Having done both, I found instructing the most rewarding and enjoyable by a long stretch.
It makes the world of difference who you work for, not just financially, in fact not even financially, more the type of instructing available and other life style issues. I worked 5 days a week with the same 2 days off a week, I could plan and enjoy life. I did this on a fixed salary. (above award) I flew all around Australia in all sorts of aircraft.
I was fortunate enough to be able to instruct abinitio, PPL, CPL, instructor ratings, Aero's formation flying, CIR's, and also do some charter work for a friend in Barons chieftains and aero commanders. On weekends I had the opportunity to tow banners over Sydney and the Central Coast. All this was part of my job as an instructor.
Instructing is far more than "circuit bashing", those comments come from people who have either never been an instructor or worked for a sausage factory, or possibly just have a tiny penis I suspect.
The comments that suggest an instructor simply sits and watches the student day in day out without flying the aircraft them selves are also naive.
land a job with a good school and it can be the best job, (money doesn't allow it to be a career unfortunately.)
Charter
It can be fun too, depends on who you work for again.
Most charter tends to have a fair bit of time sitting on your bum in remote places. The aircraft maybe faster if thats what blows your hair back. Speed just determines how far you go rather than make a trip shorter in a lot of cases. i.e. if a customer wants to go from Brisbane to Brirdsville, they are unlikely to hire a C210, (too slow) if the want to fly from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, speed doesn't really matter.
If your lucky you may get a charter job that runs more like RPT, i.e. fly passengers to a destination, drop them off and pick up another bunch and fly them home or even better, come home empty. im sure you get the idea.
Survey work can be fun, generally long hours in straight lines, again long periods away from home.
Charter is more a means to an ends, its not at all career orientated.
Then you have airlines.
Well that used to be the end goal due to $$$$ and lifestyle. Thats changing of
course.
If you are lucky enough to land a job with any of the airlines, the money is better, the life-stye is better, the flying in general, well from my perspective is boring as bat ****. I can't wait for retirement. It (airlines) simply allows you to live better away from work.
Last edited by RENURPP; 17th Apr 2011 at 06:19.