Fi rates vary from £15-20 daily retainer and £10 per hour to £15-£20 per hour without retainer. From my experience (over three years and six different schools in North of England/Scotland) FI rates are going down in real terms.
When I started I was paid £14 per hour hobbs. I am now paid £20daily plus£10. I am actually worse off over the course of the year. As an IMC instructor I get £10 per hour (scandalous) at one school and £20 at another!
Payment for groundschool (apart from exam training etc)? Never seen it...but can be negotiated privately with stiudent. Ifeel that the way forward is to decouple flying instructor pay from airborne time. I.e. we get paid from the moment we start briefing until the moment we finish with them. Perhaps at £10 per hour. At least then we will be paid for our input (i.e. engine off teaching) rather than the aeroplane time. This would result in no great cost increase for students over the course of their PPL/IMC - perhaps £200. Yet would make a big difference to FI pay and ensure students get groundschool as part of their PPL.
After all when you go to another professional, they do not just charge for the time they operate their instruments...they charge for consultation too. So should we.
I am sorry to say that after nearly 3 years of full-time FI work I am now going to get a job that pays me an income regardless of my input and quality. Even minimum wage at the local Tescos is more than I earn (after expenses) in a good month...let alone a wet july! After 1200 hours, I do not need the time anymore...just an income.
As for FI? I will still do some but on a leisure basis. This will create opportunities for new FIs to work for peanuts...and hence the cycle continues.