Career instructing
labbats said:
Who the hell wants to be a career instructor?
You would be surprised, if the compensation, benefits
and respect accorded thereto were appropriate.
I am not alluding to your comments or those of any others; as someone whose only professional aviation experience was flight instructing and as someone who worked in three well-known 141 schools, be assured that respect given flight instructors is in dreadfully short supply.
Most people hear only of the typical entry-level type of instructing job, such as low-timers who are hired by their schools, mom and pop FBOs, and the like. But there are other, lesser-known schools that accord instructors the status they deserve in terms of pay, benefits
and respect. Two quick examples include the following:
AirStaff, Inc., (International Flight Training Academy), in Bakersfield, California. This school primarily trains students for All Nippon Air, but also has trained for other airlines, such as Alitalia. Equipment includes well-maintained A36 Bonanzas and B58 Barons. The facilities are state-of-the-art. So's the pay; I believe it is at least $30K to start; probably more, and, I believe they top out at $50K-$60K+.
Airline Training Center Arizona in Phoenix (Goodyear), Arizona trains Lufthansa pilots. I probably should have put it first because IFTA is a clone of ATCA. Pay is similar.
My point in listing these schools is they seek career instructors or those willing to commit to the long term. They treat their people well and pay them well. So, why not instruct as a career under these circumstances?
Just food for thought. Good luck with whatever you decide to do with your flying.