THE HIDDEN POWER OF A STUDENT/INSTRUCTOR AGREEMENT
Managing customer expectations is a critical part of any business whether it’s for a mega multinational employing 50,000 souls around the world or a one-person outfit selling tacos around the corner.
It’s particularly important for anyone working in a service industry: someone delivering dive instruction for example.
And although it’s rarely a topic in the average scuba instructor program — and even less an issue discussed with the average consumer signing up for ‘dive lessons’ — the importance of some sort of contract can’t be overstated. A student/instructor agreement is probably the most overlooked and underrated piece of the ‘keeping everyone happy jigsaw puzzle’ in the dive industry.
So, let’s start remedy that situation. First step is to drill down on its function, and look at the purpose of a student/instructor agreement and what it protects…. for both instructors and students.
The short answer is that a basic agreement is a type of simple business contract. It defines what the student can expect from the instructor and vice versa. It is what’s called a transactional contract.
Unlike when we buy (or sell) a tangible product — a new drysuit or a regulator or pair of fins for instance — when we buy a service such as a scuba course, the ‘product’ is not as obvious.
Dive instruction is essentially an exercise in changing a student’s behaviour based on new knowledge and understanding. Modifying the way a student thinks and acts is not an easy thing to gauge; but an instructor is asked to. Sure, the course standards define what the course is all about. These standards may also state what skills a student must be taught and must demonstrate to earn a pass, but often that definition does not go far enough.
In its simplest form, an agreement is in place to make sure that the student knows what they are paying for (a tangible roadmap pointing out the start and finish), and the instructor knows what the student expects. In the remote event of a dispute, it acts as a sort of reminder and a checklist. “We agreed on this, this, and this…” which makes it easy — or easier — to say the job is done to everyone’s satisfaction. More often, when no dispute is involved, it is a simple piece of marketing that allows an instructor (or dive shop owner) draw a hard line between what they offer compared to the “folks down the street.” At least, that’s the goal.
SIMPLE OR COMPLEX, YOUR CHOICE
A very basic agreement could be a copy of the course standards with a price attached, signed on the bottom, with a note saying that this is what the instructor and the student have agreed is going to happen.
At the other end of the scale is a document in triplicate that reads like a UN peace treaty detailing every step of the way from when the student walks into the shop’s front door until they’ve dried their hair at the end of the last dive… and beyond.
For most of us, something in between does the job just fine. Exactly how far from one end of the spectrum or the other an agreement sits is essentially a question of comfort-zone: the instructor’s and the student’s. What also may influence its position, is what kind of program the agreement covers. An agreement for a RAID Try Dive would be very different to one for a Rebreather Instructor Trainer course, for example.
A good compromise for most cases would detail the services being sold and the goals of the instruction that’s being paying for. This should include a list of skills and techniques the student will be asked to demonstrate in order to earn a pass mark. Next should be a course schedule. The number of hours/days, how much time in a classroom or ‘workshop,’ when the course starts and a budgeted end date, and anything related to the calendar and clock. For example, it should cover weather-related cancellations and delays if those are possibilities. This is also the chance to mention punctuality. This is especially important when classroom space is at a premium or charter boats and dive site access is a factor. Any circumstance where late equals extra charges. And of course an agreement must detail professional fees, including what expenses are billable (this might include travel, accomodations, consumables and the like).
These are what most would consider the essential minimums. For multi-day programs, listing waypoints — student progress towards certification — might also be fair for the student and the instructor.
Bureaucracy and the burden of paperwork is one of the biggest turnoffs for most of us but the protection a student/instructor agreement offers (both parties), and the potential to avoid time-consuming distractions and so called ‘he-said-she-said’ arguments add serious weight to the benefits of using agreements in your business.
