skytripper 0 #76 November 7, 2005 QuoteQuoteyour college professor makes a lot more money than your skydiving instructor. FYI: Not -necessarily- true. The majority of professors don't make bank- quite the opposite. The exception being if they are full-time and/or tenured which can take years and years, if ever. High School teachers on average make more than college professors who are more than likely associate, assistant or adjunct Profs.- making crap for money with no benefits.Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving! ~ Patrick Dennis' Auntie Mame Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #77 November 7, 2005 I was comparing full time skydiving instructors with full time college professors. We've got three of them in my family at different stages in their careers (assistant prof, tenured, and the third's been promoted to dean) and each one of them makes more than the average skydiving instructor at Perris, where they're pretty busy year-round. Associate professors usually teach only one or two college or grad school classes and have a day job, at least all the ones I know do, but 40 or so is a rather small sample size. As a full-time elementary school teacher, I was averaging about $7000 per year less than a friend of mine who was an instructor at Perris. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
misskriss 0 #78 November 7, 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Reply To -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As a tandem student I never even thought about tipping the intstructor. I was already paying 180 or so for the jump. Not cheap. As someone who was unfamiliar with the sport for all I knew the instructor was getting most of what I was paying. I saw my TI as a teacher and it NEVER even entered my mind tip him. I tip waitresses , barstaff, my hairstylist, etc. Didn' t know that TI's fell into that group. I did , however, write the DZO a letter on how wonderful my experience was. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QuoteEver eat at a fancy resturant? Pay $100 or more for the meal? Did you still tip your waitstaff? Its not too late to drop your TI a tip now - I went from 80K annual to making $35 bucks a jump, without the tips I would have starved even more - after years of chasing the $$$'s, I sure like life much more now that I am skydiving everyday Ummmm. Yes. I eat out and tip 20%. That's because I know that wait staff depend on tips.... If you reread my post which I copied again for your convenience, I said I was completely unfamiliar with the sport. There was no sign regarding tipping and as I said before I thought the instructor got the entire amount I paid for the jump. I had no clue. Again... I assumed that tandem instructors were just that...instructors and it never even occured to me to tip. Had I known that it was expected I most definitely would have. I did request him for the next two jumps and wrote a letter to the DZO about how wonderful my experience was and how great my instructor was. He told me personally how much he appreciated that. I'll PM him and ask him if he still wants to be tipped Glad you're having fun skydiving everyday but remember that everyone who doesn't tip you doesn't do it to stiff you... maybe they just don't know that you expect it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RhondaLea 3 #79 November 8, 2005 As a student, it never occurred to me to tip. I learned to jump on the East Coast, and there was nothing to indicate that tipping was expected or appreciated. I did buy beer, though. When my daughter did her tandem (18th birthday present), I tipped the TI $50, the videographer...shit, I don't remember...not as much as the TI, but more than the manifestor ($20). (Manifestors earn tips for all the shit they take from the rest of you.) And we brought a case of beer as well. rlIf you don't know where you're going, you should know where you came from. Gullah Proverb Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skytripper 0 #80 November 9, 2005 QuoteQuote Associate professors usually teach only one or two college or grad school classes and have a day job, at least all the ones I know do, but 40 or so is a rather small sample size. As a full-time elementary school teacher, I was averaging about $7000 per year less than a friend of mine who was an instructor at Perris. Wow, crazy I guess we've had completely flipflopped experiences - the average salary of my High School Teacher colleagues (w/master or doctorate degrees) was 50k. When I taught at the college level most of the PT professors (w/master or doctorate degrees) for the day classes made maybe 18-22k. It's much easier to have full time job if you teach only evening or weekend classes. Toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toeLife is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving! ~ Patrick Dennis' Auntie Mame Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #81 November 9, 2005 The associate profs that I know are mostly high school teachers with masters/phd and teach college classes in the late afternoon/evening. The associate profs here at law school are all full time lawyers who teach a class or two in the evenings. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
druvaughn 0 #82 November 21, 2005 If I added my thoughts (rookie jumper but seasoned vet of the service industry). Tipping in any venue is a strange thing...Based on a fortune of factors lifetimes in the making. Playboy, Johnnie Walker, Esquire, Maxim, and the Lapostolle family, among many others have all offered writings on the subject. Descriptions of typical tips for bartenders, servers, coat checkers, valet parkers... Tipping, in my opinion (jaded restaurant employee) should reflect the level of service that you got (this is and can be related to the bill, but shouldn't be). I come across people everyday who tip anywhere from 10% to 30%. Remember, in a restaurant, you can leave a $100 on the table and only have tipped 10%. In northern Fairfield County, CT, it is standard practice to leave 16% give or take. 20% is the highest most of the time, it truly takes a great service effort from the staff followed up with people who recognize that and put a high value on it. Having said that -- doing your job with a smile should be standard and I rate you just above scum bag if you offer nothing more -- get out of the service business. Similarly, get out if you expect tips. They are an added bonus and nothing more. I think people should certianly tip the TM, they are providing a service (IMO), but they are getting paid to offer the service and getting safely to the ground is their JOB. My first tandem (2 years ago) I gave the TM $40 (20%) of the bill and I think worth every penny. He made me feel at ease, he made sure not to talk my ear off on the plane ride or the canopy ride. This past summer, he spent two mornings with me doing 3 jumps each morning. I dragged him out of bed early to make sure we jumped before the weather turned. Again, he took "extra" care of me and the guests were well taken care of on the ground. I tipped him $100 for the two days as well as giving the PACKER money for his efforts as well as the video guy. They all put in some extra effort to get me some air time. While I was at the DZ I saw my TM give the same consideration to his other students as he did me, which would certainly make you think it wasn't "Extra". In this case, I am happy to tip to encourage his efforts across the board and reward them. To those who say you are tipping at a restaurant because that is part of their pay I offer this: Don't tip a server because it is part of their wage, it creates a sense of entitlment. Tip because they took good care of you, this way those who don't will find something else to do. Apply this universally and the level of service in this country will increase dramatically.- - "Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DanglesOZQld 0 #83 November 22, 2005 TIPS!?? ONE TIP of $50 in four years skydiving full time and that was shared between myself (tm at the time) and the outside camera guy. We decided to get a carton and share it with the rest of the staff. As far as I know in four plus years the TOTAL amount of tips any staff have ever received is around 4-5, and that was doing (at one time) 8,000 tandems a year total!! Some cultures DO have a different idea as to tips and paying anything more for a service. In Australia tipping is at the moment a rare occurence for most things. BSBD!! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NelKel 0 #84 December 11, 2005 About 85% of the time I would get tipped usually $20 bucks, one time I got $100. The deal was to split tips with the video flyer if there was one. IF no video then the whole tip was yours. _________________________________________ Someone dies, someone says how stupid, someone says it was avoidable, someone says how to avoid it, someone calls them an idiot, someone proposes rule chan Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
