30-50K for CFI-ING... this a joke???

[A1FlyBoy]

Position: FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR
Company: Elite Solutions, Inc.
Name: Jay Galvin
Address: 15455 Greenway/hayden Lp
City/State/Zip: Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Fax: 480-483-9241
Date: 11 Apr 2002

CONTRACT FLIGHT INSTRUCTORS NEEDED

GATTS, the IFR training specialists, is opening a Training Center at Scottsdale Airpark (SDL) in Scottsdale, AZ. We need high quality instrument instructors to teach the GATTS methods of real world single pilot IFR. Training will be provided by GATTS at the Corporate Center in Manhattan, Ks. for qualified applicants.

Contract instructor positions require CFI-I certificate and a mature attitude. Minimum of one (1) year contract commitment required after training as well as a no-competition agreement. Great teaching environment, highest quality clients and aircraft, and BEST PAY in the industry make GATTS the place full time CFI’s want to work.

Target take home pay is between $30,000 and $50,000 per year.

GATTS has been serving the aviation community by providing high quality real world IFR training for more than 15 years and has graduated thousands of students. Building on this success, we are expanding into select locations around the USA and are looking for a select group of CFI’s to join us.

For more details call 1-866-833-IFLY or 1-888-778-6676, or fax your resume to 480-483-9241

 

[boscenter]

Target take home pay is between $30,000 and $50,000 per year.

Yeah... my target salary is 1 billion dollars... doesn't mean it's going to happen...

 

[aero99]

non-compete agreement? oh, Please.

That is insane.

 

[avbug]

No competition agreements are common, and ethical, if arranged prior to time of hire. My company employee policy manual specifically states that employees to enter into outside employment that is in competition with the company, are subject to termination. It also states that employees who's spouses work for competition are subject to termination.

I don't know of any cases where that has occured, but nevertheless, it's policy.

As for being able to make that kind of money flight instructing (or sim instructing), absolutely it's possible.

Before I had any lear experience at all, I was invited to interview for a position as a Lear instructor for a large flight training operation. I declined, as I didn't feel good about teaching something I had no experience with (no matter how acceptable that might be to the company).

Later when I got lear experience, I was glad I had made that decision.

The instructor postion, incidentally, was salaried at 50,000.

 

[aero99]

I would never sign another non-compete. It is insame, and not enforcable in most states.

Doesn't stop them from draggin your a$$ into court which can cost 15k -20k in itself.

 

[Wiggums]

This operation sounds pretty nice. Also, there are CFIs making more then $30,000/year.

http://www.gatts.org/

 

[surfnole]

Independent CFIs in my flying club charge 30 to 40 an hour. I have no doubt its possible to make 30K to 50K receiving those hourly rates.

 

[ipilot]

how many hours these independent CFI's fly. i think its hard to make more than 30,000$ with an instructor's job and if you can make upto 30,000$ ur lucky. charging 30 $ an hour doesn't matter if you just fly 2 flights a day.



________________________
Check that its three greens....

 

[bobbysamd]

Well-paying CFI jobs

Really, such salaries for CFIs are not uncommon at all. Usually, the foreign airline pilot academies pay that kind of money.

The Lufthansa school, ATCA in Goodyear, Arizona, started new-hire CFIs at $31K in 1990, with step raises all the way to at least $50K. Then, in 1991, it adopted a "B" scale where new-hires started at $23K, with step raises. Still good bread. I was offered a job on the "B" scale. I turned it down. A fellow Riddler, with less experience than me, was the last instructor hired on the "A" scale; I felt I deserved the same money. Now, I wish that I had taken the job.

IFTA in Bakersfield, California, had a similar program as ATCA. Not surprising, because IFTA is an ATCA clone for All Nippon Air students. Alitalia does some training there as well.

IASCO in Napa, California, started new-hires in 1992 at something like $33K. Great money, but you need it there. Another step-raise system, where you capped out at something like $60K.

Finally, even at ERAU there was potential to make great money. The key was to stay busy. One instructor was making more than $30K in 1990, including bonus, I'm sure. He was working every day, in violation of company rules, though no one ever stopped him. There was some speculation he was flying more than the eight-hour-a-day limit. By the way, Riddle instructors were making $15/hour maximum during those years.

 

[surfnole]

The instructors in my club work as many hours as they want. We have 150+ members and one full time instructor. Full time instructors get as many hours as they want, and they charge 30-40 an hour for ground too. Most of the full time instructors went on to the airlines or to work for the FAA.

One of my gripes about the club is that it is difficult to get on an instructor's schedule. However, we also have a rule which prevents members from instructing unless they have been in the club for two years. This limits the number of people we can draw from. I think we should waive the rule to get a couple of full time guys.

 

[dougal28]

Making that kind of money as a cfi will take serious dedication, and sales work on your part. Meaning you will need diligent time management skills to always have something to do with your students even when the weather is bad. Also needed are good sales skills as you will need to pick up a ton of business. The first year I wokd as a CFI I made 11,000 this year right at 12,000. Doubling those figures would be a miracle.

 

[Caveman]

I personally made about $60K a year in the flight instructing business. I did have some management/supervisory responsibilities but I spent half my day with students. The reason I left is because I became addicted to kerosene.

Ditto the comments about IFTA, et al. They start their CFI's in the low $30's and fly the absolute best equipment out there. IFTA for example has brand new Bonanza's for PPL training and brand new Baron's for commercial and multi training. Dual everything, GPS, right side instruments, the whole nine yards. How can they afford to do this? Easy, their students aren't customers. They are ANA newhires. They hire them right out of college and train them from TT1 all the way to the right seat of an airliner.

I'm convinced that one could make $50K per year as a freelance CFI if they market themselves right. Shoot, folks pony up $300 per hour for an experienced golf or tennis instructor. I don't know how much guys like Rod Machado or Sean Tucker charges but you can bet it isn't $35 bucks an hour.

Go buy yourself a Pitts and spend a few weekends a year on the "B" airshow circuit and then come home and offer dual unusual attitude instruction from an 'airshow' pilot. You know, just like getting golf lessons from the 643rd ranked PGA player in the world at your local course for $100 bucks an hour. Let's see $300 an hour for you and the Pitts should be about right.

You aren't going to get most folks to pay this but you will get those that can afford to. Mercedes doesn't try to sell their cars to regional airline pilots t but they sure do sell a bunch to doctors and attorneys. Same with flight instructing. You aren't going to sell dual in a Pitts to many student pilots, as much as they'd like to be able to afford it. But, there are plenty of weekend Bonanza pilots with money to burn that are looking for a little adventure.

 

[avbug]

Darwin was wrong. In fact, he recanted his theories publically.

It was the best fifty bucks I ever spent.

(The second best fifty bucks was buying a monkey...how often does one get to own one's relatives)?