Great News- Don't Give Up Instructors!

[FL000]

avbug, you speak of former flight instructors like I speak of ex-girlfriends. I feel your pain.

 

[ACWild]

You guys are so underpaid and mistreated that it often makes me sick at the horror stories I hear.

Unfortunately, the reality is that as much as we feel it is unfair for an instructor to receive such low wages, we just aren't willing as students to shell out $50 an hour for a lesson.
I've spent five years instructing and consider that time invaluable. You really find out how well you know your stuff when you have to teach it, especially to sharp students who come up with great questions.
To expand on a previous post, I agree that most of our favorite captains have instructing backgrounds. I believe that is because as an instructor, you have to develop a high degree of patience and you learn how far you can let the other pilot go without having to grab the controls.
It's really too bad that some people don't see the value of instructing, but I guess it's a good thing because you really don't want someone like that to teach you. Bad attitudes and habits are easy to transfer.

 

[B-J-J Fighter]

CFIing

I can now safely say what I want to about CFIing because now I dont have to worry about convincing myself otherwise. On the whole it sucked. I loved the flying part, but the sitting around not getting paid watching the paint dry on the walls 6 days a week got old real quick. I loved working with and flying with MOST students, I made some great lifelong friends thru CFIing and I think that was the best part about it. Im now waiting to go to OCS for the Army and I have 5 months to kill, Im doing some SELECTIVE part time CFIing, when I want to.

The part I hated the most was being required to be there at 9am no matter if my 1st student wasnt until 1 Pm. I use to complain all the time to the owner, if you want me to be here and answer the phones pay me or I will come in when I want to. If you are going to require me to be there, then I require you to pay me minimum wage to sit around. I had a lot of things I would have like to have done between students as well, mainly go to the gym to workout.
It use to pi$$me off to no end when my 1st student was at 10am and my next one was like at 3 or 4 in the afternoon.

I hated that waiting around, those were the times I would ask to leave so I could go do errands or something productive. We already had someone there to answer phones, he didnt need me there. I CFIed 7 or 8 months full time, after month 2 I started looking at joining the military and chose Aarmy because I did one year of Army ROTC in college.

I will get off my soapbox box. CFIing fulltime sucks, dont try to convince yourselves otherwise. Have fun making 20K a year (if your lucky) working 50-60 hours weeks, while I make 40K flying for Uncle Sam my 1st year. GOOD LUCK all CFI's and future CFI's, Bwhahhaha I fell sorry for you. Im off the the gym now.