Part Time Earning
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Join Date: Dec 2001
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Part Time Earning
Working as a Part Time FI, working approx 2/3 days per week with a combination of Weekday/Weekend work, what can one expect to get per month as a rough guestimate? Appreciate the intricacies of the great british weather etc, but if anyone out there is in a similar position would appreciate some opinions/input.. Cheers
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I did it for a while and the answer is.....very little.
Weekend days are prime time at flying schools and are generally fully booked. You might do 5 hours a day but if they're paying £15/hour, you'll only gross £75. In my experience, schools are rarely fully booked during the week, so you might average 3 hours on a weekday - or gross £45. Even at £20/hour, we're talking £100 and £60. However, without a retainer, you'll learn nothing on a bad weather day. 5 hours a day assumes 5 PPL students. 5 half hour trial flights = 2.5 hours flying = poverty.
The big commercial schools are a different matter, generally more flying and more pay, but fewer opportunities for part-timers.
So if you work 8 days per month and 2 are weathered off, so you work 3 weekdays and 3 weekend days, you might gross £360-£480. If it's winter and 4 are weathered off, you might gross £240-£320. From experience, even these figures seem high and I would reduce them a bit due all the variables such as tech aircraft, "no show" bookings, etc.
Weekend days are prime time at flying schools and are generally fully booked. You might do 5 hours a day but if they're paying £15/hour, you'll only gross £75. In my experience, schools are rarely fully booked during the week, so you might average 3 hours on a weekday - or gross £45. Even at £20/hour, we're talking £100 and £60. However, without a retainer, you'll learn nothing on a bad weather day. 5 hours a day assumes 5 PPL students. 5 half hour trial flights = 2.5 hours flying = poverty.
The big commercial schools are a different matter, generally more flying and more pay, but fewer opportunities for part-timers.
So if you work 8 days per month and 2 are weathered off, so you work 3 weekdays and 3 weekend days, you might gross £360-£480. If it's winter and 4 are weathered off, you might gross £240-£320. From experience, even these figures seem high and I would reduce them a bit due all the variables such as tech aircraft, "no show" bookings, etc.
Join Date: Aug 2002
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In view of the money issues and some of us more mature, newbie instructors having bills to pay, how do you supplement your income? What is your other non-flying job and how many days per week do you instruct? Working both around each other seems a taxing problem.
Having just started out this week as a full-time FI(R) earning no retainer, I am having this discussion at the moment with SWMBO
Having just started out this week as a full-time FI(R) earning no retainer, I am having this discussion at the moment with SWMBO
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BlueRobin,
hello again, I am an aforementioned "mature student" I am fortunate to be in full time employment, albeit getting in the way of flying!! A decent way of supplementing income is getting a taxi licence.. I know of a few who although having to sacrifice maybe Thu/Fri or Sat night can earn a reasonable amount for ferrying drunks around!! Not the most glamourous of jobs I concede!
hello again, I am an aforementioned "mature student" I am fortunate to be in full time employment, albeit getting in the way of flying!! A decent way of supplementing income is getting a taxi licence.. I know of a few who although having to sacrifice maybe Thu/Fri or Sat night can earn a reasonable amount for ferrying drunks around!! Not the most glamourous of jobs I concede!
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I do multidrop for a parcel firm in the mornings. Afternoons (when needed) and weekends at the Flying Club Instructing.
A good month might make £500 from instructing. Typically £350 to £400. You will inevitably loose quite a few details to weather and a fair few no shows.
What you must try and do is make sure there is some form of no show/cancellation fee for students. If they don't turn up without giving reasonable notice (24 hours) then they get billed a cancellation. About £30 is the right amount - you get £20 the club gets the rest.
A good month might make £500 from instructing. Typically £350 to £400. You will inevitably loose quite a few details to weather and a fair few no shows.
What you must try and do is make sure there is some form of no show/cancellation fee for students. If they don't turn up without giving reasonable notice (24 hours) then they get billed a cancellation. About £30 is the right amount - you get £20 the club gets the rest.
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No shows
We were having a lot of trouble with no-shows for a while. It's very hard to charge a no-show fee to someone who isn't there! Solution is they now have to pay a deposit when they make a booking, and they get a text to remind them about thier lesson the day before. If they don't show, the deposit is lost, (half is lost for a late cancellation) and it doubles for their next booking. If they chose not to pay a deposit then they can be booted if someone else wants the slot, and they pay a higher hourly rate.
It doesn't cover the losses but it has made a huge difference in preventing no-shows and late cancellations.
Back on subject, what my part timers earn is largely up to them, I provide the infrastructure, they can then develop their career within it as much or as little as suits them, but they know I don't "owe" them a living.
It doesn't cover the losses but it has made a huge difference in preventing no-shows and late cancellations.
Back on subject, what my part timers earn is largely up to them, I provide the infrastructure, they can then develop their career within it as much or as little as suits them, but they know I don't "owe" them a living.
