What are we all paid?

[MVE]

I am interested in what current pay is like for instructors in the UK.

No names but I work for a school in the south west.
£16 per flying hour only,
20% discount on solo hire rates
no retainer,
self employed so no holiday pay.
Basic PPL instructor.

I am also interested in rates for CPL/ME/IR/Aeros? other than CTC 38500 etc. any ideas?

[BEagle]

Chief Flying Instructor (FE, PPL, Night, IMC)
Self-employed
No hourly rate
Pay for my own flying at the same rate as everyone else

Eighty pounds per week plus a few LST/LPC fees now and then.


PPL-level instruction is unlikely ever to offer a realistic income to make it viable as an instructor's primary career. The industry needs to see the return of the enthusiastic part-time PPL FI whose primary income is from other sources - we cannot rely upon 'hours builders' with little experience.

Commercial FTOs need to select and bond high quality applicants for a minimum contract period (3-4 years) and pay them accordingly. They are sick and tired of losing their more experienced people to the airlines and need a more stable and dependable work force.

[MVE]

Thanks BBeagle,

The point of my topic is so we can all get an idea of what the industry is paying at the moment.
I think we all accept that the only people who will make any money at PPL instruction are the school owners!

MVE

[Speed Twelve]

1999-2000 - First job, PPL instructing, full-time, Scotland, earned £12K retainer and £10 an hour flying pay for every hour over 20 hrs/month. (School went bust...)

2000-2001 - PPL instructing, full-time, North-east, £500/month retainer and £5/hour flying pay.

2001-2004 - MoD Flying Scholarship and PPL instructing, Scotland, £500/month retainer and flying pay on a target-based sliding scale that ranged from £6/hour (most of the time) to £18/hour (often unattainable).

2004 - PPL instructing, part-time, Scotland, £18/hour flying pay.

2004-2005 - CFI in Midlands, the instructors received no retainer, £15/hour flying pay.

Now out of the civilian instructing game.

Hope this helps. You'll notice that I got paid the most 6 years ago as a newly-qualified FI...

ST

[pilotbear]

as an PPL/IMC FI A Few years ago £10 day retainer + £12 hr and £15 hr IMC
as an employed CRI/IRI £1800 month basic plus £14 hr flight and £12 hr g/s
again as an employed CRI/IRI and charter pilot £75 day plus £20 hr flight
as a freelance CRI/IRI doing generally advanced training as and when £45hr or £100 - £150 day
still freelance when not jet flying

[MadamBreakneck]

Think of the poor microlight instructor - no airline wannabe future, no point hours building, no epaulettes, muddy fields.

As AFI with a school typical pay is £15-£20 per flying hour with (maybe if you're lucky) a small wedge for doing a ground school. This goes up maybe a fiver when FI. Nothing when you're not flying.

Most give up after a year or two, some go on to set up their own school (then give up), a few succeed in sticking with it for more than a couple of years.

It's the hours builders and the hobby instructors in the GA flying schools who keep the price artificially low. The market would bear more - we know that because of the amount the Adventure retailers charge.

Maybe I should go back to that office job... :uhoh:

MB

[Genghis the Engineer]

.... which is why every microlight instructor of my acquaintance supplements their income with maintenance, hangerage, aircraft sales... and an increasing number decamp to spain or France for the worst of the winter.

But, the fact is that they need to be a flying school to get the customers through the door.

G

[orionsbelt]

Weekend Flying and mid week fill in Hols cover.
JAA CPL / FI / IMC/ Night / Aeros
£10 per hr flown / gnd school, no retainer and pay full flying rate for hire but free use of simulator.
Flew 270hrs as FI in last tax year and as self employed sole trader made a loss of approx £700 on flying activities excluding travel costs to regular place of work (50 mile round trip)
Can subsidise aviation due to Service and Civy Occupational pensions.
The two full time chaps have retainers but I can't see how they can earn more than £15k p/a max (if that )
Have some great flying mates, help them out with trips, renewals etc and try to be the traditional Club instructor, however that’s very hard to achieve when working flat out in a busy flying school environment

[silverknapper]

Remember the microlight instructor hasn't shelled out anything like an SEP instructor to get to their position.

[thereceiver2004]

full time PPL instructor - un restricted

self employed

£15 per flying hour
£25 per day retainer

depends on plane availability, 20% - 50% discount off solo hire rates

[RVR800]

The FTO pay drops down low in my experience when the owner is a FI with the aeroplane cut factored into their wage.

Those people want a return to the days when hobby PPL pilot filled in for nowt at the weekend. Vested interest.

Pay varies depending on where but from £5-18

[DFC]

Just an interesting addition to the question posed;

How much does the school charge for your services be it flight training or ground school and what percentage of that do you get?

Regards,

DFC

[MadamBreakneck]

Genghis the Engineer:every microlight instructor of my acquaintance supplements their income with maintenance, hangerage, aircraft sales... You obviously know the rich business owners, not the underpaid grunts who do most of the actual flying (presumably in the hope of becoming rich business owners - aha! there's the hook:*).
MB

[had enough]

a year with four weeks paid holiday.....:D

[freightdogg]

in 1989, i was on £19000, a free apartment, plus a return ticket home once a month. mind you we did work 30 bays on, 7 off.
:ok: