Do you need experience before getting a FI job?

[Fancy Navigator]

Hi
This is a stupid question, but here we go:
Do you need experience (as a newly qualified FI) to get an instructing job, or is it very easy to find a job straight after completing the training?
As I said, a stupid question....:{ :sad:
Thanks for your replies....
FNav ;)

[Han 1st Solo]

Answer no!

For PPL schools anyway. You can't get a job somewhere like oxford but any PPL school should be willing to take you on, mine would and does the almost all instructors that have come and gone from my school were newly qualified most in house. The FI course doesn't make you a good instructor, that comes with practice all schools know this. The course hammers home the basics so your first students will be the guinea pigs allowing you to build experience and confidence in your judgement. Thats why you are restricted initially so that you can't cause to much damage, you will have experienced instructors to advise you and give you guidence.

Hope that helps.

Han. :ok:

[Freebird17]

Most new Instructors will initially be given Air Experience Flights/Trial Lessons to cut their teeth on, or PPLs for club checkouts. The brand new FI might find himself checking out a 20,000 hour airline captain!

[GusHoneybun]

Everybody goes from test to teach without any gaps in their logbook.
I don't necessarily agree with the above post about only doing trail flights to begin with. It depends on the school that you work at.
If you work for a large school, then yes, you will start out with trail flights, work up a student base and then you progress as your students do. Takes quite a bit of time to 'cut your teeth' as they say. Plus it takes anything up to 6 months before you are unrestricted as you don't get the solo sign offs.
Conversely, if you work for a small school with a small number of instructors you find that from day one you are in the deep end teaching all aspects of the PPL syllabus. It also takes much less time before you are unrestricted, typically 6 weeks.

Horses for Courses really.

[BigEndBob]

And don't trust anyone you fly with, assume they are all trying to kill you no matter what their experience.