Hey...need advice on FI course

[wolanyo]

Hello guys/gals.

Just got a shiny new ME CPL (IR) and would like to undertake a flight instructor course.

My question is whether to pay £6.5-7k for a reputable outfit (eg Cabair) or go for £5.5k with the local flying school?

wolanyo

[WingDown]

I would save your money and do the course at a reputable local flying school. You will have more chance of being employed on completion of the course and will probably get to know many of the students you will be instructing. The majority of students who completed their FI at my local flying club subsequently go on to work for them due to the high instructor turnover.

I can only presume that your chances of getting a job with one of the large FTO's on completion of the course is very small due to the majority of professional training they complete, requiring experienced instructors.

WD

[wolanyo]

Thanks WD.

May I ask where your local flying school is and how much the FI course is/was?

I am also considering going to the US to complete the course. Would it be detrimental to my future prospects of instructing in the UK?

wolanyo

[WingDown]

The school is Old Sarum Flying Club near Salisbury and I believe the cost of the FI is around £5000 on the 152. Check www.oldsarumflyingclub.co.uk for more information.

As I'm not an instructor its difficult to say whether doing the course in the states will affect your chances of employment over here. For the difference in cost between here and the states, once flights and visa administration have been factored I imagine the saving would be rather small. It may well be wise to choose a school in the UK where the chances of gaining a job at the club you trained at are high.

With the upturn in the job market the vacuum on FI's at all schools means that many FI students, on completing their course, fill the vacancies of the higher hour FI's moving onto the airlines.Whatever you choose, best of luck with it all.

WD

[Craggenmore]

er...why not try the Instructors Forum for these types of questions? You'll get a far better response. There are also lots of useful threads within the Instructors forum about UK vs US with current CFI inputs that you can read if you use the search function.

If you do go to a school that is not local then choose carefully. Certain UK FI Instructors carry a reputation where if you trained under them, then schools know the product that they are getting. A great FI Instructor can help you get the job even before interview due to their reputation within the small circle of flight instruction.

From my own knowledge and having reads these kinds of threads before I was a FI (on the Instructors Forum!) you might like to check out Goodwood FS and Old Sarum FS as you hail from the South. There are others of course but these Southern schools immediately spring to mind, (I dont know anything about Northern schools :} )

Personally, if you want to instruct here then I would train here. You only go to local areas BUT, as the other poster said, you will meet prospective students and get to know the club and get known around the club! That can mean you hit the ground running with a crop of students after passing rather than only having a drip feed of students to start with. Time most certainly will drag if that happens, plus you won't fly as much, therefore you won't earn as much.

Plan well :D

[wolanyo]

Thanks Craggenmore.:ok:

Very helpful. Will make my decision easier.