It is about time something was done.
I was once one of those 200 Hr instructors and yes I did know bu**er all, but over time I learnt, gained experience and competance in the same way that any person starting any new job would do.
It does annoy me that there is this attitude that all low time guys are useless, they may not be as good as very experienced people, but tell me in which job anyone is. The only pre-requisite to being a professional is a willingness to learn, as we all do all the time.
Should flying instructors be paid more?? Of course. I earn more as sailing instructor and I have friends who are fitness instructors and they get more than any flying instructor I have met.
The main problem in the U.K is shown in BEagle's post. We are always trying to compete with the US. Why?? Everything is different here from fuel costs, maintainance, insurance, landing fees etc. etc...
So if we can't compete on equal terms of cost, then we need to change how we ALL do business.
How is it that on Helicopters, most instructors earn around £30-60 an Hr. An R22 costs around £210/Hr and people are willing to pay it.
In most cases at the school I instruct at an extra £20/hr wouldn't be noticed by most people. They Know flying is expensive and that's that. Of course it would send a few off to the states, but in reality that number would be very few. Not many of the people I've met can afford the time (not the money) to go off and do a full time course in the US.
Unfortunately in the U.K there is an attitude that you can't make money from flying (ex. How do you make a small fortune from aviation?- Start with a big one.) Things like this hold an industry back.
Personally I never really wanted to be an instructor, it was just a way of hour building until I got a "proper" job. Now 18 months on I would love to stay as an instructor, but I can't afford to. So I got a proper job and have left the instructing on the back burner. So into my place comes another 200 Hr bloke and the cycle starts again. Very sad as my experience has been lost and my students will have to put up with a "sub-standard" (for want of a better phrase) until he gains in experience and confidence.
If anyone is thinking of starting a trade union or association then e-mail me as I'm interested and so should everybody else be.