Hi,
Its all very noble saying we should be paid more... and believe me.. I wish we were, but market forces dictate..
If I demand (or even ask politely) for more money I expect that my boss will either tell me to stay with my current deal or quit.... If I lose my job or leave over pay dispute someone else will be willing to fill it at the same or less than I currently get (£12 per hour, no retainer). The only stipulation I have is that if I'm not paid a retainer I only have to be at work when I have to fly, as I'm not prepared to sit around for a whole day unpaid!
Now from my point of view, say 50 hours per month (and a lot more in the summer) at £12 an hour is a lot better than 0 hours per month and £0 per hour.
Its hard through the winter season, earning less than £100 a week, but quite managable in the summer.
FI's (unrestricted) really should be on a min of £20 an hour, and a retainer.. or even a salary + hourly rate to balance out the seasonal imbalance. We should also be paid for ground briefings(say £5)(it can of course be built into the hourly flying rate).
If you think that two hours of my time, including ground brief, an hour or so in the air and debrief is not worth say £25 then try hiring a plumber.. or an electrician.. or a painter or decorator..
However I feel that this situation is somewhat unlikely to happen.
Most students will have no idea how little their instructor is actually paid, they assume you're doing quite well out of it!!!
I dont think the hourly rate makes a huge difference... sometimes being too cheap is as bad as being too expensive... the "whats the catch-there must be hidden extras" suspicions come out. As long as you're not vastly more expensive than your local competitors then a school will attract students. (though being a lot more expnesive than local competitors hasnt held back the likes of Stapleford, Cabair and so on). If people really want to learn to fly, they will pay the going rate.. and find the money
As long as there are more FI's than there are jobs available and while people are desperate for hours. I guess its a little easier to dictate your terms if you are a QFI or CFI but for the new FI(R) its a case of take whats on offer.. cause if you dont someone else will. Its just like working in MacDonalds or your local corner shop or even at a supermarket checkout... they pay very little because they know that the staff turnover is enormous, for every disgruntled teen that quits, there will be more to replace him/her immediately.
There is also very little transparency in the FI Industry.. we can all easily find out the going rate for a Jet F/O or Turboprop Captain in any airline.. but I dont have a clue how much the instructors next door earn or what the guys and girls at Stapleford or Redhill or Cumbernauld etc are earning..... or what an instructor at Oxford or BAe earn.. perhaps this is something to work on.. maybe we could set up a website with all the info on.
Sorry for the unhealthy dose of realism. They're just my personal thought and ramblings, feel free to disagree if you wish!!
Loony