Instructor shortage..

[unreal]

The school i work for pays $13 an hour, while charging the student for $60/hr just for the instructor. Crazy, aint it? Then they wonder why CFI's leave after 6 months and there are no qualified instructors around who can teach initial-CFI applicants. You should see the backlog at our school. Its unbelievable.

Yup, same here. $15/hour base pay for instructors while the school charges $49/hour for our services, and we're only logging ~40 flight hours per month. Suffice to say, instructors disappear overnight, and quite a few have walked on their contract or are simply paying it off early (the school will pay for your MEI if you sign a 1 year training contract...can you say RIPOFF? Luckily I got my MEI elsewhere). There's just no incentive to be here beyond what's necessary.

It won't improve any, though. We're a university. The university trains most of the school's instructors through their own courses, so there will always be a constant influx of instructors, no matter how many leave. The only way it would improve is if the instructor applicants actually knew what was going on and would tell the school to take their job and shove it.

 

[minitour]

Now for a moral question .... Say there is a huge backlog in initial-CFI applicants and only a very few instructors who are qualified. Would it be ethical to charge students extra (say $10-20/hr) in "tips" if you agreed to take them through the course?

No....but it would be very ethical to tell the school that for initial CFI applicants you want $x.xx per hour "override".

-mini

 

[mattpilot]

No....but it would be very ethical to tell the school that for initial CFI applicants you want $x.xx per hour "override".

-mini

doesn't work. People have tried that in the past.


It takes some 30 hours to take someone through CFI course. School says if YOU spent at least 20 flight hours with a student, you get 200 bonus when the finish. So essentially its a $8/hr bonus IF those students finish.

meh.

 

[Jedi_Cheese]

Even better is people looking for 141 Chief Instructors or Assistant Chief Instructors. And when instructors finally get the paperwork finished to be a Stage Check Instructor, they leave b/c they have the time for an airline. Half the school will quit in the next month and the oldest instructors have been here 6 months.

I've been here 4 months and am about to get put up for Stage Check Instructor and after 2 months will be the 2nd most senior instructor (1st most is an airline captain sitting reserve).

 

[minitour]

doesn't work. People have tried that in the past.


It takes some 30 hours to take someone through CFI course. School says if YOU spent at least 20 flight hours with a student, you get 200 bonus when the finish. So essentially its a $8/hr bonus IF those students finish.

meh.

Then you find a new place to work. You don't charge the student more behind the company's back. I don't care what it does to the company....that's not my issue with it. My issue is that it now cost the student more money. Not cool....they're already paying how much.

-mini

 

[AAflyer]

I'm a Chief Flight Instructor and seeing the same thing. How to find qualified individuals?

Pay and QOL.

I decided not too long ago that I really didn't care if I never set foot in the cockpit of a 757, Gee Fife, etc. What matters for me is pay and QOL. Can I afford and maintain a good lifestyle? If the answer is yes, then here I come.

I don't want to be stuck at the airport 15 hours a day to get 7 hours of flight pay...hell, if I never fly but do 6 hours of ground school, that's fine by me too.

I enjoy instructing and want to make a career out of it if I can. That's what it comes down to for me. I'm sure there are others out there that feel the same way.

For the rest of 'em.........it's SJS.

-mini

I actually enjoy instructing, charge a premium for my services and experience. I truly believe that instructing should be done because one WANTS to teach.

Had a young CFI tell me I was taking work from him, that it would take him longer to build time for the regionals with guys like me there. I told him when he made it to the regionals it was guys like him flying a RJ for $20 an hour that was taking work from me.

He didn' know what to say and walked away.

Still looking to teach when I can, as an educator, not a time builder.

AAflyer

 

[unreal]

Still looking to teach when I can, as an educator, not a time builder.

That's commendable, but a lot of these flight schools pay so low that even if someone wants to teach, a lot of CFIs are simply forced out of the job by the low wages.

 

[acaTerry]

Had a young CFI tell me I was taking work from him, that it would take him longer to build time for the regionals with guys like me there. I told him when he made it to the regionals it was guys like him flying a RJ for $20 an hour that was taking work from me.

He didn' know what to say and walked away.



AAflyer

Beautiful , just beautiful! I only wish I could see the guys face when you say that. How about the school making that kid hustling for students like we all had to instead of "getting fed"?

 

[acaTerry]

That's commendable, but a lot of these flight schools pay so low that even if someone wants to teach, a lot of CFIs are simply forced out of the job by the low wages.

And just wait till the user fees hit...

 

[Goose Egg]

And just wait till the user fees hit...

Seriously! I'm glad I got my instructing in before those come around. It's so funny that there is somewhat of a shortage of entry level pilots in the industry now, but the FAA is making moves to cut off the supply all together. Someone hasn't thought this all the way through.

-Goose