CFI interview

[PILOTO]

hey guys! i'm having an interview for a CFI position this friday. i'm so nervious please give me an advice. tell me about your interview so i have an idea what to expect. thank you all.

 

[bobbysamd]

CFI Interview

A lot depends on the operation. A 141 interview will likely involved a written exam(s), a sim and/or flight, an interview with the Chief Flight Instructor and, perhaps, a board interview with training managers, supervisors, standardization instructors, etc. You should find out beforehand if you will have writtens and flights.

An FBO interview may be with only the boss and/or his Chief Flight Instructor. You might have a flight.

Be prepared to answer questions about your training, flying background and goals. Answer any goals questions candidly. Don't tell them what you think they want to hear and clarify, if necessary. If you're asked what your short-term goals are, answer the question just as you hear football players answer questions about their goals, which is always to win the next game; in your case, to get this job. If your eventual goal is the majors, say so, but be sure to add in something to the effect that while you're there you will devote all your energies to providing the best flight instruction possible, that you will do everything necessary to build the business, and when you leave you would hope to leave your job in better condition than you found it, etc. Give illustrations of past jobs where, indeed, you left the position in better shape than when you found it.

You might be asked about how you would handle certain scenarios, such as a student who is demanding to know when he/she will solo, recalcitrant and "cowboy" students, etc.

Hope these points help. Good luck with your interview. Let us know how it went.

 

[nosehair]

Hey!...Here's a thought! You just might be asked about...oh, uh... instructing! (LOL)
Really, it depends. Which is a good answer to so many interview questions. It depends...then ask for more details on the question. Most interview questions are not about specific technical knowledge; you have supposedly demonstrated a satisfactory minimum level by obtaining the CFI Certificate. Most interviewers want to see how you think. So, get details of general questions, like, "What is most important for you to see in a student before you solo him?" Well, it depends. How old is he? Have I been his only instructor? How was his performance on the initial lessons and how has his performance changed? Is he showing up with his homework done? Is he motivated? Do I percieve any emotional turmoil? See? Ask questions. That is realisic. Most questions do not provide enough information to give a flat answer. That shows you have the potential of being a good instructor. Good instructors continue to get feedback from their students to more effectively provide the next level of instruction.
So treat it just like an interview with a potential student. Don't just try to tell 'em what you think they want to hear. Listen to the question and be sure the question has enough info to provide a clear truthful answer, otherwise, ask about the missing details. Just like you would with a student.

 

[PILOTO]

thank you guys! i'll let you know how it went

 

[jumppilot03]

I have gotten jobs flying 135 in the Northeast with less of an interview than described above. As far as instructing jobs go, they are hiring a personality just as much as a flight instructor.
You may get a couple of questions about your past and then a flight. Best of luck on the interview.

 

[lymanm]

...

I visted a flight school, shot the sh1t with the instructors there and the two owners, and got a call the next day with a job offer. It was a grass feild P61 school, deliriously fun flying. I suspect that I had it comparatively easy, though.

 

[Night_Flight]

Our Part 141 interviews include a written test, personal interview, an IFR simulator evaluation, then if all goes well, an aircraft evaluation.

-Night_Flight-

 

[bobbysamd]

141 job interrviews

Our Part 141 interviews include a written test, personal interview, an IFR simulator evaluation, then if all goes well, an aircraft evaluation.

Yep. Sounds like my Riddle and FSI interviews.

I didn't have a sim ride at ERAU, but had a flight, a written exam, one-on-one interview with the Chief Flight instructor (I think we had lunch), and a board interview with the training managers.

My FSI interview spanned four days. No kidding! First day was writtens and a sim. Second day was a flight and an interview with the Center Manager. Nothing on the third day. Fourth day was an interview with the Chief Pilot. I was put up in one of the main campus bungalows with all amenities during my interview. The entire experience blew my mind.

Compare that with my Comair interview of a few months before. I traveled two-thousand miles on my own nickel for about fifteen minutes with the Chief Instructor and an approximately one-hour flight. No writtens or sim. No rejection letter, either.

CFI interviews take all forms. Prepare like you would an airline interview. I agree with the comment above about being prepared to answer questions about ordinary flight instructing situations.

 

[7B2]

....CFI Interview......

Is that when the owner asks you if you have a life at all and are willing to give that up for .......$9.50 an hour which includes additional duties such as running the whole airport/flightschool for him 24/7 while he plays solitaire all f#@king day.