When to tip your skipper

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by cdocsail

I used to think like Mr Oreilly because of the wonderful childhood I had growing up in the US. Where meritocracy and fair play were so common they were taken for granted.


But then i traveled.

And woke up.

Unlike the US, the world still functions on ‘time honored’ principles of personal contact. Have you ever done a deal in the Middle East? Asia? Even Europe? Have you ever been to a public marketplace? How about a bazaar?

The anonymous transactions we now have in the US are a form of ‘mass production’. It is a way that corporations have changed our social behavior to facilitate more frequent and rapid transactions. We think it is better and ‘fairer’ because everyone pays the same price for an item. But we are cutting out a big part of our humanity.

Interestingly, corporate America had hollowed out the pay structure so much (with execs making ever greater multiples of their employees) that employees now ask for tips everywhere. Go to starbucks? Any shop that uses a credit card terminal? A tip screen appears.

When to tip? When you think the person who has been responsible to you for anything is not fairly paid. An instructor for the ASA course is also your captain. You are not tipping the teacher ( although i did bring the occasional apple to school) you are tipping the person who kept you out of harms way amidst the myriad dangers that are invisible to you when you are at sea

Huh...
The tipping protocol question asked by the OP is unique USA thing AFAIK. I have never encountered in Australia, NZ, UK, anywhere in Europe or SE Asia or Africa. I dunno about Canada or South America or the Middle East.

How can the customer determine if the instructor is being fairly paid? If the school advises 'a tip is common though not mandatory', they are begging, don't buy into the issue, it only encourages them and the problem spreads. Next you will be tipping the Amazon delivery guy!

IMO, a genuine thank you and acknowledge of great service is more meaningful than handing over money. Routine tipping becomes the buying of a service and demeans it.

[Nekton73]

Originally Posted by Foswick

This idea is so foreign to me - the idea that you would tip the instructor. But, apparently it is a thing.

But ... I would say that reputation is currency. That has always been true in the boating/sailing community, but it is increasingly true that online reviews and ratings are sometimes better than cash.

I run across people all the time who go above and beyond. I do two things for these people. First, I try to give them more of my business. I am a very loyal customer when someone does right by me. Second, I tell everyone about my good experiences. If there is a service provider that is good to work with, I want them to stay in business and be successful.

This was my first reaction, and also how I try to reward good service. It never even crossed my mind to tip any of my instructors no matter where I took a course. Not sure what that says about me, but I didn't feel any chill from any of them at the final goodbye. Perhaps they were just better mannered than me.

[Montanan]

Quiry regarding American tipping etiquette:

When playing baseball does one tip the umpire when you come up to the plate and before entering the batter's box, or do you wait until the umpire has called ball 4 and you are told to advance to first base?


As to tipping the instructor when one has anchored overnight as part of the course, well now that depends on how much of the bottle of expensive rum you to drank together during the night and if you shared in the early morning some of the same dog that bit ya.

[Mike OReilly]

As I said, I get the idea of tipping a charter captain. I still think it's ridiculous, and should be avoided, but I understand the realities of underpaid staff, with companies making workers dependent on gratuities to make a decent wage.

But "tipping" an instructor? The person who will decide if you've passed, or failed, the standards of the certification??? This is almost the textbook example of a conflict-of-interest. Might as well just call it bribery.

The real flashing light here is not that an instructor might be offered, or even accept, a "tip." The huge red flag is that the school is suggesting this should happen. This makes their training suspect, and is a real attack on the reputation of the instructors.

As I said, I would cancel with this company, and turn to a quality school. And I would tell them why you're cancelling.

[Uricanejack]

I was an Instructor for several years with a successful well known sailing school.
I never expected a tip.
I never received one.
From time to time students bought me a beer and a burger if we stopped for the night near a pub or restaurant.

Why would I tip an instructor?
Tipping is an American thing?
If tipping is inferred i would go somewhere else.

I Tip waiters.
If if you receive a Tip. Some one thinks you are a servant.

[boatman61]

No;7 in the 2.45 at Uttoxeter.. excellent each way bet..

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by boatman61

No;7 in the 12.45 at Uttoxeter.. excellent each way bet..

FIFY

It started at 15 to 1 and finished last at quarter past.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Wotname

FIFY

It started at 15 to 1 and finished last at quarter past.

Its running today Sunday.. . also, it should have read 2.45 not 12.45..

[skipperpete]

The only sign of gratitude I ever got was when a lady passenger kissed the ground at the bottom of the gangway after a particularly rough trip to Cairns from Horn island. I took it as a complement.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by trswem

Hey all. I’m taking an ASA 101 course this weekend, where we stay out overnight in an anchorage. Food and drink are also provided. The materials I received from the school advise that a tip is common though not mandatory. When’s the best time to give the tip? Slipping a $50 into his hand while we exit the boat seems a little tacky, is there a procedure for this?

So ask the school why they underpay the skippers. Or ask "So the price is actually $50 more than you quoted?"

[trswem]

Some pretty funny responses to this question, I'm not going to address them individually. I had two schools to chose from, price was roughly the same. The school I chose had beautiful 40' liveaboards, they fed me, I slept over night, provided me linens, the instructor (with a lifetime of water sailing">blue water sailing and ocean crossings) spent the evening fine tuning lessons, giving advise, helping me with route planning for an upcoming trip, and I could go on and on and on. We covered a TON more material than the prescribed coursework. The second school I had to chose from sailed on 18' capris with much more junior instructors, and provided absolutely none of the extras described above. The prices were materially the same. I had zero issues putting a hundo in the palm of my instructor, I would have paid double the tuition. You get what you pay for folks. One of the students chose not to tip because she didn't have the extra cash, she got all the exact same perks I did and was whole heartedly invited back for 103. I cannot comprehend all the acrimony around tipping for expert instruction.

[Kd9truck]

Originally Posted by trswem

Some pretty funny responses to this question, I'm not going to address them individually.. I cannot comprehend all the acrimony around tipping for expert instruction.

When you need the knowledge it’s priceless, when you have a great learning experience it is nice to be able to show your appreciation. To this point I do not think there was any objection.

The suggestion to tip by the ASA school it’s self was what most were surprised at and opposed too, my self included.

Cheers

[trswem]

Originally Posted by Kd9truck

When you need the knowledge it’s priceless, when you have a great learning experience it is nice to be able to show your appreciation. To this point I do not think there was any objection.

The suggestion to tip by the ASA school it’s self was what most were surprised at and opposed too, my self included.

Cheers

Ah. The school at no point suggested a tip, but included in their FAQ section with a note that said "We're often asked if students can tip. It's not necessary, but often people will tip between 10-50 per day of instruction." Or something along those lines. And again, this isn't a "normal" school, you're on a live aboard boat where meals are provided, so there's some extra stuff going on.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by trswem

I cannot comprehend all the acrimony around tipping for expert instruction.

I cannot comprehend why people can't see how clearly wrong this is.

Can you comprehend why it is inherently a conflict-of-interest to have your instructor -- the one who is grading your performance -- to be passed a $100. Was there a wink with it?

Come on... it's basic stuff. If you think this is acceptable, then you have no problem with university students slipping their profs some extra cash. Heck, how about your immediate boss just before they do your performance review?

It's great you found a top-notch learning environment, and apparently at an excellent price. But that's what you paid for. It's the very thing you were purchasing. It would be like saying you like your car, so instead of just paying the agreed price, you insisted on adding more.

Just call it what it is: a way to offload wage costs directly onto the customer. The only ones who really benefit from this practice are the business owners.

[5BTM]

"I cannot comprehend all the acrimony around tipping for expert instruction."

I could try to explain the acrimony, or, in my case, contempt around tipping but I doubt the moderators wil allow it to stand.