FI's answering the phone poll?

[Johe02]

I was always told if I wanted to be an instructor I would need some other way of supporting myself . .. so I have another business and very often people need to call me.

Question: When I'm with a student, do I put my phone on silent and try to call back later or do I excuse myself and take a quick call?

:hmm:

[Bravo73]

:confused: :confused: :ugh:

Put it this way, Johe02, if you were briefing a student and he suddenly interrupted you to answer a phonecall, how would you feel? :rolleyes:

And you're not even paying him to be there...


PS I hope that I've just taken the hook, line AND sinker...

[airborne_artist]

Assume that you are expecting a really critical call, and have a lesson booked. As the lesson starts, say "I'm expecting a really critical call, do you mind if I leave my phone on and answer it only if that person calls?" Good manners, so long as you don't do that for every lesson.

[Johe02]

briefing a student and he suddenly interrupted you to answer a phonecall,
Happens sometimes. . I accept the apologies and if they answer the call I assume it is important.
Its when they say, 'got to go, I'm just about to fly my helicopter' that gets me. :yuk:

[Sleeve Wing]

Quote : if you were briefing a student and he suddenly interrupted you to answer a phonecall, how would you feel? : Unquote.

Interesting, this one.
Most of my studes are self-employed businessmen/women or hold fairly high management positions.

This is 1) why they can afford to fly,and
2) Why I need to be understanding or I may lose them if I am too intolerant.
3) The flying is important to them but, by the same token, so is their livelihood
I'm fortunate that they arrange to fly during the week.
Some do take phone calls ( accompanied by apology )( usually during debrief as their phones have otherwise been switched off) - I assume that they need to, to continue their working day.

I'm afraid that, if they miss something due to these interruptions, then we go through it again either in the air or on the ground.
Its part of what I do and therefore I have to put up with it.
After all, they're paying !!

Rgds, Sleeve. :ok:

[foxmoth]

So what do you do when you are in the air? These people will not be able to get you then and must realise you are not available some of the time, so I would say leave the phone on silent, let them leave a message if it is important and then phone them back while the stude does the walkround (if the stude has not yet reached that stage you need to give the attention anyway), after all if you are in the air doing a lesson and they call at the start it will probably be over an hour before you can get to them, if a preflight brief you should only be 15 mins at the most. If you are doing a long brief then maybe you can answer the phone if you apologise and say this may happen, but if it goes more than twice I think you should turn it off anyway.:=

[GullWing]

As a "stude" I expect my instructors full attention if/when i am paying his wages. Flying means both our phone's are off, unless the call is vital.

I expect my instructors full attention just as he expects mine. :)

[Keygrip]

GullWing, et al - I 99% agree with you all.

However, just to play devils advocate, what if your "full attention" instructor was the "duty" instructor (at a flight school that gave a crap about its students) and ATC were trying to call him to say there had been an incident with a fellow student?

Should he ignore the phone and continue with your "How to fly straight and level" briefing, or put the emergency notification system into place?

I do have my cell phone switched on normally - but unless it plays the correct ring tone, it gets dumped straight to voice mail for pick up later. I just press one switch on the top and silence reigns (again).

If it plays the "right" tone, however, I'm sorry - but it gets answered very quickly.

On the reciprocal basis, however, if the "stude" (or candidate) gets a phone call - then I have absolutely no problem with them answering it, if they feel it is more important than what I'm saying to them. Those that don't think it's more important - dump it. No problem with that (to me (they ARE the client)).

[foxmoth]

However, just to play devils advocate, what if your "full attention" instructor was the "duty" instructor (at a flight school that gave a crap about its students) and ATC were trying to call him to say there had been an incident with a fellow student?
I would expect ATC to be calling the club, not my personal mobile, and then a head would appear round the door saying "sorry, something urgent has come up":sad:

[Bravo73]

Hear, hear, GullWing.

Some sense prevails at last... :D

[rmcdonal]

Instructors phone to silent.
Student can do whatever they like, if they are paying for my time they can do with it as they will. If that includes talking to a friend in the middle of a brief then my clock keeps ticking, and they cop the bill at the end of the lesson. If it starts to effect their learning then I point that out to them, but if it takes them extra time to get the hang of something because they keep getting interrupted by THEIR phone then more money for me ;) .
Most of the time when a students phone rings they check to see who is calling (caller ID) and go from there.
Don't normally have this problem mid-flight (Except when my phone rings and it's the flying school telling me to land)

[tonker]

Whilst working for a certain school in Cranfield i would often be invited to sit in on the CFI's FI groundschool.

Once the phone rang with 2 students in the school, and the bosses idiot son had to answer the phone. Unfortuantely for him his new wife had just found emails he'd been sending to other women off the internet(meetaninmate).

After 5 minutes of miserable pathetic excuses he burst into tears pleading with his soon to be estranged wife.

Can you imagine the embarresment and shame at sitting in a brief with all this going on in the next room and 2 PPL students planning a trip.

Trust me if the place is run by Steptoe and Son, answer the phone. It might be their school but it's your business.

[IRRenewal]

Son called Ben?

[tonker]

:O Thats the one

[IRRenewal]

I worked there for a while years ago. Never did get paid I seem to remember. Should send them an invoice one of these days to wind up the Yorkshire man who runs the place.

Ps: Tonker, agree with your assessment of the son............

[tonker]

I didn't get paid my last weeks pay because of "cash flow problems"

Went in a week later to pick up a headset to find a new twin on the ramp!!!

[fireflybob]

If I have an important meeting/briefing then my approach is to take my mobile phone out of my pocket and switch it off in full view of the other party with some comment like "Before we get started I'll just turn my mobile phone off so we get no interruptions". This subtly conveys the point that I my main priority is the briefing and that the student will have my full attention.

Quite often the other party will then follow suit or maybe make a comment asking whether it's ok if he/she leaves his phone on in case urgent business comes up. As a flight instructor the latter is ok by me as many students need to keep their businesses ticking over to pay for their flying!