The self improver route still exists just in a slightly different form. I don't know anyone from a modular flight training background who has got an airline job without first doing aerial work of some description or instructing, and then first stepping up to small turbine operations. A jet job straight from training usually remains the domain of the upper echelon of society who've come straight from OATS with money to burn on a self-funded TR... and even for those guys it's a hard slog.

Sorry to break it to anyone not yet aware of the status quo here but there ain't and never has been an easy way into airline flying, if that's your goal. Smell the roses on the way is all I can say on the matter, hey, I only almost got killed twice today whilst instructing (and why is it nearly always the ones with a licence that scare you the most?!)! All together now - SNIFF! :\

VFE.

FI Jobs
 

Why dont you try in India? The pay is much better than 15 K. They are really starved for Instructors. Security clearances and validation of your licence takes about 3 months.

After several years of commercial flying, I am in the process of revalidating my FI rating in order to do some part time instructing. Whilst money is far from my main motivation for wanting to instruct, I am curious as to how much I could expect to earn per hour.

As the cost of revalidating my ticket is gonna be in the region of £1500, I wondered how long it is likely to take to pay for itself.

Thanks

MachBuffet,

As a "part time" Instructor, I'd say that it's fair to estimate an hourly payment of £20. Obviously this boils down to working 75 hrs to pay off your estimated FI renewal charge.

This time of year is a bit quiet on the flying front but then again....... Flying season's just around the corner!!

Good Luck

There has recently been an ad at the bottom of the page for instructors at Truman Aviation in Nottingham - it's claiming a salary of 20K +.

I don't know how recession will affect FTOs but generally UK universities and training establishments do well in times of recession. The reason is that people naturally revert to gaining education or "retraining" in harder times.

Learning to flymay be different. There are many many motives for learning, I guess, from those who just want bragging rights or those who crave an airline job.:eek: The dynamic of the industry maybe set to change depending on socio-economic stuff.

For example, really rich people are usually unaffected by recession - so the potential fly the chopper to the party guys will still want to learn. But the young wannabe commercial pilot may find parents less able to pay for their training unless they are wealthy. The UK is set for an unpredictable few years.

Nothing in aviation is certain at the best of times.
The only certainty in aviation is the CAA charge to rubber stamp an A6 piece of paper:\

The global demand for FIs is expanding, however. Offering good pay and a great experience for the adventurous FI, countries like India offer fantastic opportunities.

" The global demand for FIs is expanding, however. Offering good pay and a great experience for the adventurous FI, countries like India offer fantastic opportunities."

Hey guys,

could you tell me what kind of opportunities India offers ??

I mean becoming FI in INDIA or another country I do not see the difference...the activity is the same except the environment...

My goal is to become airline pilot so if the opportunity would be to fly in the right seat of a A320/737, in this case I would say "yes" that's a big opportunity... But if it's just to be paid well and becoming a IRI/CRI etc to live 10000 far away from your home, you can do it in all JAR countries seriously.

Thanks! :}

Jaa Fi(r) In India
 

Hi,
anyone working in India with JAA FI?please share some info about job, pay, flying hours, accommodation. would b appreciated,

Thanks,

cessna310

Thailand is recruiting Flight Instructors...

The WORLD is recruiting flying instructors!!

There has never been such a shortage,

If you are a CPL/Multi/IR instructor you can walk into a job at 40k plus in the morning!

Just about every PPL FTO is short of instructors and pay is just about becoming acceptable, even if they know you are using them to build hours.

I've just left an IRI job to join an airline and could have walked into at least 3 highly paid instructor jobs.

There has never been a better time for potential instructors.

MFWF, did you get a job??????

Negat
 

Hi 18,

In my OP I stated:

So no I do not have a job yet as I am still doing the ground school and am awaiting the start of the CPL and FI(R) course. I am still "pricking" it though about whether I am criminally insane for making a career change in such turbulent times. The clock is ticking and in 1.5 weeks I leave the security of the Royal Navy and head out into the aviation wilderness!! I think I must have lost it. I am holding out for a DEFTS job on completion of training and hope they'll have me. Down side to that little plan is that they require an IR. Something I cannot afford to do until late 2009. Bugger.

Thanks for asking though!

Cheers

MFWF

Anyone care to assess the state of things now we are in the run up to Summer? Yes I know we had snow this week!

Is the throughput of instructors still as high as it has been over the past two years? Or are positions now being held onto given the airlines seem to have stopped hoovering completely everyone up.

As an aside, I know two guys who each started their instructor job about 6 months ago. One is talking about leaving for better money elsewhere whilst the other has gone part-time and is working in an office. Surely this has not come as a result in reduced available flying hours? Has it?

In a further act of thread drift, who here holds another job?

Sorry I am having a slight lack of faith this evening. I am looking for inspiration whilst I await (for my first ever FI job) the result on one interview and hold onto two further, but more limited options. Incidentally I am well placed for two licensed airfields, but thereafter the road commute becomes an hour or more for the next nearest 4.

After writing loads of FO applications and CV's I started my FI rating 2 years ago. Best decision I ever made ! I am flying 60 - 80 hrs / month, my income is not better or worse than junior FO's ( who are perhaps still paying money back for a type rating ), and the amount of students are still increasing. I hear and see the same story in other FTO's (BeNeLux+Germany - don't know anything about the UK situation.). So no worries here.

Ok BlueRobin, the worst job to find is the first one, but do not give up and why not consider looking a bit beyond the horizon ?

My assessment is that FIs are presently required if a) a school has increased demand e.g. through a contract to train a bunch of sponsored students or b) a resident FI has moved on into another FI position elsewhere e.g. instructing for more advanced tickets. The days of the airlines sucking up *every* instructor seems to be over - for now.

There are plenty of FI jobs around at the moment.Some flying schools are struggling to fill instructor slots.

Were you thinking of any schools in particular?

Might I suggest getting hold of a list of FTOs - Where to Fly guides in the magazines are good for this - and phoning around? You'll always find something if you are prepared to relocate from your domestic comfort zone. This is good practice for airline life, if that's where you want to go!