Market for flight instructors in the U.K. at the moment ?

[adamlouis]

How is the market for flight instructors in the U.K. at the moment? Specific to unrestricted flight instructors with 200 hours dual given at least, but no ME or IR.

Many (and descent) opportunities available?

[Genghis the Engineer]

Saturated is my reading of it.

So many ex-FIs and new FIs who are unable to fly for the airlines are out there looking for flying work at the moment, that unless you have a profile that makes you a clear GA careerist (as in, somebody who is clearly making light GA instructing their career, and not a stopgap) there's very little work. If you have got 4-figure light aircraft hours across a wide range of types there probably is still work, but very little otherwise.

G

[HighWingHarry]

While I hate to disagree with Genghis - the UK market for FIs is not completely saturated at the moment. Companies are still gently looking for newly qualified FIs on the idea that they won't be scooting straight out of the door. Most schools are very aware that any airline pilot coming back to instruction is highly likely to disappear the instant that the bigger and shinier aeroplanes call!
I fly out of White Waltham and their FI course has probably put throughout about 30 FIs over the past year all of whom have jobs in various companies and they seem to be still getting regular calls from schools asking if they have anyone on the course that they can recommend for employment.

Yes, it's not like it was in March 2020 with schools beginning to self-fund or sponsor people to become FIs for them, but not all bad either! In my opinion, your CV will look better with an FI and recent flight experience than someone who just sat back and let everything expire for a year or two (but I'm not an airline recruiter so don't necessarily take my word for it!)

[John Reeder]

What would you all think of my prospects as a full time instructor?
I have an ICAO CPL with instructor rating but with a borderline colour vision problem.
I have therefore decided to convert my licence to a U K PPL with instructor rating limited to day VFR
I have 2000 hours of bush, tailwheel aerobatic type flying and that is my passion, including instructing instructing.
How much demand is there for someone like me out there?

[Edward Hawkins]

There are certainly vacancies for full-time instructors at the moment but could you live on an instructor's pay? I tried working full-time as an instructor some years ago but could not survive on the pay. Like many instructors I was only paid for the time the engine was running and not for briefings, refuelling etc. I managed to go back to my previous employers and they let me go back on job-sharing, That way I could instruct and afford to live reasonably well. It would be different if you could find a PPL school that would pay you a salary but there are not many of those around.

[Gargleblaster]

What would you all think of my prospects as a full time instructor?
I have an ICAO CPL with instructor rating but with a borderline colour vision problem.
I have therefore decided to convert my licence to a U K PPL with instructor rating limited to day VFR
I have 2000 hours of bush, tailwheel aerobatic type flying and that is my passion, including instructing instructing.
How much demand is there for someone like me out there?

Forgive me for both being off topic and ignorant, but what is an "ICAO CPL" or "ICAO license", which I've seen mentioned in many posts ?

ICAO doesn't issue licenses as far as I know.

[Duchess_Driver]

ICAO licence/CPL usually refers to “ICAO compliant issued by a National (competent) Authority” …. But you knew that, didn’t you?😉😀

[Gargleblaster]

Thanks, but no I didn't, being ignorant on this matter !

Hope I'm not driving people mad with one more stupid question, but do any non-ICAO licenses exist ?

[Edward Hawkins]

Thanks, but no I didn't, being ignorant on this matter !

Hope I'm not driving people mad with one more stupid question, but do any non-ICAO licenses exist ?

Yes the LAPL for example.

[Duchess_Driver]

Each level of licence has a set of criteria defined by ICAO. These are recommended (not mandatory) and any National Authority (FAA/EASA/UK CAA/DGCA etc) can set their own licence standards. These may be lower or less arduous than the ICAO measures and are referred to as “sub ICAO”. If it meets or exceeds all the requirements it’s referred to as ICAO compliant.

The LAPL stated above has a lower hour requirement for qualification and missing some of the ICAO necessary “must have” elements of training. This places restrictions on where it can be used or is “accepted” around the world.

HTH

DD

[Gargleblaster]

Thanks. I realized afterwards how dumb reply above was, as I of course knew that licenses are issued by each country, being member of ICAO.

Also, came to think that military licenses probably are non-ICAO ones.

[3wheels]

Most schools are very aware that any airline pilot coming back to instruction is highly likely to disappear the instant that the bigger and shinier aeroplanes call!
)
it’s not just that.

i know of at least one flying school that regrets employing out of work Airline Pilots.

Some of them are no longer suited to GA type flying.

Several have been “let go”.

[BigEndBob]

Covid bubble at the moment lot of schools busy, but come winter i think will slow down to normal. Some schools will regret buying over priced aircraft.

[Aware]

Again it’s about who you know yes lots of airline guys back to it but they will disappear once things get back to normal, having flown for 40 years, 20 years FI it’s all about networking visiting clubs etc, I agree ac prices are completely bonkers and not sustainable.

Having been in another industry as well as aviation it still amazes me how some schools survive. Hourly rates of pay do not seem to havre dropped where I fly which is also surprising.

it’s about you as person and ability to teach that matters not so much in my experience how much other flying experience you have. I’ve seen some truely awful highly experienced instructors but equally some brilliant ones, and some really awful new ones and equally some brilliant ones, again I’m not sure it matters if your end game is an airline job , it’s a shame really the FI course doesn’t really teach you how hard the job is, to do it properly, damned tiring and exhausting for little pay, but really satisfying some days.

I have a slight medical issue at the moment so not flying but missing it.

[joblessPilot]

There is a flight school near London was is looking for FI but the condition is pretty much how Aware describes it. Exhausting and limited pay but occasionally rewarding.

[screw fix diret]

I've been mulling this over for ages and reflecting on my own situation, that of being an ex-airline pilot since 2019 and what to do for the next couple of decades. I'm very fortunate to have other income streams but I don't want to go back to the airlines after 20 odd years of that regime but I still want to go flying. The FI route seems like an obvious avenue.
Does anybody have any first hand experience of being a freelance FI in the UK and whether they found it rewarding as a vocation. It's not all about the money for me, more about fullfilment. PM me if possible.
Thanks in anticipation.

[NutLoose]

https://ukga.com/classified/viewcategory?classifiedCategoryId=12