Where to become and instructor in the US

[lotusbridger]

Can anyone reccommend a flight school to do my CFI CFII and MEI at, in the US, preferably with an M1 visa and work opportunities?

I have an FAA 1st class medical and Commercial ASEL AMEL IR and tailwheel endorsement.

I have contacted my old flight school and ANO but received no replies at all. I chose them as the most likely and most interesting.
Both advertise opportunities for international flight instructor students on their websites.

I am suprised at the lack of contact as I made the initial email approach from the point of wanting to pay for my ratings with the additional idea of working for them. (The head of the ANO has recently been posting on PPrune regarding his school...)

I have 450TT and extensive experience of a couple of other airsports.

[razzele]

as far as i know most schools will not offer a visa (j1) which allows u to recieve pay for instruction time unless u do a complete a full course with them.

i believe that there is a restriction on the prior experience levels of candidates that they accept. ef no more than 100hrs no IR or ME.


however I have no idea about M1 visa



cheers


r

[cfimei]

There's a number of problems facing you at the moment.

First, an awful lot of US citizen instructors are looking for work so schools are bound to be more selective in who they hire.

An M-1 visa CAN allow you to gain some post qualification work experience, currently 1 month work for each 4 months of completed study. If you do all your instructor ratings in say two months (which is realistic) then you wouldn't have accrued enough study time to gain even a 1 month work credit. The M-1 visa and related work opportunities is better suited to those starting from scratch.

The final alternative is for the school to petition immigration for a green card, usually the H visa program but again, with so many local instructors available it's a long shot.

You could of course get married (!) but realistically speaking I'm sure you can use your FAA instructor licenses in the UK, doing BFR's, IPC's and maybe even some training on N reg aircraft.

[ENG Brit]

The J-1 Visitor Exchange Program visa is generally the preferred choice for non-US citizens and the visa is organised and sponsored by the sponsoring agency (usually the Flight School). This may be issued for 18 mo with a 6 mo extension.

The J-1 allows the applicant to gain "related [paid] practical experience" after completing training and for the remainder of the visa.

Last i checked though, the J-1 may not be issued if the applicant already holds a certificate/rating above the PPL/IR level (ie not a professional license). Check carefully with individual flight schools and ask for the reference they base their answer on.

The M-1 visa, as cfimei correctly stated, allows for 1 month for 4 moths training of "practical expereince". Realistically, this is a very limited option to gain paid experience. Preference would be for the J-1.

If you have the interest and money to study at an accredited post-secondary establishement, there is the F-1 visa which as some part-time "practical [paid] expereince" opportunites, but read the small print re. how many hours you may "work"

J-1 visa requires an US Dept. of Education "accredited" program (nothing to do with the FAA) AND be a Part 141 Approved School (everything to do with the FAA), so there are fewer of them around.

US ICE (immigration and Customs Enforcement) are looking carefully at US Schools right now. There is a background check required of the student (usual criminal type check) costing US$130. See AOPA for more.

It is still a worthwhile endevour if planned carefully....ask around for previous students at the schools youre looking at.

Hope this helps.
ENG Brit

[bafanguy]

Try Ari-Ben Aviation in Ft. Pierce, FL. They have EU people working for them. Good luck.

[tooyoungtodie]

I have been consulting with an immigration Lawyer in Florida and he warned me that the J1 visa is a dangerous visa to have if you intend to stay in the US. The reason is that unless it is one of the rare versions that dont have certain restrictions after the 2 years max you have to go home and stay there for at minimum of 2 years. If you intend to live and work permanently in the US then you would be better off getting in on an H1-B visa for graduate professionals. This visa only allows you unfortunately to work for a company that is related to your degree, which is not very helpful if you want to fly. Another thing i found out the other day from a large school ( ATW i think) is that a new instructor will only earn only $10,000 to $15000 dollars a year because there are so many students that want to build their hours and this keeps the wages very low. The maximum i have read you can earn unless you are an instructor manager is $30,000

[lod]

Send DESERT BUDGIE a pm. When i was in naples last may he was doing it there. Its a good school and well run with nice guys and gals

[ENG Brit]

The J-1 does indeed require one to remain outside the US (except for tourist type visits) for at least 1 year (may be upto 2, but not sure)...but within that time, many non-US students who have studeid and worked hard can have built some flight time to kick-start their careers in their home country. It is somuch easier to obtain (through an approved school) than an H1-B.

I looked at the H1-B and for those that have a Degree and probably some associated work-history in that field AND can find a US sponsor (not so easy)...i'd say go for it..as it gives upto 3 yrs work privilage with an extension upto 3 yrs i believe. BUT this assumes a lot of ducks line up and that the student is appropriately qualified. Good luck if this is you.

Regarding flight pay...varies alot from around $10 pr hour to $25 or $30 per hour. Note almost all flight schools pay on the basis of billable work done (flight hobbs meters, pre/post briefings and logged ground school)....Many seem to fall into the $15-$18 epr hour range...depending on how busy the school can keep you. It is possible to make $20,000 to $30,000 per year as a CFI...In Los Angeles, I was on $22/hr rising to $27 and made just over $30k in my first year...but that (helicopter) school paid better than average....factor in to the cost of living in the area, not just the bottom line $$$

There really are jobs out there for new CFI's if you are willing to re-locate and be flexible and show you are keen. Some CFI's i've come across just dont want to move out of their local area and wonder why employers are not batering their doors down with offers. Apply to any and all schools you are interested in...dont wait to see if they put an advert online for a job...many dont!

best of continued luck.

[The Greaser]

When I had a J-1 and worked in the states back in 1999-2001 I did not have the 2 year rule included on my visa and neither did anyone else i was there with. Maybe things have changed now though.