Making a living as an FI?
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Edinburgh
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Making a living as an FI?
Being realistic, what is the likelihood af actually making a living as an instructor? And i don't mean working self empoyed for a retainer and an hourly fee. I understand in Scotland in particular there is a shortage of instructors, would it not make sense to for FTO's to actually employ instructors, to stop them leaving for the airlines ASAP so they can actually afford to feed themselves? I passed my PPL skills test this week, and in total had 11 instructors throughout my training. I'm not convinced it's a healthy state of affairs for the industry to be in.
Join Date: Jul 2005
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I suspect that the answer to your question is none. It is sad fact that the vast majority of instructors are just "passing through" on their way to a "proper job". I guess that if instructors received realistic salaries the hourly flying rates would be so high that there would be no customers.
Dancing with the devil, going with the flow... it's all a game to me.
Join Date: May 2000
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£40K for CFI sounds reasonable to me.
As for earning a livable living - forget it - unless you have other means of earning or have savings/wealthy family. Yes, they're are some guys around who're on a salary and just about scraping by but the majority simply instruct as a cheap way of building hours, which as you say, is bad for the industry. Owing to the fact many newly qualified instructors have higher outgoings than most due to borrowing for their licence, the money is pitifull.
I certainly do not make a living from it.
VFE.
As for earning a livable living - forget it - unless you have other means of earning or have savings/wealthy family. Yes, they're are some guys around who're on a salary and just about scraping by but the majority simply instruct as a cheap way of building hours, which as you say, is bad for the industry. Owing to the fact many newly qualified instructors have higher outgoings than most due to borrowing for their licence, the money is pitifull.
I certainly do not make a living from it.
VFE.
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Coincidentally Flat Broke i've just completed my PPL at Cumbernauld(CFS), previously FAS. And the news that some in Scotland may actually pay a salary is encouraging. I'm certain the instructors at CFS are full-time actually.
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From what ive heard at a few flight clubs instructors are becoming few and so they have started getting a raise in pay. My instructor told me about it yesterday but perhaps he was only refering to local clubs here in Nottinghamshire
Dancing with the devil, going with the flow... it's all a game to me.
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My school hasn't taken anyone new on since October AND they only pay per hour flown - no retainer. I would be suprised if schools are struggling to locate adequate numbers of instructors at this time of year given the decreased chances of being able to fly due to the weather. If you ran a flying school would you offer a salaried position right now unless you could maximise the asset? It would be bad business sense - far better to take advantage of part time pay-per hour instructors until the weather picks up.
VFE.
VFE.
Join Date: Jul 2005
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Lots of jobs out there. EGPG is gagging for instructors throughout. CFS does salary instructors and you might be able to persuade LE if you could prove your worth.
It might interest you to know that I made more money flying self employed than a salaried colleague last year. Admittedly the weather throughout the summer helped. He would be laughing at me for the last two months though!
It is possible to make a reasonable living as an FI in Scotland. I think I took approx £20k home in the last 12 months logging about 500 hours. Hard work though.
Any questions PM me.
It might interest you to know that I made more money flying self employed than a salaried colleague last year. Admittedly the weather throughout the summer helped. He would be laughing at me for the last two months though!
It is possible to make a reasonable living as an FI in Scotland. I think I took approx £20k home in the last 12 months logging about 500 hours. Hard work though.
Any questions PM me.
Join Date: Oct 2006
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This question always comes up.
It is madness to plan to be a career light aircraft instructor. You are lucky if you can get 20k in a year and that is below the national average and the mean wages in the UK.
Yet you have to find 60-100k of your own cash to get the ratings. You'll never earn it back.
I am biased - I run a microlight school in Scotland - but I think one would do much better buying a microlight like a Eurostar or C42 Ikarus (at 50k) and getting a microlight instructor's rating (about 5k) - on yourbasic PPL.
I am, in fact, sponsoring a PPL through this route to provide an instructor for me at Strathaven.
If you can get 20k a year doing a job you really really love, and without a massive debt burden, then you have prospects. If, every time the the credit card bill, the personal loan statement and the bank statements comes in you feel tempted by a move to airlines, you are building up stress for yourself.
Other routes are getting a 30k a year job as a train driver - 4 days on, 4 off - and being a PFA coach on your days off. You won't make any money from your flying, but you'll get the fun of sharing your knowledge with others.
If you want to teach, and want to make a living, the last course you should go down as a basic PPL is FI (SSEA), in my view.
It is madness to plan to be a career light aircraft instructor. You are lucky if you can get 20k in a year and that is below the national average and the mean wages in the UK.
Yet you have to find 60-100k of your own cash to get the ratings. You'll never earn it back.
I am biased - I run a microlight school in Scotland - but I think one would do much better buying a microlight like a Eurostar or C42 Ikarus (at 50k) and getting a microlight instructor's rating (about 5k) - on yourbasic PPL.
I am, in fact, sponsoring a PPL through this route to provide an instructor for me at Strathaven.
If you can get 20k a year doing a job you really really love, and without a massive debt burden, then you have prospects. If, every time the the credit card bill, the personal loan statement and the bank statements comes in you feel tempted by a move to airlines, you are building up stress for yourself.
Other routes are getting a 30k a year job as a train driver - 4 days on, 4 off - and being a PFA coach on your days off. You won't make any money from your flying, but you'll get the fun of sharing your knowledge with others.
If you want to teach, and want to make a living, the last course you should go down as a basic PPL is FI (SSEA), in my view.
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its very possible
i dont agree with any of you, you can make loads of money as an fi as long as you have all the right endorsements on your fi rating; two years ago i had the chance to join a prestigiuos uk flight school as a multi ir and sim instructor (as i had all the qualifications), the pay would have worked out at about 70 - 95000 (42000 basic + about 40 per hr of flying), i declined and joined an airline instead might have been a mistake; ive since had other similiar offers (not quite as good). there are very few career instructors out there with all the ratings and experience ie meir. as a basic ppl instructor at the moment its very difficult to make a bob but give it a couple of years struggling get the endorsements and the sky s the limit.
tip: at the moment the best place to make money as a ppl fi is def ireland, flying school that is not a club obviously, usually about 250 euro a week retainer + approx 25 per flying hour.
hope this helps.
tip: at the moment the best place to make money as a ppl fi is def ireland, flying school that is not a club obviously, usually about 250 euro a week retainer + approx 25 per flying hour.
hope this helps.
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to where I am right now..yes you can! I've been instructing here in the mid-east for a year now and I still am ok so far and hopefully would stay like this...well I am still single that's why, but I don't think it (flight instructing) can be your only bread and butter for a family man..
Fly safe guys
Fly safe guys
