JOB MARKET
It's sad to see a usefull forum underused like this,
West Michigan have decided to train PPL instructors up to 509/682 level. Pay is as advertised in Flight - $50/55K but with a relocation allowance and you get to become a Professor. Its tax free as well.
BAes will be recruiting soon for Jerez de la Frontera. Aprox 40 nm north of Gibralter, cheap living costs and it really does have good weather. If I was still instructing full time this would be a place I would consider. Don't know yet on the pay.
Oxford are recruiting still. All the new contract instructors have long faces as they still haven't scrapped the famous 'Oxford Bonus' - work for a few months and you owe CSE money. I heard from my pal that the manager has changed and they are trying to fix it. At the moment though they have to break the company order book to make the money offered at interview - if you bend a plane due to fatigue it will be interesting - A few are doing 6/7 day weeks, 14hrs+ a day. Typically they earn £5K less than promised
SFT pays well for instructors, my old IR inst still works there from choice and it seemed a 'happy ship' when I was there.
All these schools will have to take in PPL instructors soon if they don't already. The supply of ex military has dried out and demand is increasing. If your a QFI give it a try. I enjoyed it. But don't jump straight at the first offer, you can afford a bit of window shopping.
Most PPL schools are short of instructors. I've only met one person doing the exams/GFT who wants to become one. It used to be that everyone was en-route to slave labour. With the shortage pay scales have gone up and crusty club owners are now paying retainers for the first time. Its an Instructers market out there. Don't sell yourselves short. The cadet schools are probably going to be feeling the pinch. Join BALPA or if your near Oxford they have an Instructors Union though it seems to be treated like the instructors themselves. Don't know if Cabair/BAes/SFT et al have similar organisations.
Hope this thred starts something.
Looking through the canopy you will see the horison cuts........