Instructors may feel they are being shafted, and to a certain point I agree they are. However those of you in the UK and USA should take a look at other countries and be thankful for the pay conditions you have.
As much as it feels hurtful for you to receive only about 45% of each dual flight, consider this. In NZ it would be typical for an instructor to receive about 12% of the total fee charged by the employer.
Schools and Aero Clubs could charge enormous fees for flying and pay their staff salaries that better reflect the time, money and effort put in by instructors to gain their qualifications and experience. But then the option of flying would be out of reach for a large proportion of the population. Those who fly for pleasure would find alternative forms of aviation such as gliding, microlighting etc, and customer bases would diminish, causing widespread lay offs and closures.
In the end, if you don't like it, find an alternative, because it's been like this for years and it is unlikely to change. As an instructor I enjoy my work, the financial hardship is better than flying a desk in a bank or insurance company, and at 50 wishing I hadn't passed up the flying experiences and opportunities I had when I was younger.
I guess it is similar to the scenario of a struggling artist who lives off the small financial retuns from their work and tolerates it because it is their life.
Merry Xmas and happy holidays,
Kermie
