Flight Instructor Course
 

I am a low hour pilot seeking employment. Ideally looking to join an airline however struggling with little over 220 hours.

I have always had an interest in Instructing and was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction of a cost effective flying school????

The prices I have been looking at vary from £5,499- £7,000.

Maybe then with a couple more hours under my belt will I be more employable.

Thanks for your time.

Try the FI forum....

Hi there fellow,
I am in the same situation as you are, low hour unemployed. Airline is the first choice but always wanted to instruct. I was just wondering when do you want to do the FIC?
I guess next year...I'm considering the option even if I know that it seems airlines don't care about PA28 hours at all..but it may be helpful especially for corporate/aerotaxi companies.
If I don't hear anything from the companies I applied till next year I will certainly do the FIC...

To help those considering training now, did you actually expect an airline job when you started training in the last few years?

I didn't really look at the forecast for pilot jobs, just always wanted to do it!

I can recommend the Pilot Centre at Denham. Very good standards and reasonably priced.

They fly 152's and PA28's mainly and they're busy all the time so there's often a good chance of employment afterwards too. They're just north of Heathrow, so they get the odd ILS in there when it's quiet.

Cost effective would imply that you will get a job at the end of it. In a time when its difficult to get a job, it might be worth talking to schools where it might be possible, and ask who they would prefer to train you. Picking your own training provider may well save you money in the short term but many schools like instructors who come from a school they are familiar with.

I think that someone has been giving you duff gen!

Be sure it's something you want to do. The market is already saturated with terrible instructors who only got into it as a last resort when their CPL/IR didn't immediately land them a job.

It's a very tough job to do well, and is certainly something you need to be passionate about.

Providing you are passionate about flying light aircraft, you will love instructing. The going rate is about £7k all in. There is a LOT of groundschool on the course which usually accounts for a significant amount of the fee.

Do some research into instructor pay. You're lucky to get 500 hours a year in some schools, so try to make some contacts now, or ask outright if you'd get a job on course completion when you do your FI rating.


I cannot emphasise enough that you need to be sure it's what you want, otherwise you're just giving a really bad service to some poor students, or you simply end up doing trial lessons all day every day and never converting them into a full course.

Excellent post RTN11 , I have been on the rough end of one of those 'I dont really want to be here' Instructors !

9 months after professional flying training I am just about to look at FI schools as its always been something I was passionate about doing , maybe because I was lucky enough to have had two excellent instructors myself for the PPL!

Both are now with airlines and both say instructing was the best flying they ever did!

Thats a bit unfair on some instuctors, we have two in that category and they do a very good job.

Unfair on some, perhaps, but in my experience the people who only do an FI rating as a last resort, a year aftet their CPL/IR and no airline interviews, usually make lousy instructors.

I'm not saying I'm the best in the biz, but I did CPL then FI, and got straight into instructing, as I am passionate about light aircraft. I know instructors who fly PA28s and PA38s and don't really know or understand the differences in their engines. It just shows a lack of passion about the subject you are teaching.

This may not be fair on some instructors, but it's definately not fair on the student who ends up getting taught to fly by them.

Its a passion for teaching people to fly, that makes a really good instructor. Being passionate about light aircraft and the subjects are secondary.

Really?? I don't think so. But a good place to train nonetheless.

I would recommend Simon & Caroline at at Wycombe Air Centre. I think the course is about £7000 which seems the average. The place is really friendly and if they like you and they have a vacancy then you will get a job there. If they have no spaces they are so helpful in finding you work afterwards.
The only thing I would say is to be careful of places where they promise you a job just because you do the course there - they generally are telling porkies!
Good luck!

I'd recommend giving Western Air at Thruxton a call. Bob Cole and David Scouller have (and they'd curse me for saying it!) about 100 years of military, inc ETPS, commercial, test flying and instructing experience between them.

FI Course
 

Thanks for all the input Ladies and Gents, I have visited a couple of schools and am now in a better position to make my decision.

I completed my CPL at Wycombe Air Centre and must agree that they are an excellent provider and their staff are a credit to the school.

I have however found a cheaper provider closer to where I live, under £6k with a job prospect at the end of it.