AFF Tipping Instructor?

[k2everest 0]

How much to tip...I will be doing AFF program...

What advice would you give concerning tipping instructor?
How much, and should I tip after every level, or at the end?
Would appreciate up to date advice on this subject.

[davelepka 4]

This question has come up many times.

Some will say no tip needed. Most of them are not working skydivers. Some will say just buy them a beer (or a case). Most of them are not working skydivers.

If you're the tipping sort, and feel as if you have been well taken care of, then tip your instructor. How much is up to you, but for reference, most instructors make about $30/$35 per jump. So maybe $10/jump on the low end, up to whatever you can afford. I have jumped with people who clearly had 'lots' of money, and they tipped their instructors and camera guys $100 each.

The last thing to remember is that you'll probably do at least 2 or 3 jumps with two instructors, than another 3 or 4 with one, so that's about 10 chances to tip, and it won't always be the same instructors. You may get the same one multiple times, you may get different ones every time. Tipping after every jump is probably the easiest, but that's up to you.

This isn't like a restaurant, where the tip is 'expected' and is around 15/20%. There is no standard time, amount or occasion to tip in skydiving. Keep the above in mind, then do whatever feels right at the time.

[Niki1 1]

I would sugest taking him/her out to dinner at a reasonably nice place. He/She will get a nice meal, you'll both get some comraderie and you will hear about skydiving, parachuting and some jump stories. A lot like the campfire where most of the real world teaching happened in "the old days."

Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossilbe before they were done.
Louis D Brandeis

Where are we going and why are we in this basket?

[nbblood 0]

First, I think Dave has some good thoughts. I'll give you another perspective.

I'd say, know your instructor. When I worked as an AFF instructor, I was a full-time Army officer that wasn't working at the DZ full time. I wasn't trying to make a living doing it and I wasn't hurting for money. For me, I would have much rather had an AFF student put any tip money they had designated to me toward their upcoming gear purchase costs or future AFF jumps or toward tipping a full-time instructor. I actually felt guilty about taking tips from AFF students.

That said, I did take them, and this is why. Unlike me, there were instructors at the DZ that were trying to make a living. They very much appreciated the tips. If I refused tips, it set a precedent that may cost them tips. So I was sort of in a conundrum. Don't get me wrong, I very much appreciated being tipped, but I really didn't need it.

Now tandems I gladly accepted tips. They may or may not be back. 97% or more didn't need to put their money toward gear, etc., etc. And the same precedent for other instructors applied.

The bottom line is know your instructor. If he/she is living at the DZ and trying to make a living skydiving, please take care of them more than the weekend Army Lieutenant Colonel that just really enjoys working with skydiving students.

This, of course, is merely my perspective, certainly not any hard and fast rule.

Blues,
Nathan

If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

[cpoxon 0]

We generally only allow one post on a topic and since you have another thread in the Instructors forum, I'm going to lock this one.

Skydiving Fatalities - Cease not to learn 'til thou cease to live