Advice requested on how to get an Instructing job

[grade_3]

Advice requested please!

I am a Aust. Grade 3 Instructor / CPL, with no instructional time or commercial experience.

I am currently looking for an Instructing job.

Does anyone have any advice / tips on the methods they used to get them their first instructing job?

I'm especially interested in anyone out there who went "independent", i.e. recruited their own students, or, alternatively, didn't get a possie with the school they completed their rating with and got a spot elsewhere.

Currently I have plans to run aviation theory courses in my local High Schools and TAFE's as a way to get some classroom experience and exposure to some students, is this a good idea? What other methods have you come across that work?

Thanks in advance.....


Grade_3

[A Very Civil Pilot]

I don't know if the situation in the UK is tha same as in Oz, but I got my first instructional job by walking into the club as the CFI was talking about getting a new instructor. A great many jobs go to who ever is in the right place at the right time.

OK the UK is a bit smaller, so it's easier to do the rounds, but it should still be worht a try for you.

[azzie]

Pick a flying school that does a reasonable amount of hours, see what the situation is with their present instructors, ie: do any of them have enough time that they are looking at moving on, and then hang around. Clean planes, sweep the hangar, make the CFI a cup of tea....whatever it takes to get a reputation as a hard worker. Eventually you will find the odd flights coming your way, until you are getting regular flying hours. Sounds like quite an old-fashioned way to get a job I suppose but it still works.

The thing I've learned is that you need brownie points and you can never get enough of these. I have a regular job now and I still clean a lot of planes.....subsequently the flying keeps on coming.

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"if there is no peril in the fight, there is no glory in the triumph"

[Fission]

Grade_3

Be prepared to work casual for a while at a preferred school. I hung around drinking coffee, filling and washing planes with occasional flights. My big break happened when I got the chance to run PPL and CPL courses. For some odd reason all my students kept passing :). When my income from the courses started attracting the attention of the owner he put me on full time to save costs - I now do occasional courses but get shedloads of hours !

Good Luck !

[AV8 consultants]

Like Very Civil Pilot , I walked out of the course and spoke to every school on the strip giving out resumes personally. The funny thing is the last school I spoke to was the job I got, and I didn't even give them a resume.Says alot for being at the right place at the right time!

You have to talk to them and sell yourself not in flying experience terms but what you can do for the school - "multiskilled" is the catch phrase at the moment. If you can answer phones, wash planes, find your own students and have had training at a varied amount of schools, the boss will like you alot.
It will help tremendously if you can find a few students to bring to the school. It shows initiative and desire. Expect not to be paid for all the secondary stuff and do lots of non flying related work.The upside is you will have your first job and like the wise man said; "The longest journey starts with the first step" SELL YOURSELF remember to smile alot and listen.

An idea like I have done is to organise a FREE Learn to Fly seminar at a school. Advertise in the local paper take bookings on the phone to get names and addresses for follow up later! Have a talk about learning to fly to the people who turn up. Discuss what's involved etc for a couple of hours. Show the people how easy it is and get them to be hands on with the a/c ask questions. Afterwards offer then a BBQ or coffee tea and bikkies and I'll guarentee you will get at least 2 bites. The ones that want to think about it you can call later from the list of contacts!! Don't be pushy just interested in them.

Do this once a month and you will be off to a good start, make the boss sooooo happy because you are bringing in the business. They will definitely give you a job.Hope it helps. GOOD LUCK!!!!

[chicken6]

I finished my CPL etc. at a school which churned out "professional" pilots at a great rate of knots into a market that was already overcrowded. I decided that although I was perfectly well qualified to start the instructing course and may even do quite well at it, it would be a bit more sensible to do it where I would get work afterwards. It may also have helped my chances that I spent a bit of money getting a few ratings with them first, but I found that legwork and taking your CV in personally is the best way to find where you want to be. Basically if you've never heard of them they can't be that good, so go to the places you know, find one you like and be prepared to work. If you get a job there all power to you, if you don't you have to keep smiling! :) People who don't smile send the wrong image to get given work. Also be ready to demonstrate an airtight knowledge of what you have done, and a readiness to learn what is to come.

Other hints mentioned here are common sense ones as well, but I haven't seen these mentioned.

Enjoy the hunt! It makes getting the regular flying days that much more interesting if you know the options and your reason for being somewhere is that you both want each other, rather than you having to beg.

PS are your initials GG? I assume you're an Aussie - do you read aus.aviation?

[grade_3]

Thankyou to all who have replied to this thread. :)

The info that you've type has made me a lot more comfortable because I've been thinking along similar lines to much of the advice given.

Currently I'm trying to get employed as a casual at a large flying school on a BYO students basis, so I'll be working on that for a while. They are not really busy at the moment, but they are working at it and I believe the potential is there.

AV8: I've thought of running an introduction to aviation seminar before, in fact I'm currently working on such a thing to run in high schools and TAFE in my local area. Glad to hear it works ;)

Chicken: Yes, I'm an aussie, Yes I read Aus.aviation but no, sorry, not GG here.

Once again, thanks for everyone's comments, they are much appreciated.


grade_3

:) <- Note I'm still smiling!!!!