Thanks for all your thoughts - I will be writing to the magazine and offering them an article on being/becoming an instructor in the near future - watch this space.
Regards
Mystery Shopper
EGBKFLYER - I would agree that the time and commitment required to train as an FI is huge - however I feel that if we start encouraging pilots to consider instructing as a career, the industry may actually start to turn around and reward instructors for what they are worth. I would say you're assessment is absolutely spot on with regard to keen and student orientated instructors - I am lucky enough to work with two people who fit that description. I also agree with your comment that the responsibilities of instructors are not adequately rewarded financially. The flight training industry needs a rethink - thankfully I may be in the correct position to start doing something about it - only on a small scale, but good ideas tend to spread quickly! Thanks for your comments
SLEEVE WING - you're absolutely right about his hours, in that they will be useful to him. I think the point the article is trying to make is that young pilots who are interested in a career in aviation will not consider training as an instructor because they may not be able to move on to other things - such as flying for an airline. Hopefully a well written article about being/becoming an instructor might spark some interest - we can but wait and see. Thank you for replying.