Flying Instructors

[andyg]

I am thinking about taking my ATPL exams followed by a couple of months of doing multi/CPL and Instructor courses. Does anyone have any idea what the turnover of instructors through flying schools are and the availability of positions as flying instructors?

Obviously I would be an instructor with the bare minimum in terms of experience. Would a school prefer a minimum of an IR as well, or IMC? Or even a minimum amount of hours, say 500 or so....

Has anyone managed to secure, or partially secure, a job as a flying instructor BEFORE undertaking the training to do so?

Thanks

Andy

:confused: :confused: :confused:

Wrong forum - Sorry!

[jonathang]

Sure cabair run a program by taking 150 hour people and training thems as Instructors, sponsored by British European.

[foghorn]

Jonathang - AFAIK that scheme is now dead - BE now do a partial sponsorship onto a Cabair integrated course, not the old self- improver/instructor sponsorship that they used to run for KLMuk and JE/BE

cheers!
foggy.

[Johnny 7]

Quite a few unemployed instructors out there at the moment so turnover is not good right now , but fingers crossed things will improve in the future .

[Luke SkyToddler]

You'll quite often get a more favourable response from a flying school employer if you don't have an IR ... cos they know it means that you won't turn around and ****** off at 10 minutes notice when you get the golden phone call from an airline.

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

All the above is true.

I'd say it is very hard to get an instructor position at present unless you already have some connection with someone in or running a school. Perhaps a close geographical location to home or the fact you did your PPL there might help your chances.

I cannot see the market improving much in the next 12 months or so. FI FIC Examiners are all FLAT out passing people and have been all summer. :(

Good luck,

WWW

[andyg]

Thanks for advice guys. Hopefully by the time I finish my ground stuff and do the flying things will have picked up in recruitment all over the industry.

What do you guys reckon to having an IMC as well? A useful asset as a flying instructor? And has anyone done A FI(R) recently and suggest a good place to do it?

[MJR]

Yes a IMC is useful, not so much as a teaching aid but allows you to fly in weather with lower margins and then recover to your departure airfield. However this wont be appreciated if you continually fly a 20 min procedure in your students time.

Try Aeros at Gloucester 01452 857419 and www.aeros.co.uk for the FI course as Gloucester is an excellent GA field.

cheers


MJR

[eagerbeaver]

.

Andy G go to Old Sarum near salisbury the chap is ex Empire and the best bloke you will ever meet. will send details if you like

[andyg]

eager beaver, thanks. Have they got a website that you know of?

[eagerbeaver]

i think its oldsarumflyingclub.co.uk.

gotta say its the best place to do the FIC imho

[Loony_Pilot]

Hi,

Stapleford (Keith Pogmore)are good for the FIC course, did mine there. The course is conducted on the PA28-161 so you also get to double up with another FIC student and sit in the back and watch most of the exercises.

I also hear good things about Andrewsfield (Carol Cooper) and Manston(Clive Elesmore)

Most of the FIC schools seem pretty good, I havent heard any really bad things about any of them.

I went and visited a lot of the FIC schools, then stuck with the one that was best all round for me (in terms of the impression i got about the place, location and cost). I'd recommend doing that..as you wouldnt spend £5,000 or so on something without having a look at it first!

As to getting FI jobs, there do seem to be a few out there if you look hard, visit schools personally and are prepared to be flexible... I got my current FI job by visiting lots of flying schools.. i got a total of 5 job offers (this was in March) the instructing season is drawing to end and while there is still flying.. theres a not as much as in the summer for obvious reasons, so if you can get part time work somewhere.. do so and then see if it leads to a full time postion after a while.

Most people have pretty much bare minimum hours for the FIC course when they take it, I had just over 200 when I started the course so i wouldnt worry about any hours requirement for a job.

Hope I'm not stating the obvious too much.

Loony