Freelance Instructing. What to Charge?

[dueguard1]

I'm kind of new to the whole Freelance, or, better yet instructing Game .................What's a Good rate to charge for doing Freeelance instructing by the hour (NYC Area)..........Not trying to get rich, just trying to get, and keep a good supply of students............???/

 

[Steve]

Unwritten rule at FRG is that no CFI works for less than $35/ hour flight and ground. Its been working well for the last few years.

 

[User546]

We don't have an FBO at my local airport, so everyone here is freelance.

Unfortunately, everyone here charges $25 so that's the status quo at our field.

 

[MTpilot]

Don't feel bad

I make $20 an hour/flight and $10 an hour/ground. Of course out here in Montucky we don't hardly use money, we just eat animals.

 

[Ralgha]

We don't have an FBO at my local airport, so everyone here is freelance.

Unfortunately, everyone here charges $25 so that's the status quo at our field.

**CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** the status quo. If you're a good instructor they'll pay to fly with you.

 

[User546]

**CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** the status quo. If you're a good instructor they'll pay to fly with you.

You'd think so, but not at my little airport. And I'm the only one that doesn't have a "day job" and is available anytime of the day when I'm not out on a trip.

Not enough available students, too many instructors = not a good situation!

 

[cforst513]

I make $20 an hour/flight and $10 an hour/ground. Of course out here in Montucky we don't hardly use money, we just eat animals.

heh heh heh...

 

[qmaster3]

**CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** the status quo. If you're a good instructor they'll pay to fly with you.

No we won't.

 

[skyaddict]

"Unwritten rule at FRG is that no CFI works for less than $35/ hour flight and ground."

Good for you guys- stick to your guns. I was $40-45 an hour flight *and* ground in the East SF Bay Area and $60 an hour was not uncomon out there in Silicon valley- flight *and* ground. It nets you fewer students but the same income amd tons more time off. Time building for peanuts is the main downfall of the instructing profession but it doesn't have to be that way. Just do your homework, prepare for lessons and give your all to your clients, and don't take crap from the occasional guy who makes a stink about being charged for ground etc. (I had one guy, an FSS specialist who drove a Jag, complain about me charging him ground for his checkout- I stuck it out though and never saw him again, which was fine by me.)

I know that those sort of fees won't wash in sparse areas but I do wish instructors would stop treating themselves like dirt, when the training and responsibility is far beyond musical instrument, racket sport, or ski instructors who make 2-5x the going rates for flight instructors at most schools.

In the airline industry it was a step backwards, as the time you are the busiest (turns on the ground) you are not getting a dime, or $1.50 an hour per diem or something. One reason of many why if I "end up" instructing again I will be proud, not ashamed.

 

[Ralgha]

No we won't.

Correction, "No, YOU won't."

That's fine, you don't want to pay my rate, go somewhere else, doesn't bother me.

 

[corpflunkie]

In Upstate NY (KUCA) we're getting $45/hr flt and grnd. If you are freelancing and being above board (meaning 10-99's and est qtrly taxes), $45 is a perfectly fair wage to charge.

 

[qmaster3]

Correction, "No, YOU won't."

That's fine, you don't want to pay my rate, go somewhere else, doesn't bother me.

Your right, and it's nothing against you. You probably are a top notch CFI, but how do I know that? If I am booter student with 0/hrs. Why would I come to you if there are other 61, 141 schools close charging the same?? Why would I pay some guy and an airplane? If we're buds, and I know you're a kick a$$ pilot then you would have a new client.

Just my .02 Ralgha Money is Money, but I hope we're still flightinfo friends. I would undercut the schools by 10 or 20$ Then well fly.

 

[Goose Egg]

I would charge $300 per hour. After all, we are highly skilled professionals and dammit, we deserve to be compensated accordingly!

-Goose

 

[340drvr]

When I was freelancing a few years back, $40/hr.

 

[Ralgha]

Your right, and it's nothing against you. You probably are a top notch CFI, but how do I know that? If I am booter student with 0/hrs. Why would I come to you if there are other 61, 141 schools close charging the same?? Why would I pay some guy and an airplane? If we're buds, and I know you're a kick a$$ pilot then you would have a new client.

Just my .02 Ralgha Money is Money, but I hope we're still flightinfo friends. I would undercut the schools by 10 or 20$ Then well fly.

Word gets around in aviation. Build up a good reputation at your airport and you'll have people knocking. Granted there has to be a decent student base there.

Undercutting the schools some is fine, you don't have the overhead that they do. However, undercut to the point where you're losing money, or not making enough to survive, just to draw students, and you'll draw the hatred of the schools, other CFIs, and anyone in aviation business. Happened at my old airport.

 

[HMR]

I used to teach in a brand new (2002) BE20. For awhile I was charging $50/hr. Then one day it occured to me- these rich guys are paying ONE-TOUSAND DOLLARS an hour for the plane. I upped my price to $100/hr for flight and ground. No one complained. Why didn't I think of that sooner?

 

[TDTURBO]

Your right, and it's nothing against you. You probably are a top notch CFI, but how do I know that? If I am booter student with 0/hrs. Why would I come to you if there are other 61, 141 schools close charging the same?? Why would I pay some guy and an airplane? If we're buds, and I know you're a kick a$$ pilot then you would have a new client.

Just my .02 Ralgha Money is Money, but I hope we're still flightinfo friends. I would undercut the schools by 10 or 20$ Then well fly.

Qmaster hit the nail on the head, 20/hr is the rate in Chicago if you have your own plane, I've even had CFI's willing to pay for the gas so they can get their x-country time. I also have a HP?Complex which new CFI's want time in.

 

[F16fixer]

I wouldn't do too much advertising about your new free lance job unless you have all of the laws down pat. I started asking a lot of questions and then started cut throating a school at my local airport in MN and then I was informed on the commercial operations certificate required to teach. It may not be required in your state, but then again you should find out that for sure. We all know that at every airport there is usually a free lancer like myself, but if you piss off the wrong person they could turn you into the state. I don't think the state has time to worry about small deals like this, but I just thought I would let you know. Take a look at your local flight school the next time you go to the airport, and on the wall you should see a commercial operations certificate that allows flight and ground instruction.

Hope this adds a little insight to the big picture.