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How much do you earn??

Old 1st Jun 2014, 05:10
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How much do you earn??

Hi everyone. I am a flying instructor in NZ, working 5 days and averaging about 12 flying hours a week plus about the same theory/briefing hours. I'm earning around $220 a week which equates to about $10k-$12k a year. I don't get a retainer or any sick/holiday pay. I believe I could earn more overseas... can anybody help me out by letting me know what they earn??? Especially any Australian instructors as I'm thinking of moving there. Thanks so much! Sarah x
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Old 2nd Jun 2014, 00:05
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I believe in the UK FI's are doing it for nothing now in many cases - not good news. In other words it has ceased to be a professional job and is now a means of hour building only.

Look for standards to drop from now on.


Kind regards
Exeng
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Old 2nd Jun 2014, 01:28
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Not quite nothing, but close to it.

It does vary but in the UK most schools pay around £15-£20 per hour based on flight time only for PPL training. Some pay a small retainer but most don't.
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Old 2nd Jun 2014, 05:44
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How much do you earn??

£25-£30 per flying hour, no retainer. Northern UK.
Particularly bad week maybe 0-4 hours, good can be upwards of 20.
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Old 2nd Jun 2014, 06:12
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£25 per hour (t/o to l/d + 0.2). £20 when restricted, £30 for aerobatics. No retainer.

South East UK
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Old 2nd Jun 2014, 06:33
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Working one day per week, I was earning around £300 per month, give or take.
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Old 2nd Jun 2014, 06:51
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At an ATO in Spain, pay was €800 per month net, full time. Went to the US and net around $2000 to $3000 depending on weather and student load.
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Old 23rd Jun 2014, 02:59
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Thanks so much for all of your help! It's good to gauge the amount people are earning & figure out where to next in terms of employment. I think I'll try for Aus.. seems they get about three times the money we get here in NZ.

Thanks again!
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Old 25th Jun 2014, 10:42
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$15-23 per hour (+ 0,2 for briefing at $17, I think..?) depending on your qualifications (Basic, Instrument, ME instr etc.). All gross. No guaranteed hours. Salary dependent on student load. Weather usually no problem in SoCal. At best I could be doing $3000 per month. Less fortunate guys were making less than ends meet.
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Old 28th Jun 2014, 22:18
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UK Midlands: £15/f.hr for a school, £150/on-site-day freelance. Couldn't live on it, but it pays enough to justify the time off the more lucrative day job, along with how much I enjoy instructing.

G
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Old 30th Jun 2014, 08:59
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I would suggest that how much youEARN
and how much you are PAID
are two very different questions, with two very different answers.

(Thinking here of all the fat-cats on the various gravy-trains..Pilots earn considerably more than their pay, IMHO. The "system" relies on their love of Aviation....in effect, they payapremium to be allowed to fly.
I don't see a change anytime soon!.
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Old 30th Jun 2014, 21:35
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Originally Posted by cockney steve
I would suggest that how much youEARN
and how much you are PAID
are two very different questions, with two very different answers.

(Thinking here of all the fat-cats on the various gravy-trains..Pilots earn considerably more than their pay, IMHO. The "system" relies on their love of Aviation....in effect, they payapremium to be allowed to fly.
I don't see a change anytime soon!.
Lovely concept, but - of the several things that I'm qualified to do professionally, flying is in many ways the most enjoyable, and seldom the most demanding. It may, perhaps, be the skill the least number of people are able to pass the qualifications in, although probably not even that.

We all ultimately earn what we get paid, and that's whatever the market will bear. The system needs everybody from the cleaner to the MD - or it would dispense with the dead wood.

G

Last edited by Genghis the Engineer; 30th Jun 2014 at 21:54.
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Old 3rd Jul 2014, 10:04
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I work as a Full-Time instructor in Aus, and it's more than enough for a single person without kids to live on. Fairly easy lifestyle although you are expected to earn your keep. Good hours in safe aircraft.
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Old 3rd Jul 2014, 13:25
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cockney steve,

You're confusing two different definitions of 'earn'. You earn a salary/wage but can also earn a reputation for something. What you earn or what you get paid are the same thing in respect of remuneration.

We might all think we deserve more than we get but, as Genghis points out, market forces and supply/demand dictate the bottom line.
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Old 8th Jul 2014, 10:33
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As a senior helicopter instructor, up to $145k per year.

Junior Kiwi helicopter instructors are around $65 - 85k, depending on quals.
Fixed wing? Dime a dozen.
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Old 9th Jul 2014, 16:01
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As Dr Johnson said: "Do it for honour or profit, or not at all"
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Old 11th Jul 2014, 20:27
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Originally Posted by Heston
As Dr Johnson said: "Do it for honour or profit, or not at all"
A very good adage for most fields of human endeavour. I may have to print that out to go over my desk.

G
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Old 3rd Aug 2014, 13:46
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Work at a few different schools so between £15-£30 an hour, no retainer anywhere over 25k last year but full time.
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Old 3rd Aug 2014, 14:38
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Originally Posted by Cfsops
Sarah
I am currently looking for CFI/Head of Training as my current chap is retiring
Sadly there is no retainer but £25 per flying hour and depending on the time of year and weather average 45 hrs p/mth that works out at approx £1125 p/mth
Also if you become my ground examiner you get £20 for every exam taken (as you will invigilate and mark them) and also get paid £25 per hr when students fly solo
If you are interested contact me [email protected]
We are at Cotswold Airport in the Cotswolds region near Gloucester
Ground school is not very popular here in the UK as everyone self studies to save money
But ground school tuition would pay you £20 per hr too
Not a job I'm likely to apply for anyhow - but in general terms, I'm not sure I'd take any job that is as "Chief" but doesn't pay anything for doing the "Chief" bit !

Somebody doing HoT well, is going to have to put significant effort into that - maintaining documents, mentoring newer instructors, meetings with the CAA.... I'd expect them to be paid for it. And paying a fully qualified instructor (even without the Chief) under £14k.pa: hardly surprising that very few people of quality want to stay in instructing.

G
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Old 3rd Aug 2014, 15:24
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I'd rather not specify where, but the place where I did my PPL at had to look for a new CFI/HoT a couple of years ago and perhaps they are paying over the odds but they were offering over £35k per year with additional pay for longer days and instrument/night instruction. I should point out that this was not a commercial school but did PPL IMC and Night only. They still struggled to get someone suitable.
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