Should I get a JAA or FAA flight instructor rating?

[Capt. Spock]

Hello,

I'm an European with finished ATPL theory and looking for the next step to take towards gaining an instructor's rating.

Would you have any pointers which one to do?

My conclusion at the moment is that:

FAA seems a lot more affordable and I already know an excellent instructor in the US that could instruct me for the rating. After gaining the rating I couldn't work in the US as I don't have a legal status to do so. However it seems from Africa, Middle east or Asia I might be able to find some kind of flight instruction work with the FAA rating.

JAA rating is more expensive, especially with a good FTO. I would likely have to relocate for some other country for work as with the FAA rating and "my feeling" is that there is less work around in Europe. I would prefer to instruct in Europe but I'm not sure if it is worth it.

I'm not necessarily looking to became a career instructor but neither doing it just to build hours. I have admired my flight instructors and known it's something I would like to do one day myself. And a rating I hope to keep valid for the rest of my life. That stupid thing being said without ever having given an hour of flight instructon... :E

Thanks for any clues!

[BigGrecian]

Without a doubt JAA.

As a holder of both the JAA teaches you how to teach, the fundamentals associated with it and has a set syllabus.

Although this should be covered in the FAA CFI it rarely is in any detail and more often than not focuses on your knowledge of the aircraft and how you fly, not how you teach it.

Just because you can fly well, doesn't make you a good instructor

[IO540]

There is ample work for freelance FAA instructors around the world, but some countries make it hard.

For example in the UK you cannot do any remunerated training unless you also have a JAA FI Rating, and if doing remunerated training in a foreign reg plane the plane's owner needs DfT permission... one way is to fly outside UK airspace for the training portion of the flight.

Also the political climate in UK GA can make it hard to do it at certain airfields. The based school will complain to the airfield and the CAA, and try to push you out of the way. Freelance instruction needs to be done discreetly, and some UK based FAA instructors prefer to fly out to France for any stuff which needs a runway for "obvious" training e.g. glide approaches.

I never knew that JAA FIs are taught how to teach. Half those I had for the JAA PPL couldn't teach at all.

[SNS3Guppy]

I'm not necessarily looking to became a career instructor but neither doing it just to build hours.


Just what the world needs. Another instructor who's in it to build hours. Great.

[WrongWayCorrigan]

He said he wasn't doing it just to build hours.

[jamess115]

"For example in the UK you cannot do any remunerated training unless you also have a JAA FI Rating"

As a British Citizen holding an FAA CFI, I am interested in teaching at an FAA school back in the UK.

Can somebody confirm whether the above statement is actually correct?

Thks

[TelBoy]

Remember to do an FAA CFI you need an FAA CPL and FAA IR. That said if you also have a JAA FI and JAA CPL then I think this makes you quite employable in the UK, as like myself FAA licence holders have to do a BFR with a CFI every 2 years (can be done in G reg in UK). This brings the possibility of bringing new blood into your FTO. Just my thoughts on it - complex, but could be worth it.