have a look at some of the student videos on the facebook page and you'll see kids with under 200 jumps doing 3 point 10 ways, 20+ point 4 ways, and 30+ point 2 ways.

My Aussie boys have 3 turbine dropzones within an hour of home but they still come back to the school for 4+ weeks a year simply because they've seen how much quicker they advance in comparison to home.

Even with nearly 300 jumps I'm considering the Diploma myself next year to use the 175 jumps included to do my AFF rating. Hopefully I'll see you there mate.




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.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Yes, you were probably thinking of the A license at 25 jumps.

I got a good chuckle at your "ripe old age" of 27. That's pretty young to me, you're barely older than my kids! To answer your question, I got my start in skydiving with a tandem and I never had a goal of doing more than one. Thirteen years later, I still can't believe I'm a skydiver!

My experience, goals and opportunities to skydive are a lot different than yours, so maybe I'm not the right person to question the diploma you would get, but I just don't understand the value in that piece of paper. If you want to keep your regular job because it pays more, why would you need the diploma?
She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Yes, you were probably thinking of the A license at 25 jumps.

I got a good chuckle at your "ripe old age" of 27. That's pretty young to me, you're barely older than my kids! To answer your question, I got my start in skydiving with a tandem and I never had a goal of doing more than one. Thirteen years later, I still can't believe I'm a skydiver!

My experience, goals and opportunities to skydive are a lot different than yours, so maybe I'm not the right person to question the diploma you would get, but I just don't understand the value in that piece of paper. If you want to keep your regular job because it pays more, why would you need the diploma?



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.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote


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.



Yeah Nate spot-on, it's absolutely all about attitude. Over the years of watching the course there's certainly been some students who expected the piece of paper to guarantee them their dream job in skydiving. In the real world I don't know of anything that gives you that after 8 months.

The majority of the students though seem to view the course as only the first 8 months of a 3/4 year College/Uni course. They know that the hard work really starts after the diploma and have proven that with hard work for a couple of years they can certainly be doing whatever they want to in a skydiving career.

I can rattle off at least a couple of pages of names that within a couple of years of completion have jump numbers approaching 2,000, have AFF and Tandem ratings, and are in high demand.

The piece of paper might not mean much by itself, but certainly the work ethic and commitment of most of them does.
Ian Purvis
http://www.loadupsoftware.com
LoadUp DZ Management App
[email protected]

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
If you're eligible for the government grant (brings the cost down to ~50%?) then I can't understand NOT going for this diploma! If you simply look at it as 200 jumps, then the cost works out pretty cheap - and then you get specialist training and all that on top of your jumps. Go for it! I'm just jealous that I wouldn't get subsidised to skydive!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I didn't know it was subsidized by the government. It sounds like you have it all worked out. Good luck! B|

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

I didn't know it was subsidized by the government. It sounds like you have it all worked out. Good luck! B|



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.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

If you're eligible for the government grant (brings the cost down to ~50%?) then I can't understand NOT going for this diploma! If you simply look at it as 200 jumps, then the cost works out pretty cheap - and then you get specialist training and all that on top of your jumps. Go for it! I'm just jealous that I wouldn't get subsidised to skydive!



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

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0