Flight instructing

[liquidhockey]

Hi
I was wondering if someone could tell me what i would need to get in order to be a flight instructer both on multi and single engine aircraft?

Also what is the minimum age?

Are there many jobs out there for intstructers, would they hire an 18 year old and what is the pay like per annum?

Thanks in advance
Regards
Dave

[monkeyboy]

lh, there's a forum specifically for Instructors further down in the list of Forums. You might get more of a response in there.

Good luck!

MB

[foghorn]

I'll have a go at answering as I'm close to finishing my instructor rating.

I see you want to be paid to be an instructor, so that makes this easier.

The absolute minimum licence you will need will be a CPL and an FI(R) rating. This will allow you to instruct single engine.

It is highly impractical, in fact nigh-on impossible to instruct in the UK's climate without some form of instrument rating for safety. For single engine instructors an IMC rating would suffice.

Expect to earn around £8k to 10k per annum initially, increasing with experience. The most you can expect to earn single engine is around £20k, and that's after a several years, with examining and a few other frills thown in.

On the multi-engine side, there are total hours and multi-engine hours minima that you need to attain before you can train multi-engine. Also note that few multi-engine instructors only have an IMC rating - the majority have a full ME Instrument Rating, so you're looking at extra £££ in training to get that. Some also become CPL and Instrument Rating Instructors. This side of the business is often better paid, however only open to those with experience. Basically you have to work your way up through the single engine stuff for a few years.

Jobs wise, there are jobs out there, a couple of years ago schools were having difficulty getting the instructors they needed. That all changed on Sept 11th 2001. The first signs of aviation recovery are now being felt in the flying schools where chief pilots are bracing themselves for the resignations to come in once the airlines start significant hiring again.

Good luck!
foggy.