Potential slowdown in job opportunities for new instructors

[glenb]

I am regularly being approached by candidates wanting to do an instructor Rating.

The obvious question they ask is about employment prospects at the end of it.

My advice is to exercise caution. I have noticed a massive increase in demand for instructor ratings and a slight downturn in candidates wanting to do the CIR. i assume that with a recession starting to bite there are less charter jobs around. Therefore candidates are looking at other options namely the instructor rating. My concern is that most schools are now operating at close to capacity so in the future wont be hiring large numbers of new staff. With a lot of pilots commencing an instructor rating i see supply soon outstripping demand.

It is in no ones interest to pump out pilots to the dole queues. Interesting in soliciting opinions on my assesment of the situation. Cheers.

[coke drinker]

glenb...I've got a few mates out on that path up and down the east coast, finding nothing. There does seem to be a heap of them out there but I do just wonder how many are going to find nothing and give up on the industry completely. I'd hazard a guess and say quite a few.

[dabz]

I'm learning at Ardmore Flying School in Auck NZ and my schools filled up with instructors.

I heard from the previous induction of about 6 - 10 only 2 were hired which is worrying for myself since I'm one of the many 250hr CPL IR pilots out there looking for the next step.

I personally wouldn't want to do an instructors course without the school hiring me because a fresh instructors rating and no job as almost as useless as a type rating on a 747 with no hours and no job??? true??

Is it true most places asking for instructors want ones that don't require babying??

I'd love to know the truth here :8

[Unhinged]

Observation from inside the industry ... 6 months ago there was a definite shortage of instructors, today there clearly isn't. The change was quite sudden. There are only two ads that I know of for instructors in Oz at the moment. They're the first ones in weeks, and that's a big change from last year. Causes ? Effects ? Duration ? Who knows ... ?!!

[c100driver]

Welcome back to the normal supply curve!

There are more pilots than there are positions, and with student loans allowing any twit to get a licence it will get worse every 10 weeks as another wave of CPL pilots come out of the flying schools. Have you thought how much it is going to cost to keep an IR current for the next few years?

There are growth spurts that last 18 months and then follows 5 to 7 years of nothing.

Instructing for 3 years minimum was the norm for the last 30 years I have been in this business. This one I think is going to be worse as the small charter operators are regularly in the 'going out of business' columns in the papers. Aircraft costs are just going up, air fares are coming down. Flying schools will be creaming it all the way to the bank as people chase the "airline pilot" job but have to keep on paying to keep everything current.

[dabz]

always thought you can let the instrument rating lapse and just renew it with a few check rides when the time comes.. correct me if I'm wrong..

c100driver:Have you thought how much it is going to cost to keep an IR current for the next few years?

[The Green Goblin]

You can let it lapse for two years and only have to do a renewal, after that you have to do an initial issue. It also depends on the individual how much dual is required to bring them back up to standard :)

[Got the horn]

Mine was uncurrent for 5 years. All it took was a renewal, after a couple of sims and a couple of dual flights. No biggie. At least its easier to keep current these days (3 approaches, 3 hours IF in 3 months) than before (3 app, 6 hours IF in 3 months).

[puff]

The other issue with instructing is lots of pilots that left instructing for 'better' gigs have now lost the 'better' gigs and returned back to instructing as they had lots of experience. I know of quite a few Macair people that were G2 and above that have returned to instructing, possibly a few Pel Air now as well.

Esp in SEQ there certainly isn't much of a shortage of instructors, and it will be interesting to see what the next big intakes at the sausage factories produce if the economy continues the way it is. There is no doubt that the numbers of internationals from Asia/India will be on the decline with the industries over there also in a massive decline as well.

Also then watch for an increase in the already big competition for the work that is out there if it starts to decrease.