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

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by Wotname

Started at 5 to 1 but finished at quarter past two.

Oh man... That's a great one!

re tipping the instructor... I'm more in the camp of no tip required/norm/expected for this service... If you really bond, and some type of future contact is on the near horizon.... maaaaaaaybe a small bottle of rum...

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by sugarbird

Tip for a live aboard sailing course is 10% of the cost of the course per person. Our experience was amazing and life changing...the tip was well earned. Ever been on a cruise ship? Try telling them about not tipping!

I think the key element here is the term highlighted. I can see how the 24-7 aspect could involve lots of servicing of sailors-to-be, and course operators already know what the traffic will bear.

On edit: I'd pay and tip to hear the comments of staff after the new sailors go home.

[jackdale]

As an instructor, tips are not expected, but graciously received. It is quite rare, but that might be me

[captain58sailin]

I'm not sure when that started, I want to say in the 1920s. I remember seeing it in some of the old black and white movies. In Alaska the tip is "Don't eat the yellow snow."

[avb3]

Originally Posted by josmason

Florida

No.

And the alternate answer would be "no way". It is not normal, expected or necessary.

[ssanzone]

to the OP, in the states the projected average in 10-20%.

i tip (generously) service staff based on my opinions of their value add and never tip professionals.

if i were to hire a professional captain to teach me, they would not be tipped. if i were to take an ASA course the instructor would be tipped based on how they enriched my experience.

generosity is generosity... i have tipped a lot of things including the ray bans off my face (an awesome dive master who told me he had been saving up for the exact pair for over a year) to booze to expensive dinners at my hotel restaurants to sailing and diving equipment.

i dont much care about what is expected and, generally, live by a 'if i thought i had to do it... i would not. i am doing this because i want to' attitude.

lastly, kinda depends on my opinion of the person too... i once had a rolex wearing dive master who shared that he was just bored with bumming around europe and thought this would be fun to dive for the season while living in the most expensive hotel on the island. even thou he was great, i didnt think he needed the $$ so i gave it to the captain and guys who eagerly grabbed my tanks before i could pick them up.

i dont know if that helps at all...

-steve

[jongleur]

Failing to tip in some places will shorten your life expectancy... say in NY city.

Are you saying that violence will come to people who
don't tip? That's disgusting. Just another reason to
never visit NY. What do they do - run over to see
whether there was a tip or if the tip was good enough
and if it wasn't, send Guido after the offender?

Tipping is ludicrous. Just another way the employer
screws the worker. And in the U.S. it is codified in
the IRS statutes, where taxes are to be paid on theoretical
expected tips, whether received or not. Just sickening.

[Blue Crab]

Brings to mind the movie, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. Great movie. Duddy starts out as a waiter at a resort in maybe the Eisenhower Era. A bigshot patron tears a $100 bill in half and promises the other half at the end of the season for great service. Wonderful flick. Richard Dreyfuss just before his great turn in Jaws.

[El Pinguino]

Re tipping....

Old lady boarding a train in england during WW2 with a largish suitcase.
A Royal Navy Captain ( in uniform) lends her a hand.

Once on the train she slips half a crown into his hand, a substantial sum of money at the time.

He doffs his cap and says 'Thank you ma'am, you are more than generous..' thinking he has been mistaken for a porter.

'Don't mention it' sez she ' Its not as if you're just a midshipman.....'

[DoubleWhisky]

Do the Americans tip the professors at their universities for delivering a great lecture? Just curious....

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by jongleur

Failing to tip in some places will shorten your life expectancy... say in NY city.

Are you saying that violence will come to people who
don't tip? That's disgusting. Just another reason to
never visit NY. What do they do - run over to see
whether there was a tip or if the tip was good enough
and if it wasn't, send Guido after the offender?

Tipping is ludicrous. Just another way the employer
screws the worker. And in the U.S. it is codified in
the IRS statutes, where taxes are to be paid on theoretical
expected tips, whether received or not. Just sickening.

Bill, while I agree with your general opinion of the practice of tipping, the line that you quote wasn't meant literally. Rather, NY service providers (ie waiters, cabbies, etc) can get pretty, uhh, rude when denied their "rightful and well deserved" tip. I have heard of assault in such cases, but never had the experience. In fact, I've avoided going to that fair city since my first few experiences of its charm. Some folks love it, and likely wouldn't enjoy things where I spend my time. So be it.

And FWIW, if the instructor that you pay big bucks for tuition in sailing isn't a professional, why are you paying him?

Jim

[John_Trusty]

What bothers me is not tipping for good service (I'm pretty generous at restaurants, etc.). I'm bothered by the expectation of the schools that they don't pay their instructors enough, so it's up to you to keep these people from starving. Here's a sample from web pages of popular schools (names redacted, but you can Google them at ASA Sailing Gratuity):

"As always, a gratuity is at your discretion. However, it is standard practice in the industry to pay a gratuity to your instructor. Like the restaurant industry, tips make up a substantial portion of a sailing instructor's income. A typical tip would range between 15% - 20% of your course fee.

"

"Instructor Gratuities – 10 to 15% per student is a good guideline"

"Optional Instructor gratuities - 10% to 15% per student is a good guideline"

"A customary crew gratuity at your discretion (15-20% suggested)."

[Svanen]

I think it ridiculous for any school to post that, which aside from being misleading (it is not "standard practice in the industry") also implies that they deliberately underpay their employees.

If an instructor worked hard and did a good job, I'd suggest that you acknowledge that with a verbal thank you and perhaps treat them to a dinner ashore.

If the experience was exceptionally positive, tell other people about it and when appropriate refer potential clients. Possibly send the instructor a written thank you letter, or provide a brief recommendation on their LinkedIn profile. Those sort of things are more meaningful and useful than cash, which would be demeaning.

[carstenb]

I've done some teaching. The only tip I've ever received was a bottle of wine from a guy who said I was the first person who was ever able to explain the use of springs while docking in a way he could understand.

I accepted the wine, because to have refused would have been rude.

I would not accept cash tips nor would I ever give a cash tip for instruction. i might if the instructor was exceptionally good, give a bottle of wine.

[Dsanduril]

Don't tip. As someone who has done the instructing I don't expect nor accept a tip.

To the school owners - increase the cost of your class to match the real income that should be paid to your instructors. If you really feel this is a competitive thing with other schools then make sure when selling your course that you let people know that your employees are well paid and aren't allowed to accept tips. I, for one, would gladly patronize a place with a nominally higher price (10-20%) to avoid the language the OP received. If nothing else I would perceive such an establishment as professional, whereas a sailing school (any school actually) that asked me to tip the instructor would be perceived as something far less.

In certain places and in certain services it is expected and "standard", but taking it to the instructor level is too far (IMHO).

As to T.I.P.S.

Tip is an old word, and it has nothing to do with either acronyms or the act of attempting to influence quality of service. Although the word has many meanings, both as a verb and as a noun, the use of the term as it applies to monetary rewards to servants dates to the 1700s. It first appeared in this context as a verb ("Then I, Sir, tips me the Verger with half a Crown" from the 1706 George Farquhar play The Beaux Stratagem) and was first recorded as a noun in 1755. However, the use of tip to describe the act of giving something to another (where that list of possible 'somethings' could include small sums of money, intelligence on horse races, or the latest silly joke) goes back to 1610. Tip slipped into the language as underworld slang, with the verb 'to tip' (meaning 'to give to or share with') being used by shady characters as part of the then-current argot of petty criminals.

Nowadays this use of tip has become entirely respectable, but it is amusing that the usage began its linguistic life as tough guy jargon. One wonders if future generations will similarly discover that some of their everyday terms sprang from scenes in The Godfather or were first voiced in episodes of The Sopranos.