"Diploma in Commercial Skydiving"

32 Week Course Includes 200 Skydives Over 98% Employment Rate

New Zealand Skydiving School is the longest established skydiving organization in the country and the first and only training establishment to offer a formal skydiving qualification which aims to teach students all the skills required to make them highly employable in the international skydiving industry.

The 32 week full-time Diploma in Commercial Skydiving includes 200 skydives, teaches students the latest skydiving techniques and covers a vast range of subjects to give students the best start in the industry. The qualification is New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) approved and also recognized by New Zealand Parachute Industry Association (NZPIA).

The course is broken down into 5 modules (see course modules) and includes a 12 week organised work placement in a commercial dropzone. As a result of valuable industry experience to date 98.5% of graduates have been offered employment upon completion of the course.

Diploma Course Modules
The one year, full-time course consists of 200 skydives and the following five modules:

Module 1 – A License in Skydiving
Internationally recognized certificate that includes 25 skydives. This incorporates five relative work coaching jumps, designed to build your freefall skills.

Module 2 - Dropzone operations
This is a highly specialized field for which there had previously been no formal training available. This module will provide a good understanding towards coordinating dropzone activities. Skilled Manifestors and people familiar with all areas of dropzone operations are sought after throughout the world. The module includes Customer Services, Manifesting, Rule Familiarisation, First Aid, Sales Techniques and Office Skills.

Module 3 - Commercial Skydiving
This module offers in-depth training in skydiving with an emphasis on the commercial tourist industry. In addition to the practical skydiving this module includes specialist sections on freefall camera and video, spotting, accuracy, meteorology, relative work training, workforce promotion and self-management. On successful completion of this module you will receive the NZPIA “B certificate” - minimum requirement for freefall camera or video person in New Zealand.

Module 4 - Advanced Skydiving
This module includes more specialist areas of skydiving. Students will learn all methods of parachute packing and maintenance, video editing, giving radio assistance to student parachutists, extraordinary parachute descents and emergency situation action plans.

Module 5 - Work Placement
Students experience an organized 12 week work placement in a commercial dropzone applying everything they have learnt on the course. Work placements are throughout New Zealand or selected overseas dropzones. This invaluable experience has resulted in 98.5% of graduates being offered related employment upon completion of the course.

What are your opinions on a course like this? It says 98% employment rate, but how honest do these companies have to be when stating that? Will it just so happen to be that I'm in the 2% that doesn't get a job?

Let me know if you think this is a good idea.

In Canada, schools are required by law to monitor these statistics. I can't say if it's the same there, but it's possible.

This is a certified skill, it's a good idea to collect them in the things that you're passionate about. It sounds like a great idea.

What sorts of costs are involved?

Normally, if you don't have your A license, it's $15,500 NZD. But that gets halved for Australians and NZers (government assistance), then converted into aussie $ it should only be like $6,000ish + the price of my own parachute.

Not much considering how much an average jump costs, and that you get 200 of them + 36 weeks schooling.

$6000 is pretty cheap. If you don't trust their statistics, you can always ask to see some proof.

If you like skydiving (who doesnt?) then yeah, this would an awesome course to do. Even at $15,000 that would work out to be $75 a jump. Which is incredibly cheap.

I'd say, go for it. That certifies you in a skill that you'll be able to take with you anywhere in the world and opens you up to a great entrepreneurial opportunity.

If you don't have the money now, it gives you a solid goal. Are there pre-reqs to get into the program?

Not many. Be able to get a holiday/work/study visa and you're set. You need the cash for the course and you need to be able to buy your own chute. Other than that, it's really easy. As an Australian, I think I can get student loans as well. Aus and NZ have little bum buddy deals.

Hmm...good point about being able to go all over the world. In tourist destinations in Canada, will there often be a skydiving place near by?

http://www.skydiving.com/test/skydiv...e_canada.shtml

They're around all of the most interesting spots in the country and the prairies. It's a growth industry; lots of people don't see it as accessible, but that wouldn't be a hard thing to change.

Employed as what, and at what pay rate are the questions you need to be asking.
The course could mean you get a job packing parachutes all day for minimum wage, or strapping tourists into the jumpsuits for the same amount.

In NZ i paid $400 for a 15000ft skydive, and they were doing alot of jumps - the highest overheads would be the pilot and plane, but it was the same jumpers who were taking the customers up and down everytime.

Im also skeptical of it because they mention that you do 200 or so jumps - but to be a tandum jumper you need to have at least 1000 jumps under the belt, or at least thats what we got told.

This course doesn't make you a tandem master. But it puts you well on your way. Tandem masters need 400 jumps to start their course me thinks.

Parachute packers make good money, strangely enough. $10 per parachute. 6-10 minutes per chute (providing you're on a busy drop zone). Even 2-3 jumps per hour is good enough. Mostly when you jump they get you to put the harness on, then the tandem master comes up and fixes it up, tightens it, adjusts the straps, etc. He is the one who'll be jumping with you, not the 'minimum wage' strapper. So it's his responsibility to check all is good.

At the completion of this course, you're a qualified skydiving cameraman. Those videos generally cost $140 each, so it must be decent money. I'm not greedy. $40-$45,000 per year is incredibly awesome.