Skydiving for a Career
Are you looking for an exciting career option with a difference?
Fulfill your dreams and enroll with our skydiving training school in New Zealand - the adventure capital of the Southern Hemisphere.
Skydiving is a unique and highly stimulating adventure activity and through the benefits of modern technology, parachute systems and skydiving techniques the sport has reached an extremely developed state of reliability and refinement. There are a growing number of people who are trying skydiving in the search for the ultimate adventure activity. Consequently the skydiving industry is experiencing rapid growth in the adventure tourism market to cater for this need.
This demand is creating a whole new industry for people to become involved in and creating many new full time positions not previously considered as serious career options. The difficulty in finding people adequately trained to fill these roles has led the New Zealand Skydiving School to develop and administer a course designed to give an introduction to a career in skydiving.
The Diploma in Commercial Skydiving offered at New Zealand Skydiving School is approved by both the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) and New Zealand Parachute Industry Association (NZPIA). The school is also a signatory to the Ministry of Education Code for the Pastoral Care of International Students.
This is a 32 week adventure education curriculum where lectures, assignments and 200 personalized skydives are included. The course prepares students for employment in the industry teaching the skills required for the various jobs as well as covering all practical aspects of working at a commercial drop zone. See Diploma in Commercial Skydiving for more details about this unique skydiving qualification including our prospectus and application forms and view About Us for information on our highly qualified international instructors and Course Director, Mark Horning.
No previous experience or skydiving instruction is required, however students must be able to speak English to a minimum standard of IELTS 5.5 and be 95kg or less.
This is the only formal skydiving education programme that is available in New Zealand and quite possibly, the world.
Career Opportunities
Skydiving offers a number of exciting career opportunities. The Diploma in Commercial Skydiving will give you a substantial head start towards employment in this field. An introduction to drop zones will be available to help you in your search for employment after completion of the course. Lists of International dropzones are available on request.
Manifesting
A Manifestor is the key person responsible for the dropzones efficient day to day coordination. A manifestor organizes and records skydiving loads, teaming the correct staff and passengers together. They are the first point of contact a client has. Manifesting is often the busiest position on the dropzone and requires good people skills, careful planning and accuracy in transacting data.
Parachute Packing
Every busy dropzone requires people who are skilled at packing tandem and individual parachute systems. Having knowledge in this field can help you in the introductory stages of your skydiving career. Parachute packing is often the initial stepping stone to a career in skydiving.
Freefall Camera
We’ve all seen the action photos of skydivers flying through the skies. Taking these photos is where a freefall camerapersons skills are needed. There is a high level of flying skill involved in this field and the Diploma in Commercial Skydiving will help you develop this skill. A freefall cameraperson is kept busy at any commercial skydiving centre. Once a skydiver has an NZPIA B certificate, 200 jumps logged and the necessary camera skill, they can work as a freefall cameraperson in New Zealand.
Jumpmasters and Instructors
It is a highly rewarding experience teaching students, using your knowledge and ability, to help them develop their skill in skydiving. Once you have been working in the industry for 2 years and hold a C certificate you can qualify to become a jumpmaster. This can lead to an Instructor qualification after 5 years experience.
Tandem Masters
Tandem Masters are in high demand at any commercial dropzone. Tourists and locals alike flock to experience the thrills of a skydiving ride while in the capable hands of a tandem master. The more determined skydiver can gain this rating after 2 years in the sport. The minimum number of jumps required to qualify as a Tandem Master is 750 jumps. Once you are employed as a freefall cameraperson, the required jump numbers to become a Tandem Master are rapidly achieved.
Adventure Capital of the Southern Hemisphere
New Zealand’s awesome landscapes, lush forests, amazing wildlife and pleasant climate make it a haven for many outdoor activities. The diverse range of adventure activities offered throughout New Zealand makes it a popular visitor destination. New Zealand society is diverse, sophisticated, and multicultural, and the honesty, friendliness and openness of kiwis will impress you. The great advantage of New Zealand is that all of its physical, cultural and artistic landscapes are so close to each other.
New Zealand is known as the adventure capital of the southern hemisphere and is a friendly and safe destination. There is nowhere else in the world where within 2 hours of an international airport you can ski, swim, bungy jump, go rafting, mountain biking, windsurfing, whale watching, swim with the dolphins, visit world class winery’s and of course skydive!
Pudding Hill (Methven, Mt Hutt)
The skiing settlement of Methven is situated one hour South of Christchurch, the rugged mountains are home to some of the best skiing in the South Island as well as being the backdrop for Edoras from the Lord of The Rings Films. The town is overlooked by majestic mountains which are snow-capped for many months of the year. This has to be one of the most scenic places in the world to enjoy your skydiving experience.
For more information on Christchurch, Pudding Hill and New Zealand check out the links page