What is a Normal Tip for an Instructor at a Sailing Course

[BandB]

Originally Posted by LeeV

We're getting ready to take a week catamaran live aboard class in Florida that is supposed to cover ASA 101/103/104/114. It's for my wife who is just learning, but I'm taking it with her to support, encourage and brush up. Total cost? $5k. Recommended tip? 20%. Their FAQ: "As always, a gratuity is entirely at your discretion. However, it is standard practice in the industry to pay a gratuity to your instructor. A typical tip would range between 15% - 20% of your course fee."

In Florida, tips would definitely be expected and appropriate. I do like that the provider is giving that information up front. That's where it gets confusing, especially for those traveling between countries. In a situation like that course, I'd tip between 15 and 25% (25% for exceptional) unless it was awful in which case I wouldn't tip and would complain to the company.

If you ever charter a boat, the charter company makes tipping practices clear to you.

It's also hard to know in similar businesses. For instance, you can't tip an instructor in a formal Maritime school.

Something becoming more popular today is food and grocery and other delivery. Well, each one has a different policy. Grocery delivery generally makes it clear their drivers can't accept tips. Amazon Prime Now tells you suggested tip amount, I believe it's $5. Then food delivery services give you suggested amounts. I like in confusing circumstances for them to be up front in all the charges and expected tips.

[Mike OReilly]

I’ve said this before, but tipping your instructor is not “standard” in my experience. And this includes my wife’s sailing courses in the Caribbean. I guess it could be “standard” in Florida though — I’ve no experience with that area.

I really don’t understand how one can tip your instructor — the person responsible for grading your performance. What’s next? Tipping your professor or driving tester? How about your doctor?

I get the idea of tipping a charter captain, although I still think the charter should simply be priced accordingly and the crew should be paid appropriately. But tipping an instructor just seems wrong.

[LeeV]

I imagine that if one was made of money, and felt it was a daily affair, tipping everybody doing everything for you, it might be customary. Having taught public school, some college, and then privately I was paid for what I did, and wouldn't think of asking for tips. I now work for an agency that designs training, delivered all over the U.S. and tipping is unheard of.

Interestingly enough, years ago I took similar classes for myself here in Florida from two different schools, and neither one mentioned anything about tipping.

[a64pilot]

This often comes up, a problem is apparently the instructors are paid very little if anything and have to live off of tips.
At least that has been reported.

If that is the case, I'd go elsewhere.
My personal opinion is the tipping thing has gotten out of hand, go to a coffee shop where you stand in line and get your coffee and there is a tip jar.
I guess that makes me an old man, I do not understand being tipped for doing your job. I would be a little offended if offered money myself for me doing my job.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

This often comes up, a problem is apparently the instructors are paid very little if anything and have to live off of tips.
At least that has been reported.

If that is the case, I'd go elsewhere.
My personal opinion is the tipping thing has gotten out of hand, go to a coffee shop where you stand in line and get your coffee and there is a tip jar.
I guess that makes me an old man, I do not understand being tipped for doing your job. I would be a little offended if offered money myself for me doing my job.

Tipping is expanding in the North American economy b/c it is way for businesses to offload the cost of their staff directly onto the customer. It is a way to artificially keep the cost down, by underpaying the workers, and then create this “standard” of customers tipping. Ridiculous, and should not be encouraged.

Like a64pilot, if I saw this kind of "standard practice” being mentioned, I would look for another school.

[markpierce]

As a federal auditor of contract and grant recipients, I was never directly offered a "tip" although there were a few times I was wise to ignore a "soft" tip.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by markpierce

As a federal auditor of contract and grant recipients, I was never directly offered a "tip" although there were a few times I was wise to ignore a "soft" tip.

I’ve tried tipping the nice police officer who pulled me over for speeding. She wasn’t pleased, for some strange reason

[Larry Florida]

No tip for teaching a course.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by LeeV

However, it is standard practice in the industry to pay a gratuity to your instructor. A typical tip would range between 15% - 20% of your course fee."

So the supplier gets to set the rules of TIP's .. ridiculous.

A young server working for minimum wage who hustles their butt and provides exceptional service that adds to my experience will receive a generous TIP ..... absolutely no one else. Don't like the money your making ? Get another job !

[GTom]

I am strongly against bare cash but there is nothing wrong about paying for a fuel refill or a dinner/beer. OTOH an instructor also gives you a skipper's ticket, paying him/her beyond the standard rates can count as a bribe...

The 15-25% mentioned above is so excessive that it's already in tax evasion territory, obviously your IRS sees only the standard rates...

[lifemiles]

Originally Posted by LeeV

We're getting ready to take a week catamaran live aboard class in Florida that is supposed to cover ASA 101/103/104/114. It's for my wife who is just learning, but I'm taking it with her to support, encourage and brush up. Total cost? $5k. Recommended tip? 20%. Their FAQ: "As always, a gratuity is entirely at your discretion. However, it is standard practice in the industry to pay a gratuity to your instructor. A typical tip would range between 15% - 20% of your course fee."

that's just terrible ! I firmly believe in tipping for good service but not one penny if you are asking me for it !
if the course company sends it out like that it seems they are asking you to pay the course (from which they should pay the instructor) and then to pay the instructor on top of that again ?

back out of it, and find another company. also please post name of the company that send this out !

[LeeV]

I appreciate all the responses, but will not identify the school at this time as our course begins soon and I'd rather not sabotage it or influence the instructor either way. I will offer up a critique afterwards. My stance is that I never like to feel pressured to tip, however if there's service well beyond expectations I see no problem expressing my gratitude with an amount I feel appropriate (we aren't wealthy!) having been a mate on a fishing boat making minimal wages, I'd appreciate a tip.

Best regards,

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by LeeV

I appreciate all the responses, but will not identify the school at this time as our course begins soon and I'd rather not sabotage it or influence the instructor either way. I will offer up a critique afterwards. My stance is that I never like to feel pressured to tip, however if there's service well beyond expectations I see no problem expressing my gratitude with an amount I feel appropriate (we aren't wealthy!) having been a mate on a fishing boat making minimal wages, I'd appreciate a tip.

Best regards,

I can understand your position in this, but have the following comment:

Your reaction is why these folks can say that enormous tips are "industry standard" when in fact no such standard exists. Once one is committed to a long planned vacation/training sail, it is too late to conveniently withdraw, and so t he practice is perpetuated... because it works for the vendor.

Investigation of such pricing schemes prior to commitment would help, but seems to often be omitted from the research process. For me, such demands would be a deal breaker unless the total cost (fee plus tip) was competitive with other vendors AND the venue or other factor(s) was superior in some way.

I find the whole "tipping economy" to be a bad business model, and am glad to be spending most of my funds in the non-tipping based models in Australia. Just works better for me...

Jim

[CaptFrankM]

Just a few thoughts.

First, the reason that tipping is prevalent in the service industry in the US is not because of business owners skimping on paying staff. It is because the federal law allows the calculation of tips to be part of Federal minimum wage. It does this because tipping was part of the economy back in the day. Read any historical material and the idea of tipping staff or people who did a job for you was part of the society.

Second, I am a sailing instructor, I teach for a school that is agnostic on tipping - neither encouraging nor discouraging it. My compensation is an issue between me and my school - I would not expect the school to reveal that information to a student.

I NEVER say anything about tipping, period, and have never been asked by a student. It is completely up to the student as to whether or not they choose to tip me and I am always grateful and polite when it is offered. I have never changed a student's grade because I thought they were or were not going to tip me. Frankly, I don't care about the tip. IF it happens, it happens.

Having said that, I do quite well in tips. I like to believe it is because I am a good instructor. I realize that I am "a professional" and that usually a professional doesn't "accept" tips. However, back when I was working as the manager of a hotel, a guest tried to tip me and I tried to refuse it. The owner of the hotel stopped me, apologized to the guest and had me take the tip. As she told me later, if someone chooses to reward your good efforts without it being required or "suggested," that is something they are doing because they want to. To refuse a tip in that circumstance is the height of rudeness. It still took me a few years to get over my "don't tip professionals" attitude, but her voice still echoes in my ear.

When I don't get a tip, I do not assume it is because I did a bad job. I assume it is because, for reasons of their own, they chose not to give a tip. I do know instructors who get highly irate if they don't get a tip, but I don't see that as a problem. People do what they want to do.

If I didn't do a good job, I expect that to be reflected in the after class review that the school sends to the student. If the student truly felt that I did something wrong, I will hear about it there.

On the subject of meals and "other compensation," well, to be honest there are only so many meals I am going to eat in a four day class period, I don't drink while I am teaching, and frankly, when I am done for the day, I want to go back to my boat and put my feet up and not talk to people for an hour or so. I have spent 8 hours being "on stage" and I need a break. I do enjoy hosting students on my boat once per class, usually, and if asked, I will go out for dinner with a class. But that is not "off-time" for me - I am still in full teaching mode.

I have received a few nice gifts from students, but those are things that the student had and gave as a gift, not something they went out and purchased. I appreciate the thought, but I already have a nice Leatherman that I chose because it does the things I want it to do, my navigation kit is full up with parallel rules and dividers and I don't really have space on my boat for anything knick-knacky. I wouldn't turn anything down, but that is because, as I said above, it is impolite to refuse a gift. However, if you give me something I can't actually use, then it is going to go into the "donate or trade" drawer.

Lastly, I understand that some people believe that "tipping" has gotten out of hand - but I have to say that I am of the opposite opinion. Consider how the world would work if more jobs were paid, at least partly, in tips. That rude desk person at the doctor's office that shoves a clipboard at you and indicates that you need to go fill it out and bring it back later - suppose she was working for tips. Perhaps she would show a trifle more compassion. Or the counter person at a retail store that never makes eye contact, just scans and shoves your stuff along. What would happen if he needed to establish a modicum of human contact in order to get any compensation?

For that matter - how about the doctor, lawyer or other "professional" who keeps you waiting in their waiting room (such an apt term) for an hour past your expected appointment for reasons unknown to you (yes, I know that there are sometimes very good reasons for that, but...). What might happen if their compensation was based - in part - on what you thought of their attitude and effort?

No, I am not saying that all professionals - or all service workers - would be more motivated by a tip. I am almost certain that I would not. However, I have undertaken jobs for people that, when asked, I told to "pay me what you thought it was worth" - the ultimate tip.

Just my thoughts - they don't apply to all situations, but they are mine own.

[bluwaterdream]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

I’ve tried tipping the nice police officer who pulled me over for speeding. She wasn’t pleased, for some strange reason

what?! that "supplement" income is how I plan to pay for my boat/sailing, although all these new video cameras are making it difficult


this is an interesting topic as I look into sailing schools. I guess I will just factor a tip into the cost and if I don't spend it its a bonus.