What is it like to be a surf instructor?

"As you work, I would like to take a holiday." This saying is not new and there are quite a few among our readers who have made this remark in the fun of friends or acquaintances. In the case of a surf teacher, one would have to extend the phrase to the geographical component: "Where you work, I would like to ..."
It is therefore already a dream for many, the hobby (in our case you have to say: our passion) to make a career. If the work scene is still a beach, so much the better.

So what is it like working as a surf teacher? How is being on the beach all the time?

Here are some honest insights:
Of course it is great to be on the beach every day and to deal with the most beautiful thing in the world around the clock - the sea and surfing.
In addition, you get a lot of attention. Without exaggeration one can say, in the beginning phase one feels like the freshcasted member of a hitsingle boygroup.
By sun and beach one always looks relaxed, one is happy, because one only deals with what is fun and people are interested in every surfing story and every hint about surfing.
To be in the center of attention, your own self-confidence can already snap something over.
And, I'll write it right away, because nobody dares ask that question, but everyone wants to know - yes, you get to know women faster.

So far so good...
But honest views also require a sober view of reality.
Yes, you get to know women faster, it's a holiday. Everyone is in a good mood and they want to go on an adventure because we all tick people the same. The only problem is that you become lonely in the long term, because no matter if you are a man or a woman, everyone leaves after a short time. You yourself almost stay alone on the beach.
It is often the case that the cliché of the horny and sun-drenched surf instructor prevents you from wanting the women you want to meet in reverse.

It is also this cliché that the joy of working at the sea is a bit cloudy. Nobody takes you seriously. If you write the surf teacher job in a CV, you will be looked at by not a few personnel of a company as if you are a labor-sharp social parasite.

Unfortunately that is not the case. Of course it is nice to work by the sea, but you have a high responsibility for the wellbeing of the surfing students. The ocean is beautiful, but it is not a TÜV certified padded playground. It is also a physically exhausting surf instructor, not least on days when the sun is not shining.

And, for all the love of the sport, it does not make you so easy to do and say the same thing more or less every day for weeks.

But the worst thing is, with really good waves, you're rarely out where the other surfers rip, no, you're in front in the hip-deep water and explain the take off.

But honestly after many years as a surf instructor, I can say, yes, it is still nice to inspire other people for their own passion and to awaken something in them.
I am actually happy when former surf students remember me and tell me with bright eyes of their surfing adventures.

Yes we surf teachers have feelings. We are human, we are not perfect, but we are well and happy (at all disadvantages) to work on the beach. Despite responsibility, we do not take ourselves so seriously, so please do not do that either. It's just great to be on the beach and close to the sea and after 10 years you can still find it just as great as the first day.

Aloha :)