[Rant on]
I was recently involved in helping prepare a qualified G3 (who had completed his rating at a VET school but had not done any work after graduating) for his first rating renewal because, (he said), the school where he did his training had told him they were too busy to do renewals and he would get a renewal faster if he could get someone else to do it.
I was stunned that his briefings were all just reciting from a standard powerpoint and script that he had been given in the course. Apparently all the student's briefing material was provided to them as part of the course (handouts, power points etc) and they just had to get up and parrot them back. He was unprepared for any questions on the material that involved him having a more than superficial grasp of the theory or that didn't appear in his pre-packaged lesson. He could not brief on anything that didn't fit into the standard training sequence. He could not brief without a projector. His first briefing to me had me sitting next to him while he showed me the presentation and read the slides from his tablet.
His flying, demonstrations, pattering etc were not great either, (although to be fair he had not done much flying, and no instructing, since he graduated).
I am pretty sure he said his course had only involved 35hrs total flight time and that it cost in excess of $30k.
I believe as a G3 trainee, if you want to gain the qualification, you bloody well better be able to give a briefing of your own material, (material you have been taught to prepare yourself and deliver competently and be able to do it without a powerpoint projector if required). You should be able to answer questions on the material that go into more depth and show a reasonable grasp of the theory.
I also would recommend if you want to be employable you will have undertaken a minimum of 50hrs flight time in the course and should be able to reasonably fly and patter to a reasonable standard.
I can guarantee you there are schools out there where you will get this, and, assuming you don't require remedial flying, you will probably get some change out of $30k (although you will have to pay for the training as you go - not upfront but as you progress).
This poor fellow is poorly prepared to be an instructor, as a rated instructor, his level of instruction would be at the standard of some FI trainees at other schools and he will struggle to get work as an instructor (the school he attended wouldn't even do his renewal, let alone employ him) and he now has a debt that will cost him more over time. This is not his fault. Meanwhile, my tax dollars have gone into the pocket of the training school he attended.
I am disappointed that there are poorly trained instructors going into the industry. It is not their fault they are not well trained. It does not however bode well for the quality of pilots overall going into the future, it is unfair on the the person who has done such a course and is a ripoff of the government (and ultimately) taxpayers.
I am sure there are VET FI courses where the standards are higher than this fellow's - I am not saying they are all like this, but, if you are looking as a new pilot to do an instructor rating, please do not be taken in by glossy brochures and quick 35 hour flying courses.
They may be cheaper up front (because you don't pay until later) and quick to complete but - if you want to actually be a decent instructor and want value for money and be more employable, ask around about the reputation of schools (and don't just talk to people at that school!) prior to signing up.
You also may find schools, where you have to pay as you go (rather than VET), that may ultimately be cheaper overall and better quality. VET is a great drawcard but look at the course cost and ask yourself, why are they charging more than schools that charge as you go and why do they give you less flying time?
[Rant off]