BSAC instructors aren't often full time divers, but if you want an example, how about you go and tell the divers in Aberdeen who are working and earning other people money that they should be happy to spend weeks in a diving bell and do it for free.
Wrong simile I think. I would equate the BSAC Instructor to being an equivalent of the club FI and the commercial divers to being an airline pilot.
So I would not expect anyone to go and work for an airline free of charge even the same as I would not expect to go and work offshore free of charge. Having worked as a HSE Closed Bell Diver and a HSE Part 1&2 Instructor as well as being a NI and a Course Director recreationally, I am therefore qualified to understand the distinction.....
A flying Instructor is a professional working in a recreational industry with customers who are flying for leisure.
Although I think we have gone beyond the point of reasoned debate on this as we are in territory of judgement being clouded by self protection.
Whirly - You are wrong, and I think that is why your and others judgement has become so clouded and really is a sad indicator of the world now. There are people who just give things away for the good of others. I know of 2 IFR flight planning applications developed and give away FREE with no advertising or other ask-back in the last month alone. The Firefox browser is FREE and is given away for the good of the community. Bill Gates just gave away $26billion.
Believe it or not there are those of us who are still prepared to do something without asking what's in it for me.....