a38
no mate that's not what i'm saying, all i was suggesting was that, and you may disagree, that when you are a new ATPL holder, most people don't want to be a flying instructor - there are those that do, and as you said, they are the people who teach us guys how to do it, but i am not sure whether many people actually have a lifelong ambition to be an FI - again, i'm sure that there are those who do, but most, i would bet, want to end up flying fares for an airline. i have every intention of doing FI one day, however I want to do it when I have had my time doing airline work. again, there will be those who, and i know at least one person who does, want to have a career doing FI work.
it IS a good honest trade, and a taxing one, but unfortunately, and i don't find it particularly fair, it is not what most people aspire to - indeed, my experience of many, many atpl students, both integrated and modular, it has turned out to be the case. sad fact of life, it's a difficult trade because wages are low and a good job seems to be hard to get into. by the time most people have spent the substantial outlay on flying training, and both ways are particularly expensive, i would be surprised to find too many people who, when asked, say they aspire to many other things than airline work of some sort. i have my ambitions that are not big jets out of major airports, but as for most people, i intend to do that work once i have experienced life as an airline pilot, which you can't deny is what must be 90% of atpl holder's ambition.
just to reiterate, FI's do do an extremely good job, and without them, it seems pretty bleeding obvious that no one would be doing the flying thing, but i have to say that i have only very rarely met one who has had his ATPL for under 5 or 6 years, who is not handing his CV to airlines at every available opportunity. correct me if i'm wrong!