Instructor Hours per Month

[finals24]

As a relatively new instructor I am concerned about the low number of flying hours I am logging. The primary purpose of the job is to build hours and my remuneration is linked to flying hours. These two factors together are concerning me!

I realise that it takes time to build up a student base but from what I have seen todate, it is easy for the School to overstaff with instructors if they have little or no financial penalty for doing so.

Therefore I would be interested in other views as to how many hours a full time FI would expect to log in a month such as April with 'average weather.

Finals24

[Esperanza]

I've been instructing for +10 years and I usually reckon to fly approximately 550 hours/ year on average.

The unfortunate truth is that if you're working as an FI in the UK then you're always going to struggle to fly as much as you would like to. I think that this April I've probably only flown about 40 hours. Having said that I'm a stickler for only going flying if the weather is suitable for the student. This obviously means that I always fly a few hours less than a less conscientous (but better off) instructor.

['I' in the sky]

The primary purpose of the job is to build hours !?!

[silverknapper]

I noticed that too. Not really a nice attitude.

[flying paddy]

This attitude that we instructors are only here to build hours so we can move on to better things has to change. Some of us wish to be career instuctors and enjoy passing on our knowledge. I would suggest that anyone who is in it for just hour building should look else where. You should ask yourself just how professional you are. You cannot possible be giving your best to your student. It is just that attitude that leads us to be the bottom of the pile.

As a proud instructor, I would like to make one other point. When I qualified as an instructor my very first paid flight I was in charge, all the responisiblity lay squarely on my shoulders, and I was flying with a very inexperienced pilot. If I had just started with an airline, I would be with a senior Captain, and have a lot less responsbility earning a lot more money.

So come on if you want to be an airline pilot go be one, but those that can teach.

[FlyingForFun]

I agree whole-heartedly with comments about building hours. The reason I instruct is because I love flying and I love instructing. At some point I will probably move on to the airlines, if nothing else because I can't afford to live on an instructor's salary, and the hours I'm building by instructing will no doubt help with that - but that's not the reason I'm doing it.

Notwithstanding that, though, your story sounds extremely familiar. Have a read of this thread (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=134489). From personal experience, I would suggest that if you are working for a school who does not pay you a daily retainer, and you are not happy with the number of hours you are getting, you should quit and find another school to work for. That's what I did, and I haven't looked back since.

FFF
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[finals24]

Sorry that some of you chose to home in on my 'primary' purpose for instructing. I know of many instructors who did the job for a period to build hours and experience before getting airline jobs. Most were excellent and committed instructors.

For what it is worth, I love instructing and hopefully always display a professional attitude and approach. Although paid by the hour, I spend many unpaid hours helping out around the club.

My point is that I do not want to sit around with no work on days when the weather is good. When schools pay their instructors by the hour there is every incentive for them to opt to have too many instructors....there is no cost to them for doing this.

Hence my question, what do you consider is a reasonable number of hours to expect in an average month? I accept that it takes time to biuld a porfolio of students but I would like to have an understanding of what is reasonable!

[CRAZYBROADSWORD]

Teaching bacause you love it great but the truth is for most new pilot's instructing is the first job they can get,it was for me and I said I would never teach when I got my CPLH.however I have taken a number of people from nothing to PPLH and I honest think I care more about them learning than me flying but if a job came along tomorrow that did not have anything to do with instructing I would leap at the chance.Just do the job your in the best you can until you leave and then leave it at that I think,remember someones live may bepend on your instruction.

[ZK-DAN]

It's probably a case of being in the right place at the right time. I've been instructing part-time since January, my full-time job is with a large avaition company as an Operations Controller. I started with zero students and bugger all hours in the first couple of months. Now I've got 9 students, including 4 ab initio, the rest at various stages and probably averaging 4-8 hours per week. If I hadn't been there when the students came through the door I'd probably still be struggling for flying hours. The key is to be there; hang out at the aero club/flying club/flying school, drink obscene amounts of crappy coffee (particularly when the wx is crap) and talk to everyone who comes through the door. It's great for networking too, 3 of my students are sons of airline Captains- helpful for the future!

[-IBLB-]

It takes time. I wouldn't worry too much about it if i were you. I'm guessing you are young enough to fly around a little while. And even if you know that others are flying more, what are you going to do about it? quit?

I do agree with the rest though, that writing The primary purpose of the job is to build hours is not a good way of putting it. It may help you get to your eventual goal, but should never be your primary purpose.

Not logging alot hours is one thing, has anyone ever considered the opposite? I have been on the other side of the extremes, instructing 140+ hours a month, and i can tell you, that is no fun for anyone involved either.

-IBLB-

[Scoob]

There is nothing wrong with instructing because you want to build hours. I did it and never had a student who was unhappy with a lesson. If you are just sitting there watching the hobbs tick over then yes of course you should be fired because you are a bad instructor.
Your motive for becoming an instructor is irrelevant as long as once you are one you put all your effort into being the best instructor you can be. After half a year flying 120hrs a month I found myself not liking the job as much so I found another one as it is definatly not the place to be if you start not wanting to go to work. There can also be too much flying although I doubt you will find it in the UK.

If you want to be a career instructor be one but don\'t say people who want to build hours need to change their attitude because that has nothing to do with the quality of instruction. If someone just wants to build hours and neglects their students then yes they need to change their attitude and behaviour but not their reason for wanting to become an instructor as it has nothing to do with it.

[FlyingForFun]

Scoob,

Thanks for resurrecting this argument, which had just about gone to sleep. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: A feat which is even more noteable since, unlike most of the other posters, you haven't even attempted to answer Finals24's original question, even as an aside :rolleyes:

But, to answer your point: I agree 100% with what you are saying. I was taught by some very good hour-building instructors, I work with some very good hour-building instructors, and I consider myself to be an hour-building instructor.

What we objected to was the use of the word "primary". Finals said the "primary purpose of the job is to build hours".

When I wake up in the morning, I don't think to myself "I hope I build lots of hours today so I can move on to an airline soon." I'm more likely to think "I hope I can get X solo today," or "I hope I can find a way of teaching Y this aspect of flying which he's been struggling with in a way which helps him overcome his problems," or "I hope the weather is good enough for Z to do is QXC today." Second to that might be that I hope I earn enough money to take my girlfriend out for dinner, and somewhere way behind that, in the back of my mind, is the fact that my experience levels are slowly reaching those where airlines will start becoming more interested in me.

Finals24 posted again to clarify his position, and explain that his use of the word "primary" was misunderstood. I'm sure if he could start the thread over again, he would do so, but would miss out that word. As far as I'm concerned, that's the end of the issue, because it is now a non-issue.

As I said, I sympathise with Finals24, because I've been a very similar situation to the one he describes. So let's now either leave this thread to die a peaceful death, or else get back to issue of how many hours Finals24 is flying? Talking of which, Finals..... any updates?

FFF
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[D 129]

Just a thought ...

I've not managed it yet, but if we get to 100 hours in a rolling 28 (30 day ?) period, don't we have to stop for a bit ?

D 129