Career Flight Instructor Yearly Pay

[superjet]

I was just wondering if anybody would care to share what a seasoned CFI,CFII,MEI might make in an average year. I am thinking about going that route. I have wondered what these really busy career instructors are making.

 

[BLing]

Even if you did make enough money to survive, you would have to work so hard that you would burn out in a hurry. I have had 8 days off (Thanks to Thanksgiving and Christmas) in the 3 months that I have been teaching. I make almost as much as a first year FO at a regional. I am telling you, it ist worth making it your fulltime job. My average day at the airport is about 12 hrs. I am only putting up with this to go to an airline soon. Being a CFI is great, but to survive doing it, you have to let it dictate your life. I dont suggest that. Do something else and teach on a part time basis for fun and as a small but extra source of income. Maybe there are some great flight schools out there that pay well and let you work like a normal human being. I just dont know of any.

 

[Pilot Doc]

How many hours a year do you think you can instruct?
How much do you think you can charge?

Work 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year, 4 hrs a day = 1000 hrs/year
$50/hr as an independent instructor = $50k/yr.

With no benefits and the extra 7.65% self-employed FICA tax, that's probably equivalent to $40K/yr as an employee.

 

[Lead Sled]

How many hours a year do you think you can instruct?
How much do you think you can charge?

Work 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year, 4 hrs a day = 1000 hrs/year
$50/hr as an independent instructor = $50k/yr.

With no benefits and the extra 7.65% self-employed FICA tax, that's probably equivalent to $40K/yr as an employee.

There are ways around this. Superjet has (according to his information) over 10K hours. I'd recommend that you investgate career opportunities at the various training centers like FlightSafety.

'Sled

 

[weekendwarrior]

How many hours a year do you think you can instruct?
How much do you think you can charge?

Work 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year, 4 hrs a day = 1000 hrs/year
$50/hr as an independent instructor = $50k/yr.

With no benefits and the extra 7.65% self-employed FICA tax, that's probably equivalent to $40K/yr as an employee.

If someone has ever made $50K/year as a flight instructor, I'd like to shake their hand. It just doesn't happen that way. You don't always get 4 hours/day (especially if you are independant). Working for a flight school is the easiest way to get the hours, but the pay will be lower. Since it usually is not a career choice for someone, the lower pay isn't that big of a deal if you eat PB n J sandwiches for 8 mos to a year.

 

[ChiFlyer]

If I were to go in that direction I would want to be in a Part 141 program in a university setting. I don't have too much experience with instructing in part 61 yet but after training at a university I've seen from others that it's much easier to make a "living" that also include benefits and job security.

 

[falcon20driver]

Used to be a school in Goodyear AZ that taught Germans how to fly using Bonanzas, I think they paid there career CFIs well.

 

[WhiteCloud]

There's a reason why the ranks of active CFI's are filled with young people or those fairly new to aviation or part timers who have other jobs or retirees. In general it's not a viable way to earn a full time living. Exceptions are the salaried employees (not self employed contractors) at large 141 schools or universities. Why not give it a try though. It might take a few years of experience to get into a full time salaried position. Just don't get stuck in a low paid contractor situation and call it a "career".

 

[Pilot Doc]

If someone has ever made $50K/year as a flight instructor, I'd like to shake their hand. It just doesn't happen that way. You don't always get 4 hours/day (especially if you are independant).

I agree. I meant my example to show a 99th to 99.5th percentile job that still has an unattractive salary. I suspect there are some people who have pulled this off - but you need a year-round niche serving a national base of price-insensitive clients. I bet the guy who runs the warbird school in NM does OK. But I do have a hard time imagining anyone being able to make a living as an instructor without acquiring special skills/connections in another job first.

 

[Caveman]

"Exceptions are the salaried employees (not self employed contractors) at large 141 schools or universities."

I was fortunate enough to land one of these jobs at a small 141 school. It paid about the same as a 5th year RJ Captain.