A few questions

[athelos]

hello, my real name is ben and im 17 years old. I have wanted to be a pilot all my life and i have a few questions (oddly enough) about flying intructing and i hope im doing right by posting them on this particular forum.

firstly, i would like to know of how you people got involved with flight intructing. Did you go through the schools or was there some other way about it? I ask as i was going to apply to a flight school but now i am having second thoughts. Could i not get the same results by getting a temporary job to fund my liscense or have i got confused along the way?

The second question is how avaliable are instructing jobs? If i go through with this am i going to be stuck without a job for a long time or is it relatively easy to find a job?

Thirdly, what are the average salaries for a flight instructor. Ive had a breif read about it and some say its dreadful, others say it depends on where you work but ive seen know actual figures. My opinion of dreadful could be alot worse than what another thinks. I know that its rude to ask how much people earn but as i am considering to do this full time i really need to know so hard figures.

I suppose i'll leave it there. I could go on asking alot more but for now ill stick to these three. If anyone does have any other pointers, facts or stories please let me know. As ive said i really want to do this and the more i know the better i'll feel.

Thanks.

[the dean]

hi ben....

i have looked at your posting a few times during the day...

i have been flying 40 years instructing for 20 and examining for 6 so maybe i can offer some assistance

there's a lot in your few questions...and i think some of us have been intimidated by that fact...:eek:

it will take a longer text to answer..than the text of the questions and i'm not sure where to start...but i've had a long day in the office ( as flying is my passion..not my job...) and so i just wanted to say hi so you know someone is out there...and hopefully to morrow i can contribute something helpful..;)

i am sure there others out there with better words than i..

anyway if i get a chance to morrow..

come on guys...help the young aviator....others know more about the instructing thing in the uk than i..:D

dean

[Han 1st Solo]

Hi Ben.

I got into instructing as a way to build hours before moving into the airlines which hopefully after three and a half years instructing shouldn't be too much longer. This is popular with lots of people looking to build hours before moving into the airline world, but you do find caarer instructors out there, it is difficult though to survive on instructor wages especially for PPL training, it does improve if you are teaching commercially, or for the military through DEFTS but this takes time and experience to achieve. Personally I get £18000 a year, thats as a PPL CFI, my instructors at present get a £500 pound a month retainer and £15 an hour for flying. There are better pay and conditions out ther but also much worse. Personally I love instructing its a great job and would recommend it to anyone, even if your goal is the airlines. You learn so much about flying, meet lots of great pople and gain an immense sense of achievement when your students go solo or pass their flight test. I for one will still be looking to instruct once I move into the airlines as its much more fun.

To go a little further I recommend going for a trail lesson, see what you make of it. If as I suspect its everything you thought it would be do your PPL. From there you will need to build 150 hours do the CPL or ATPL ground exams, do the CPL and then the instructor rating. So you are talking serious money to get to even the instructing point. At present though there does seem to be a dearth of instructors so after qualifying you shouldn't have a problem getting a job.

Hope this answers some of your questions, if you have anymore feel free to ask.

Regards,

Han. :ok:

[RudeNot2]

Ben

Forgive me butting into the conversation here - I started my basic PPL (A) training at the beginning of the year and have managed to accumulate approx 24hrs flying and 4 exams to date. I too am looking to move onto bigger and better things as regards flying but also need to work at present to fund the flying and pay the mortgage.

I am looking at taking the ATPL route after the PPL and hour building and then move on to do the FI course. I know that it will take a year or two but these are my intentions. I am at present 32 and have little or no aspiration to fly a pressurised cigar tube of 18-30's to their next bevvy session. If things went awry and there were few FI posts available then I would look to do charter work if at all possible but still keep my eyes open for an instructing post. The pay may not be great but after spending 16 years working in IT and getting little thanks etc it would be doing something that I enjoy and being able to send people off on their first solos must be exhilarating to say the least if not a little nerve wracking!!

Thats my tuppence - I'll get off the podium now and let someone else offer their wisdom!!!

Take care

Dave

[athelos]

Thanks to all of you for your answers. Youve been a great help already.

Han, you said i should take a trail lesson. I have actually already done that ( a birthday present from my dad and nan http://www.pprune.org/forums/images/infopop/icons/icon7.gif ) and you were right it was everything i thought it would be and more. It was that lesson and talking to my instructor that helped me make up my mind.

I had planned to go onto flying those "pressurised cigar tubes" as dave affectionatley knows them :P but after that flight i fell in love with the smaller plane.

It has settled my mind a lot knowing that there will most likely be a job out there for me once im finished and those income figures dont seem bad at all. But then that could just be because im looking at them through the eyes of a 17 year old who has no real financial responsibilities as yet.

Im sure I'll be able to think of some more questions soon enough but not for the moment. Thanks again for the help and if there is anymore anyone has to say i would appreciate it greatly!

Ben