I enjoy instructing immensely and although it was an aid to my hour building, I would have chosen to do it anyway. I love it and will do it until the day I have to stop. I believe teach people at PPl level is all about instilling the basis of learning and enjoyment. I tell my students, whether they have commercial aspirations or not that at this level flying should be two things and if either is missing perhaps they should reconsider continuing their course of train. I believe their flying should be safe ( as in good airmanship and awareness, procedures and checklists, and forward planning and hopefully recognising situations and dealing with them before real problems arise) and fun. They enjoy the experience and have a positive and relaxed air to the learning environment. I think as PPL instruction goes a relaxed dress code it a good thing. I believe in people being smart and tidy, its important to give credibility, but in dressing casualy we are setting a more relaxed tone in an already stressful and tense situation for many students. How many students turn up in collar and tie. A PPL qualification is a gentle introduction to flying, which should teach and inform, and develop certain skills required to fly, and to find out if a person actually enjoys it and wants to pursue it further. Also the point made early on about about teachers and schools is not really a relavant one. Students and teachers dress the same. At school we are teaching children about a certain level of discipline, respect, and presentation in a working environment. Learning to fly is not and shouldn't be considered a working environment. Now I do agree that at a professional level a collar and tie is much more important, but i firmly believe its something to be avoided at PPL level. Enjoy it and learn. One interesting fact, naming no names and being as honestly objective as I can, the one flight school I have worked for that insists on a collar and tie, were the worst flight school you could wish to attend. From an inside view point I can say that while some instructors were very good, all were inexperienced and the vast majority of my collegues didn't give a stuff about the PPL student and basically used them to suit there own requirements. The training was poor, but at least they wore a collar and tie. The equipment at the establishment, in terms of A/C, whilst plentiful also left a lot to be desired. I got myself out of this place, because although I love instructing and needed to build hours at the time, it wasn't a place I felt happy to be associated with. All show and no substance. I went to a small friendly flying school and everything returned to normal. Part timers did what they could and made efforts for their students and gave encouragement and help. One day a new recruit joined our fraternaty, a collar and tie wearer amongst the midst of polo shirts, and even after being there over a year, he was the worst and most dangerous instructor you could find. Ignorant arrogant and self opinionated. but he did wear a collar and tie. Does that tell us something. Relax and enjoy your PPL flying and make it a safe and orderly, but calming and friendly experience. One last thing, this is something I have experienced and will leave for you to ponder. What would you prefer, clean or collar and tie. I have had many clean tidy casual instructors, but only in the collar and tie brigade have I found ones shall we say less than clean and with a certain odour. Personal cleanliness and being presentable and not exclusive to wearing a collar and tie.