FI job advertised in Flight International 4th May

[EL SID]

I see as of Wednesday the 4th of May in FI Jobs a certain Flight School located somewhere between & below the Luton & Stansted zones is advertising for an instructor. This is the same flight school that has been advertising for FIC courses with an ‘attractive’ 12 month work contract. I’m surprised they are advertising for instructors when it seems that they must have takers for their FI training cum contract or is there something we are missing?
While we are about it what school would you vote as the one that has the highest turnover of instructors who leave due to frustration and adverse working conditions in the UK?
Comments anybody?

[unfazed]

Now let me think ?? who could it be ?? Anybody who teaches FI courses and then needs to advertise for instructors must be "Bananas" - they probably have a "HI5 Meccanno" attitude to flying and must be at a real "Pants Hangar" of a flying school - sorry if that "Hurts"

I hear they phone around reputable FI schools listed on ex-instructors CV's (it happened to me after I ditched them after a few days of watching "how not to run a flying school" ).

The place is Bizzarre !

[EL SID]

unfazed - spot on with your analysis!
I see that they have advertised again, but this time it is 'confidential' - but the contact telephone number is of course the number for the aforesaid. Must be getting desperate as the news seems to have got around. Next we'll see them advertising to submit CV's to an anonymous box number!

[unfazed]

Check out the June edition of "Today's Pilot" - 2 seperate adverts on pages 104 and 105 (now that is beginning to look desperate).

Page 104 = DO YOU WANT TO BECOME A FLYING INSTRUCTOR ? Advertises FI course (how did the CAA approve this one?)

Page 104 = Immediate vacancy for flying instructor, usual bull, tons of dosh etc blah blah blah !!!

I believe that what goes around comes around and the bad Karma in this particular club will take some serious "regime change" to sort out. If you continually treat people badly you will eventually go down the pan ! I just hope that young, keen and motivated pilots are not taken for a ride time after time !

El-Sid well done for spreading the word to those fortunate enough not to have crossed paths with Tyrant of the home counties

[porridge]

As an escapee from Stalagluft Panshangar – I have to agree with the sentiments in the previous postings.
I understand there is a young lad doing his FI course there at the moment and he’s doing a 10 to 12 hour day just on his course.
In my day one had to work a 14 to 16 hour day in summer, 6 days a week. Additional duties to flying included:
1. Cutting up firewood
2. Vacuuming the clubhouse every evening
3. Preparing the daily accounts and cashing up
4. Illegally burning waste & rubbish – some of it environmentally hazardous
5. Runway inspections
6. Stocktaking, stocking up cold drink machines
7. Checking the fuel tanks every morning
8. Cleaning aircraft
9. Cleaning toilets
10. Gardening and lawn mowing
11. Cleaning kitchen area, washing up
12. Going on errands at your own expense
13. General gopher for the CFI/owner
14. Doing an ‘Ops’ day once a week; ‘no fly-day’ for less than the statutory minimum
15. Getting one’s head shrunk on a regular basis as to one’s deficiencies and social skills by the master psychologist himself
16. Duty firecrew
If the leopard doesn’t change his spots the poor student FI will be expected to do all the above to become an ‘integrated member of the team’.
There for the grace of god go I again!

[African Drunk]

I do know four ex instructors who say it's not that bad and at least you get lots of hours.

[unfazed]

Sorry African Drunk, I am with Porridge on this one

Crashing at 30mph is not as bad as crashing at 60mph but that does not make it good !

I see a lot of truth in Porridges list (first hand experience) but he forgot a couple so here goes

17 - Paying £250 for a psychometric test to see if you are made of the right stuff (normal price for such tests £50)

18 - CFI/Owner buying headsets for you so that your students / passengers can hear whats going on but don't worry he will stop it out of your wages (never mind the fact that he can get them at cost and recover from taxes

19 - CFI / Owner telling you that you must buy certain books to really understand how to teach "and while your at it would you purchase a couple of extra for me" - why ? so that he can provide them to his other soon to be starting instructors

and finally - when did cleaning tables and vacuuming carpets become part of the flying instructors course !

[Flying Farmer]

anyone prepared to do the above mentioned needs a reality check, tell the owner to take a hike

[Benix]

aint just in Flight and Todays Pilot but also this months Flyer and Pilot as well. Jeez he must be getting really desperate now the word is slowely spreading!! :ok:

[unfazed]

Flying Farmer - You are quite right and indeed that is what instructors have been telling him, I hasten to add that I refused the non flying roles and decided it was not for me fairly quickly, did not go for the Psych tests, did not purchase the headset or the books amd did not wipe tables or vacuume the floor !

Few others that I forgot though for the growing list:

Putting pressure on instructors to fly in extremely "marginal" conditions of fog and mist

Aircraft held together with gaffer tape, doors that won't close and instruments that don't work

Instructors desperate for a start - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED !

[tunalic2]

I read the advert and was curious so called
they said come along and pay 250GBP for a test , I guess it was to see if Iwas a sucker, I'm glad to say I failed:ok:
T2

[EL SID]

Well done Tunalic2! However, I have to say that doing a stint there makes you appreciate every other job (aviation or not) that you may go to after that!