I think the rich folk you all talk about already have their expensive FTOs and they already have their cheap FTOs. If they want to pay extra they go to scabair and if they want cheap they go to the club next door.
It doesn't matter how you look at it the wage of an instructor is never going to go up unless there is a shortage and we all know there isn't much chance of that either presently or in the near future.
BEagle, I disagree with your comments about low houred instructors. Yes it's true that there is a lot for them to learn, but what they lack in experience, they have in enthusiasm. I have to say that with the amount of long faces I have seen in flying clubs lately I don't think I would want to be tought by a mature instructor, constantly wingeing about how much money he's on.
If it bothers you that much go work as a rubbish man or a train driver. They earn plenty of dosh. Furthermore when you say these instructor don't know what they're talking about, I would say that they probably picked up a book a lot more recently than you and probably understand the theory alot better than someone who hasn't studied in ten years or indeed got a BCPL and didn't do any theory at all!
Furthermore, it doesn't matter who I speak to at the airfield I teach at, there isn't an instructor there with or without vast numbers of hours who wouldn't take an air transport job if offered. So I guess that makes them all wannabes.