Should You Tip Your Skydiving Instructor?

Ah, yes. Tipping. Let's talk about this somewhat awkward topic and its expectations. To tip or not to tip - what is appropriate? In this article we're going to dig into the details about tipping your skydiving instructor, under what conditions this is appropriate and what the expectation is.

Our View on Tipping

Within the US, tipping is part of the culture - it's as American as apple pie and unfortunately has become an expectation regardless of the type of service received. Our view on tipping differs from this mentality. Tipping should be aligned with expectations. If expectations are not met; don't tip. If expectations are met, offer a tip congruent with the minimum standard rate. If expectations are exceeded, by all means show your appreciation to an individual willing to go the extra mile to enhance your experience.

Skydiving instructors are well-compensated, but the truth of the matter is tipping is always appreciated as a great tandem instructor does far more than get you to the ground safely. The best instructors truly give of themselves emotionally to help their first time students have the most fun in their lives while helping to steady their nerves. Your instructor is your sport psychologist and cheerleader all wrapped into one and the energy an instructor expends to walk you through the emotional roller coaster ride is considerable. An average instructor might make 10 jumps in a day and frankly, it's tiring to give of oneself emotionally and physically (riding up and down in planes all day does take a toll on the body).

Should You Tip Your Skydiving Instructor?

While skydiving is a tough job, it doesn't mean that you should automatically tip your instructor. The enjoyment you get from your skydive will derive greatly from your tandem instructor. If he safely gets you to the ground, but barely talks to you...we don't want you to tip! If the instructor makes you feel safe, confident and facilitates the experience to allow you to have a great time, a tip is always appreciated. If an instructor seems to be having as much fun as you are and makes you feel as if you've just experienced one of the best things in your life, then by all means tip your instructor well as these are the people most deserving of a reward!

If your instructor has been able to manage your nervous energy to help you experience this kind of reaction... please tip your instructor!!!

Antuan Promotes Skydiving from James La Barrie on Vimeo.

How Much to Tip a Skydiving Instructor?

If you feel your expectations have been met and you had a great experience, the typical minimum tip amount is $10. If you had a great experience, $20 or more is always appreciated. It's not uncommon for some of our instructors to receive even $50 or $100, but of course this in an exception and not the norm. At the end of the day, we never want any of our guests to feel inclined to tip - only offer a gratuity if you have the means to do so and if you feel that your instructor went and above and beyond to make sure you felt safe, confident and gave you a top five life moment!

Other Ways to Show Appreciation

While a skydiving instructor holds an extraordinary job title, they are not unlike anyone else - they have bills to pay! One of the best ways to help any skydiving instructor and operation is leaving a review especially on Google. Nothing generates business quite like word of mouth and leaving a review is you telling the world about your experience. The more positive reviews a business receives, the busier they will be which equates to skydiving instructors jumping more which will positively affect their paycheck. In a world where every business asks for reviews, it can't be emphasized enough just how important leaving a review actually is. If you had a great experience, please leave a review - it helps more than you know!

What If You Have a Negative Experience?

If you feel like your experience hasn't met your expectations, we'd love to know about it! Please contact us directly to let us (or the management of any business) know about your experience. We are passionate about exceeding the expectations of our guests and we want you to have an amazing time!