WWW,
Yes, I learned the hard way that you get what you pay for in this industry. But people learning to fly don't know that. I didn't, and neither do all the wannabes asking on that forum for the cheapest place to learn to fly, and perhaps you haven't noticed that several times I've told them not to look for the cheapest, but for one with good instructors.
Your TV example is not a good one. If I go to a doctor I don't ask how much he's paid; if I send my child to a school I may know it isn't the best, but I still expect the teachers to do their best they can. Nurses are badly paid; so are lots of people. If you don't like a job you can always leave it; better that than doing it halfheartedly, for you and everyone else.
Yes I work for the pay packet. I also do my best, no matter how much or little I'm being paid, and no matter how much or little I like the job. If you do that, take it from me that you will find something positive in the worst of jobs; if you don't you'll never get anywhere. If you're a flying instructor who's only doing it for the hours then you shouldn't be doing it. It's also fairly obvious who does their best, and who just gets by, resenting the fact that they're badly paid, and wishing they were elsewhere. Two non-flying friends told me early on they didn't like the instructor I was having problems with; they didn't know why, but picked up on something in his attitude. I didn't because I was so excited about learning to fly that all common sense vanished for a while. But I learned.
I repeat what I said earlier - it's interesting that the good instructors are the ones who get the jobs they want easily. If my non-flying friends can pick up on personality traits, so can those recruiting for the airlines; they aren't stupid.
Whirly
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To fly is human, to hover, divine.