My way to emigration

People often ask me if it was difficult to leave Germany and become a dive instructor. The answer is “yes”; it was surprisingly easy once I had made the decision, but nothing happens overnight. It was a gradual process of change that unfolded over the years, culminating in a willingness to take risks. I don´t think anyone in their right mind wakes up in the morning and says, “I´m going to leave everything behind and wander off into the unknown”. Well, yeah, I´m often not in my right mind, but it was a process. 🙂

My decision path to emigration

Trigger

I actually started travelling quite late in life, because I was working at up to four different jobs, I couldn´t afford it or find the time. My first travel experiences and long-distance trip were to Thailand with friends in 2012 (at the age of 32). Throughout my life, I have always wanted to travel and see the world, and from that moment on, I was hooked. From this moment on, I have tried to take a vacation each year for 3-4 weeks.

During this first trip, I also tried to be offline as much as possible. In my job, I was expected to be available 24/7 via various channels and respond to all inquiries as quickly as possible. It felt like a detox, giving me time to think and reflect. In addition, the sum of new impressions is the realisation of how happy some people can be with so little.

In 2014, I went 3,5 weeks driving across Sri Lanka on a motorbike with a friend, including the north, which had just been opened to tourism after a very long civil war.

In 2015, unfortunately, I couldn´t fit in a long time, so I tried to explore a part of Greece on a rental motorbike. An immense failure, as I met almost no other travellers. The locals thought I was a local, thanks to the license plate, and went off once I spoke English. Tourists also thought I was a local for the same reasons and avoided me. That was much easier in Asia cause all tourists recognise each other directly.

In 2016, I went back to Asia. First to Angkor Wat (Cambodia), then island hopping in Thailand, where I ended up fulfilling my lifelong dream of getting a diving license on Koh Lipe.

I came back from each of these trips and felt a little bit more out of place in Germany each time. After each trip, it took longer and longer to “dive” back into the familiar German everyday, capitalistic, time-driven society.

On Koh Lipe, one evening, I was sitting with dive instructors and full-time travellers at the beach. We talked a lot about this lifestyle, and I remember very well that I said back then I couldn´t do it because I needed the safety (of the German social network, salary, insurance…) Everyone told me it would be incredibly easy to take this step. I couldn´t imagine it at this time.

Funny thing: I came back to Germany after this vacation, from the chilled, relaxed vacation life back to the German society of complaints. I couldn’t cope with that any more. I just felt completely misplaced.

The decision-making process

At first, all I knew was that I wanted to change something. I had to!

I was working as an IT project manager at that time. This job meant that I was travelling all over Germany and Switzerland. I was on site with customers from Monday to Friday, staying in hotels and only at home at the weekends.

My private life suffered greatly as a result; it was actually non-existent. I only used my apartment to wash, sleep, and repack on weekends.

However, the more I thought about my vacation and my time on Koh Lipe, the more I got stuck on something like this.

So I started talking to the dive instructors I had met on Koh Lipe. Then I heard the sentence “Come join me on the diving side of life”. Hmmmm….why not?

As a project manager, I taught our clients and loved this part of my job; the unwilling students less so. Teaching with fun and eager learners? Teaching something I loved from the very first moment? And being able to travel with this job?

So the decision to combine my passions to travel, dive and teach was not difficult. The safety aspect, on the other hand, was still an issue.

The preparation

I asked myself what I would need to know to take such a step.

It sounds wonderful to be able to travel the world, dive everywhere and earn money doing it. Plus, all the pictures you see of dive instructors on various social media platforms. A dream life….

One question naturally gave rise to many new ones.

What does it even mean to be a dive instructor?
What do I have to do to become a dive instructor?
How much money do I need?
What does life cost?
How much does one earn as a dive instructor?
What do I need to consider when emigrating?
How should I prepare for emigration?
And and and….

These are big topics in themselves, which are described in more detail in other articles. Over the years, I would also have liked to have had some other information in advance that nobody told me at that time. I also deal with these topics in this blog.

Here is the calculation phase of my emigration back in 2017:

What do one actually earn as a dive professional?

Hehe, an excellent question, which I also asked at the time, but one that can usually only be answered with a rough estimate.

Of course, payment depends on the country, location and dive shop.

I was told that, as a guideline, a divemaster on Koh Lipe (in 2017) can earn about $500 per month with this dive shop. That sounds okay at first, doesn´t it? We know Thailand from our vacations; we know it´s cheap, and we don´t have to pay for the dives. $500 should be easy enough….

Calculation

I researched the costs, made a projection and planned how I could save the money. Within six months, I was able to save enough money by cutting back on all non-essentials.

My calculation is from 2017, whose prices are unfortunately no longer up to date today. Thailand has also become more expensive. But it should give an idea.

It´s based on the plan that I would return to Koh Lipe and complete all the necessary courses there, up to Divemaster, then work in the same dive shop as a Divemaster during the high season, and after the season, become an Instructor.

As is so often the case, things turned out differently than planned, but more on that later.

Here are a few examples of where I saved money back then:

Cleaning lady (72€/month)
Massage (60€/month)
Donation (20€/month)
Expenses for new clothes (300€/month – yayayaaaaa, I know…..)
Sales of various items
As a project manager, I was away from home all week anyway, so I saved on rent for the last 3 months and spent the weekends with friends and family
Annual bonus payment
Payment of vacation or overtime not taken.
Tax refund
Repayment of insurance is paid annually

Once you start to limit yourself, you realise that it´s not that difficult and that you actually need much less than you thought.

Safety net

I also built a safety net for myself.

After I had made the decision, I spoke to my boss about a sabbatical year. He wasn´t pleased at all, but didn´t expect me to be willing to resign. I just wanted a bit more security. In the end, we agreed on a contract that allowed me to return to my old job within a maximum of one year.

To be able to set up an apartment again without any problems, I stored my (supposedly) most crucial furniture and things.

Flight booking and other

There was a lot more to prepare than just saving the money.

The flight booking was just one of them. Personally, I prefer to go to travel agencies rather than book online. It costs a bit more, but I´m happy to pay the extra. For one thing, they still find flights easily and better than online. Secondly, with a decent travel agency, you automatically receive information if, for example, the flight details change, there is a foreseeable delay, and it is also easier to rebook if needed.

I have conducted extensive research on emigration. What there is to consider, whether you have to deregister in Germany, if so, what that means, how to get out of your current contracts, etc.

As this is a complex topic that changes rapidly, I have written a separate article on it.

Let´s put it this way: I did a lot of research and made some huge mistakes. I couldn´t find much information on the internet back then.

This is one of several reasons why I started this part of my blog.

Difficulties

It all sounds pretty simple so far, doesn´t it? Decide, plan, organise, save.

But of course it wasn´t quite that easy.

Headwind

I think, apart from the emotional aspect that was added at the end, the most considerable difficulty during the preparation phase was the headwind that came from all sides.

I had to be constantly strong at this point. I had to explain myself repeatedly, and sometimes I had to end the conversation. Professionally, I even had to turn down an offer of money.

The most common argument was “You´ll have a hole in your pension fund.”

All German security thinking condensed into a single sentence. The pension. Yes, in Germany, my parents’ ‘ generation in particular’ generation, in particular, is still primarily working towards a pension. You need money; you will finally have time.

Yes, but do I know where I will live to see it? And if so, will there even be any money left in the fund? And unfortunately, it must be said that my parents had practically nothing from their retirement, and they are no longer with us.

Professionally, they also tried to hold me back. Of course, it was unpleasant for my company to see me leave shortly after a planned, important go-live date. This date got postponed at the end, and I even received unethical offers for an extended stay.

More money sounds great at first, of course, but I declined with thanks. If I let myself be bought once, I´ll let myself be bought again. And going through that emotional stress again – no thanks.

Emotional

Nobody has to believe that it was emotionally easy.

Euphoria naturally prevailed. All the planning, the decisions to finally get off the hamster wheel, the anticipation…

But then there are also situations where you realise that you´re going to be on the other side of the world. That you can´t just drive to your best friend´s or your parents’ house anymore. Even with all the technology available today, you still need to plan for the time difference. It´s no longer so easy to just make a phone call.

The thought of going to a foreign country on a small island with no familiar faces was sometimes a little frightening, but mostly exciting and adventurous.

And then I also met a man with whom I felt really comfortable, and in the end, he made me doubt again. That can happen too.

All in all, it´s a rollercoaster of emotions; you can´t ignore that. And you have to be constantly strong in different ways.

Conclusion

Have I ever regretted taking the step? – Not really. Sometimes, of course, you wonder what if, and you get nostalgic, but do you have regrets? No.

Do I work less than in Germany? No.

But it doesn´t feel like work as much. One aspect is that when you earn money doing what you love, it doesn´t feel so energy-snapping. The other aspect is that the work doesn´t consist of constant periods of stress, but instead, there are many phases of relaxation throughout the day.

For all those who return home from a vacation and have the fixed idea of emigration in their minds: It is not something that can be done overnight. It´s a relatively long process. For me, it took years before I was ready to take the plunge. Organising the implementation may look like a lot, but it´s actually the smaller part. The path to and the decision itself are a big part.

How many people dream about it, but are too afraid to give up their supposed security and therefore don´t even try it out?

I´m glad that I kept this small aspect of safety thinking and had my safety net. I didn´t know at the time of departure whether diving life was really for me. That became clear relatively quickly, but there were stumbling blocks here as well.

Calculating in advance and saving money is also immensely important. Believe me, I got pretty nervous when I had only 1.000€ left in my account after my instructor course.

Dive instructors (unfortunately) don´t earn much, and not having any reserves can be unsettling and stressful. Especially if you are in a situation where you may have to fly back home relatively quickly due to family emergencies.

However, both of these points apply to every aspect of life. Regardless of which dream you pursue, you must prepare yourself.

But is it worth it? I have to say a massive yes.

Would I retake the same step? DEFINITELY!!