FTE Jerez Instructor Recruitment
 

I am trying to find out some background information regarding FTE ground instructor positions.

I have just applied for a position I have seen advertised for ATPL ground instructors. I applied previously but received no reply and notice that they frequently advertise. I also hear that they have a fairly high turnover of staff (which is why I assume they advertise a lot) and wonder if there is a problem at FTE (salary, terms, workload, management?) or is it Spain?

Does anyone know what the terms are? Is accommodation provided initially? do they offer relocation? Is the work contract or permanent?

I would also like to hear first hand experience of anyone settling out in Spain as to current conditions (I see the news coverage about unemployment etc). What is taxation really like in Spain? I have done some research into moving there and think I have it covered but would like to hear from those who have or have not been employed there.

Thanks in advance.

Stn120

FTE have a huge turn over of Instructors. You will be expected to relocate at you own expense and sort your of logistics in terms of accommodation etc. Pay rates are market average with them and Spain is quite cheap.

Taxation is quite high and you will be double taxed if you have assets outside of Spain which is driving a lot of the Brits home.

They struggle to fill the Ground Instructor roles as you really need to know your onions when it comes their expectations.

They also put people on 6 month trials and often terminate them at the end which is why the jobs are advertised so frequently. This can be a problem if you have moved out lock stock and barrel.

Thanks Bose,

sounds like they want the best but are not willing to pay for it. If you have to pay to relocate yourself to another country and contend with double taxation, then I feel that it may not be worth it, I certainly cannot consider moving my family out for 6 months with the risk of having my contract ended at the end of that period and I'm not prepared to spend 6 months away from them.

I had heard that the Spanish wanted to know about all your assets elsewhere and include them in your Spanish tax bill. I also heard that they tax ex-pats at a higher rate.

Do you know if you FTE give you medical cover whilst you are there?

If the Spanish tax you, does that mean you have to become resident?

I'm not sure it maybe such a good deal as I might have initially thought.

FTE give you nothing other than a wage. Spain has a health system which as an EU national you can use. You can then top up with private health care. You will see two those of hospital in Spain the NHS type and the Medicare type.

Yes the Spanish will tax you on world wide assets regardless if your domicile for the UK and its at the Spanish higher rate.

If you gave a family that you want to up and move its a very big risk if your contract does not pan out.

Thanks Bose,

I think if they get back to me, I might decline as I have a few other irons in the fire along with my current job. Better the devil you know.

I've also been chatting to a couple of guys (one who used to work there and one who has a friend there), They both said similar, the ground school seems to be a bit dis-organised with contract instructors coming and going.

I also hear one person may be spoiling things for others and causing some of the resignations. I wonder how long FTE will be able to cope with such a throughput of instructors before the market dries up on them?

I left Jerez a while ago so I can set the record straight.
Probation period is 3 months not 6 but it is true that several have not made the grade.
There is a small relocation allowance, not sure of the exact amount currently, and you have free accommodation on site for the first month.
You would need to become tax resident in Spain and be taxed like a national. That does include worldwide assets, property, savings etc. Penalties for not declaring are extremely draconian.
Cost of living dearer than UK in some things, cheaper in others.
Education for kids only in Spanish unless you pay for private and you won't find that locally.
You have full access to the national health system but a lot of people opt for private insurance.
In the last 2 years or so there has been an enormous turnover in staff, so most of the current are relatively new. Prior to that the workforce had been quite stable. As insinuated in a previous post one of the most cited reasons for leaving, including mine, centered around one individual.
Rumours I'm currently hearing suggest pay cuts for some staff, don't know any more than that.
Be pleased to answer any other questions you have.

So when the market picks up:

Poor Pay and Conditions + Poor Reputation as an Employer + Shortage of Suitably Qualified Instructors = Big Problem

Big problem already. I hear they can barely cover the subjects now.

I left there earlier this year and yes they were struggling to cover all the subjects. Relying on contract instructors. I had my concerns at the end of last year as to where things were going, with many experienced instructors leaving. The hierarchy were holding meetings to try and find out why, but doing very little to solve the problem. It certainly wasn't a very happy place to be.

Jerez is a beautiful area of Spain and great place to settle down. Spain can be cheap in certain areas but expensive in others. The Taxation is the biggest concern among the employees there which is why many prefer to work as contract instructors and pay tax in their own country.

Added to additional expenses such as either having your car registered in Spain or buying a car there (second hand cars are more expensive than the UK). Finding rental places to live after the first 4 weeks. Note: In that part of Spain, you have to pay agents fees of up to 1 months rent to the letting agents, along with 1 month rent deposit and 1 month in advance. Housing standards are not quite what you expect in the UK. No insulation so cold in the winter. Internet speeds are not what you get in the UK. Furnishings are fairly sparse and rooms are quite a bit smaller.

If the rumours of reduced pay scales is true, then I think it will be the thin edge of the wedge for those living there, who are already unhappy about the loss of salary sacrifice benefits on rents and car leasing which erodes their income by increasing the tax element.

The relocation allowance is not huge, just about enough to move a van full of personal effects from the UK to Jerez and there are limitations as to what you can justifiably use it for. Plus it is repayable if you leave within 2 years, it will only be paid after the probation period.

It is interesting that their website has changed since the New Year.

Previously there were advertisements for flight instructors, ground instructors, MCC instructors and a variety of other posts.

Now the website is showing a requirement for only ATPL ground instructors.

Yet the above Posts suggest an even greater requirement for flight instructors - yet no advertisement.

Could it be that the company was embarrassed to be always showing a requirement for instructors on the one hand whilst on the other trying to court new clients?

It can't be good for new business if you are trying to sell a service, yet showing publicly that you are having difficulties providing that service.

General opinion seems to be that there will be a shortage of instructors able to deliver CPL/IR flying instruction under the EASA requirements.

So even if pay and conditions improve and the reputation or FTEJerez as an employer are restored, there will still be one part of the equation which is difficult to resolve.

Maybe outsourcing contract instructors is the way forward? However, it can be a short-term 'patch', rather than a long-term 'solution'.

Just had a very long chat with a friend who still works there (not for much longer he says).
The current situation looks very bad.
The permanent flying instructors are about to be handed new contracts (pay cut), sign them or walk. A bunch of contractors are leaving in the next few days which is causing a bit of a panic in the flying department.
The ground school is limping along, several new guys are very inexperienced and teaching subjects they, themselves, are struggling to learn. The last three they took on aren't native English speakers - could be a problem. One of the "old hands" has returned but the feeling is that he is probably only around until something suitable comes up elsewhere. Other former ground instructors would be interested in returning but not while a certain person remains in post.
MCC/JOC rely almost wholly on outside contractors with only two full timers.
So far only flying instructors are having their contracts "re-negotiated" but the other departments feel it is only a matter of time.
As mentioned in another post the loss of tax relief on salary sacrifice has had a significant effect on disposable incomes.
All in all things look pretty dire.

I am not surprised they are not advertising certain things.

To be honest this thread has started smelling very similar to the cabair threads leading up to its final demise.

I can't see BA being to happy with what's being reported on here.

I will probably try and catch up for a beer tonight or tomorrow with one of my Instructors who jumped ship and found the grass very wilted and brown to see what the latest scoop is.

I regard my source as extremely reliable so I'm sure he will pretty much confirm what has already been said.

Are there non ATPL holder/held instructors there? How does that work. I'm guessing everybody must a license how do the SFIs exist without type ratings? Or do do they have them.

Most of the Instructors are just normal CPL/IR FIs. Then there are a bunch of multi IR instructors. I also think there are a few retired ATPL guys down the MCC stuff.

It's a far cry from its BAe days. Is that Spanish bank still its main shareholder?

They will be going ballistic at this thread. Do they still have those warriors?

Warriors are still there. How old are they now?
DA 42s replacing the old Senecas slowly, leased I believe.
As far as I know some investment bank took a whole load of shares a few years ago, doubtless they'll be screaming for their divvy each year.

Talk of the devil - website changed overnight - jobs advertised for Flight Instructors again (although not updated - still JAR, not EASA?)

A bit of clarity
 

As someone who has been close to people working at FTE I would disagree with some of the comments posted. Although some people seem well informed there are also comments made without foundation.

FTE Ground School has had a reasonable change of instructors with some long-term ones leaving for various reasons: fear of tax rules being one of them, more of which below. But no two instructors have left for the same reasons, and some who have left have found that life isn't necessarily greener elsewhere. There is a 3 month probation period and after that period an instructor should be able to instruct to the required standard. Recently, unfortunately, some potential instructors did not come up to that standard, so were released.

There are some non-English instructors, but as the school is multi-national then this does not have a bearing as long as the instructor has a good degree of knowledge and can communicate effectively in English. It is a period of transition, but the overall atmosphere in the ground school seems a happy one.

In some respects living in Spain is much cheaper than the UK. If you go to Spain and expect to live the same as the UK (in a little England) and complain that things are not the same as the UK then maybe it is not the place for you. However if you accept that things are different and embrace the culture I’m sure that you will find that you will have a great life: you certainly use fewer heartbeats. The cost of renting a property is cheaper, the weekly shop is cheaper and the cost of utilities, although not necessarily cheaper than the UK, is lower as you do not need to pay for heating all year round and aircon is rarely necessary in summer.

The tax situation is the same as the UK – in the UK if you have assets overseas you are going to have to declare them – exactly the same in Spain. You are not double taxed as there are double taxation agreements between UK and Spain, but you will have to complete a tax return each year (just like the UK). In general, those Brits leaving Spain are the ones who do not want to declare assets to either UK or Spanish authorities, but by 2015 the requirement will be that all European countries will have their citizens declaring all overseas assets.

Jerez has a lot to offer – the climate, the surrounding area; with some beautiful places to visit and beaches nearby. If you want to put your children into school they can go to state school where it will not cost, or you can pay to send them to English/Spanish speaking schools.

My suggestion would be take the time to go and visit, then make an informed decision. Once there you may be pleasantly surprised.

First of all, Taxes are higher with no personal allowance.

Rents are higher than the UK, with an additional 1 months rent equivalent payable in advance to the rental agent, plus 1 month deposit and 1 month rent. Properties are smaller than in the UK, so if you're after something of equal standard then you pay more! Water bills are more expensive unless you happen to have a well in your garden. Most of the gas is bottled and this works out more expensive per unit, however you are likely to use less. Electricity works out about the same cost per unit as the UK.

Food works out on average about the same, local produce tends to be cheaper and other tends to be similar or slightly higher.

Cars (used) are more expensive than the UK. Petrol is slightly cheaper.

Eating out/entertaining is cheaper.

Jerez is a nice place with better climate, nice beaches etc within easy reach.

Agreed, it is well worth a visit to see what the place is like, but do your homework and go there with your eyes and ears open.

I was approached recently and we arranged a group telephone 'interview'.

I insisted on them telling me the salary range and it wan't particularly good so binned the 'application'.

Seems not to be a happy place with lots of turmoil as well as turnover of staff.

I pity the students . . .

That, I think, is the crux of the problem.

I understand that some, if not the majority, of sponsored cadets earn more than their instructors (?)

Whilst a comparison of salaries is perhaps irrelevant, human nature is such that the flight instructor (CPL/ATPL/FI/IRI/SEP/MEP/1000 hrs minimum) would expect to earn more than a cadet (NIL/0 hours).

It is usually the case in any other industry (including the airlines, of course) - senior/training staff earning more than junior/trainee employees.

A very good Post by 'bandie' - I imagine the location is very good, with many benefits to an instructor wishing to work in Spain (and a unique opportunity in so many ways).

The problem is that unless you are young and single or older (maybe with a pension to supplement your income) it will be difficult to manage if you are married (with a husband/wife who can't find employment of their own) or for a couple with children to support.

The salary may be adequate for some, and may be comparable with other commercial flight training schools, but as a stand alone package it appears to be poor for those instructors who may have other commitments and an inability to supplement their/their partner's income by other means.

Not true. When you start down there, there will be no allowances because you start on the Spanish equivalent of an emergency tax code, especially if you start in the second half of the year because you won't be there long enough that year to be a Spanish resident for tax purposes. But that all comes out in the wash when you submit your tax returns.

The real thing to be careful about is the Spanish wealth tax, which could be a pain for someone later in life who has substantial assets. This tax was put in place for a couple of years but I think it was taken away again at the start of this year once they realised they had caused a massive wealth exodus of expats.

Property size is highly variable, depends on where you want to live and what section of the market you are in. But overall I would have to say this statement is resoundingly not true.

For example, I have a 5 bed house in the UK with a rental value of about £1200 per month. I found a large range of suitable properties within 20 minutes of the airport, in the range of 600 to 800 euros per month. The top end of these typically had the following, shared with a cluster of other houses in a secure perimeter: swimming pool, tennis court, children's play area. Many were next door to the golf course, 10 minutes away from a water park and 15-20 mins from the beaches.

It's a renters market down there.

It really boils down to where you are in life. If you have no children, young children or your children have left the nest it is very suitable. However, if you have senior school aged children then the schooling is an issue for obvious reasons.

The other major factor is if you have a partner, and what they do professionally. Employment prospects are vey poor, especially for non natives.

I think Capt Pit Bull may have a vested interest in FTE
 

CPB, your statement that wasaloadie's comments about rents is resoundingly untrue is itself not entirely true. I think you maybe attempting a bit of damage limitation.

I have a friend who lives in southern Spain and has been over to Jerez for me to do some research. A 5 bed house in the area for 600-800 Euro's? Dream On! either that or it is sub-standard. You will get a medium size 4 bed house for 6-800 Euro's but the area it is in (University) is less than desirable. A small 3 bed in a more desirable area will cost minimum 600 Euro's. He looked at the south of Jerez (golf area) and said the rental prices were on average 25% higher.

It is also true that the agent will take 1 months rent as his fee, normally paid by the vendor in the UK.

Standard of furnishings are not what you would expect in the UK either.

He is ex military (with a pension paid into a UK account) and the Spanish tax his earnings at a higher rate then he would be taxed in the UK. He as many people do, enjoys Spain for the climate. Due to high Spanish unemployment, his wife cannot get a job over there as they will not employ anyone if the position can be filled by a Spanish national who has the same skills. He does not have dependent children but tells me that Spanish main stream education is of a good standard, however children are expected to communicate in Spanish. Otherwise it would be best for them to go to an international school which will have to be paid for privately.

All in All, I think despite the climate, I think am equally as well off back here in the UK and do not consider the move to Jerez to be worth my while considering the small relocation payment on offer (which has to be paid back if you stay less than 2 years), all the additional aggravation of getting established there, not being able to relocate until probation has ended (uncertainty of being kept on), Wife giving up her job with only a small prospect of getting a job there and the current rumours of salary cuts (at the moment FI's I hear, but how long before GI's?). Consequently, I shall not be progressing with my application with FTE until I foresee the situation improving and shall stay where I am for now. My friend was looking at a position as a FI with FTE but has pulled the plug on that for now as he does not consider a move within Spain to be viable at the moment.

100% INCREASE in pay MAY attract the right calibre staff;

Pay REDUCTION will jeopardise the operation;

The airline clients expect the best training for their selected cadets - and pay for it.

The marginal increase in cost per cadet of attracting flight instructors must be relatively small in comparison to the overall cost of training for both FTE Jerez and the client airline - particularly where a large degree of instruction is in the simulator with ex-airline sim instructors who, I understand, are not affected by this issue

Little expense is spared during airline type rating and line training. Why at the important ab initio stage?

How is this permitted under EU law? I work in the UK and am surrounded by Spanish colleagues as I was whilst working with a Portuguese organisation recently.

I'm not convinced they do to be honest; irrespective of who pays for it, it's all about the bottom line.

Is the ab-initio stage seen as important these days? I've seen some particularly weak individuals who were nursed through type training by their 'sponsoring' company for various reasons. In these cases the training providers were encouraged to do their best to 'help' these candidates achieve a licence so that the TRTO could bring them up to speed later.

Of course, for each of these cases there were a large number of highly competent, capable and motivated individuals who achieved success through sheer effort and determination.

Below is a comment made in connection with the AF447 accident:

As we all know, the essence of flying training is a series of building blocks of knowledge and experience - one exercise practised and mastered before progression to the next.

Power + Attitude = Performance

Ex 10 - Recognition of the stall - buffet etc ...

All basic stuff.

I'm not saying, in this over simplistic view, that the AF447 accident would have necessarily been prevented, but basic flying skills were in question.

I agree, it probably isn't to the extent it should be with the whole of modular commercial flight training becoming a 'sausage factory' of cadets trained through organisations with an eye, as you say, on the bottom line.

However, the cost is sometimes incalculable.

Edit:

Interesting comment from another Thread entitled: 'Flight International "Pilots must go back to basics"'

Stn120

I could perhaps have been more precise with my quotes.

For clarification, I do not dispute the agents fee arrangement which is a bit cheeky IMHO! But the crux of the matter is the general price of rental property. Take a property in Jerez, convert its rental into pounds, search for the same on a UK rental website, and you'll be lucky to find anything comparable unless in a really run down area.

I could give some examples of mid range places we looked at, but tbh lets cut to the chase and look at the top end. We viewed several similar properties near the golf course at around the 800 euro mark. Admittedly, only 4 beds, but fitted out basements are common, so far superior to our uk property in terms of floor area for non bedroom living space; enough room for an office and a home cinema. Plus the pool. Plus in a secure gated area. Plus a tennis court. 800 euros, that's me, in the property, talking face to face with the Agent. Not 'a mate did some looking around'. But even if it was 1000 eu, say 900 sterling, try and rent the equivalent anywhere in the UK!

The simple truth is, as I originally stated, it is a renter's market down there. Spanish property websites are pretty poor, and the English level of the Agents is very poor, but once you cut behind that there are some great places to live at very reasonable prices.

There are serious issues to be considered in relocating to Spain (as I mentioned taxation, spousal employment and schooling) but the rental market is not one of them IMHO.

These are general statements about Spain based on my experiences down there and would apply to anyone thinking of relocating for any reason. Thus I'm somewhat bemused by your post title and insinuation.

Cpb

Capt Pit Bull

I agree with you - €700 - €800 is correct for reasonable rental property (excluding utilities etc).

The problem is that on the salary offered for a new instructor it will be difficult to survive unless you have additional income.

Even with the tax advantages of integrating the rental cost with salary leaves scant free income to pay for those necessities of life and to enjoy a 'professional' standard of living, car and the like. The figures simply don't add up.

Back to my original comments - it's a job for a single, young instructor or for a semi-retired airline pilot with a pension to rely on.

For those in the middle, difficult - for those with a family nigh impossible.

FTE
 

I used to work at FTE but I am better now, so I feel qualified to update some of you on both FTE and life in Spain.


First FTE. There is an currently on-going "consultation" between the flying instructors and senior management about a proposed pay cut to be imposed and salary to be performance related. The management have so far pretty well rejected all the proposals put forward by the instructors and seem hell bent on forcing a "take it or leave it" solution. Those who choose not to accept the terms will be made redundant with a 20 day severance pay. The pay cuts and revised terms are due to the management's perception that the instructors are not working hard enough. The fact that quite often the brand new aircraft are unserviceable, that there are far too many students as a result of managements refusal to listen to the advice of those managers who knew about flying training, that the weather is not always as good as you would like to think in Spain, that there are often delays in getting the aircraft refuelled and, as if that were not enough, that flight training takes place in a part of the world with the world's most inefficient and lazy ATC environment is not accepted by the management who insist on blaming the instructors. Needless to say, morale is at rock bottom and is not helped by the fact that the flight management team by and large are ineffective.


Spain. Living there is not necessarily the panacea that some would lie to believe. In some respects the cost of living is cheaper than in the UK but that is outweighed by the fact that you pay tax on ALL your income - there is no tax-free allowance like there is in the UK. The days when it was possible to offset the rent and car leasing against tax are now over. In addition there is the spectre of having to declare all overseas income (Form 720, penalty of 10000 euros for not doing so or for a wrong declaration) with the very real possibility of the Spanish Inland Revenue making a claim on UK income/investments/property irrespective of whether or not you have already paid tax on it in the UK has already driven many expats out of the country.


The summer weather can be oppressively hot and unless you enjoy flying an un-airconditioned aircraft in temperatures in the mid to high 30s summer is not that much fun. Again, unless you can get by without seeing rain for four or five months of the year summer has its drawbacks.


The Spanish themselves are nocturnal and noisy and genetically engineered to be totally selfish. Most restaurants don't even bother to open till around 2100 so there is not much point in planning to go out for an early meal unless you like MacDonalds or Burger King.


Initially I enjoyed my time at Jerez but these days the quality of life, both at work and at home, plus the financial "rewards" make it a place to think very carefully about before signing any dotted lines.

bose-x:

1.

and ... ? (I hope you haven't been 'gagged');

2.

Is your flight school still looking for a FI + IRI + CRI ?

If so, is this due to an absolute shortage of suitably qualified instructors, or are you finding issues similar to those allegedly being experienced by FTEJerez?

The problem with ATC (Seville Approach) and their reluctance to handle more than 1 IFR training flight at a time is very frustrating especially at an airfield that has more training traffic than CAT.


Going to Spain also depends on who you are what stage you are in your life and career(s) and your personal motivations. It will suit some, it will not suit everyone. Jobs tend to have common terms and conditions and they either work for you or they don't.

B61, Yes I am referring to the DA42s. They are brand new so have not yet reached an age whereby engine and gearbox problems raise their ugly heads. Moreover, they have the new engines so are unlikely to suffer the same problems as the Thielert ones did. However, the savings in fuel costs are, as you said, far outweighed by the cost of getting them refueled (30 Euros per aircraft each time plus the cost of the fuel) plus the need to refuel them after nearly every flight.


The DA 42 is a nice aircraft to fly but has far too many limitations and, in some ways is a victim of its own fuel efficiency. Were you to get airborne at FTE at max AUW you would have to fly for nearly 2.5 hours to get down to max landing weight. This means limiting the fuel uplift hence the need to top up after most flights. The C of G is a long way forward which has its own limitations, especially in icing conditions. With the deicing fluid tank full the C of G moves a long way forward (well in excess of the max permitted in the vast majority of cases). However, when flying in known or forecast icing conditions, the maximum permitted forward C of G moves a fair bit to the rear!!! De-icing fluid is not cheap and could well push the operating cost up in winter in addition to the cost of fluid used in the summer months just to keep the system primed.


The Senecas are expensive to run but they do at least offer the flexibility of being able to get airborne with full fuel and three on board. With the DA42 limitations it is almost impossible to have more than two people on board.

Sounds like they would be better moving back to Prestwick.

I don't know what the actual situation is in this regard, but I doubt very much AENA will grant an authorisation to a small company to have their own tank of fuel, let alone allow a small fuel truck or a towable tank wander around the airport.

"Spanish practice" :E
Funny and not funny at the same time.

This is a lack of communication when it comes to fuel. If you call out the fuel truck they charge €30 to come out.

We however leave a tag of the prop asking for fuel whenever it is passing and for this there is no charge.

Whilst I realise that FTE are an airline training school, they may also do better to try and be a bit more flexible and realise they are just operating spam cans not airliners.

They are making a rod for their backs with the treatment of instructors, a mass exodus is coming and it's going to cripple them.

Spain is a good place for single Instructors who can afford to live on the bread line. It is not a family place and the Spanish are shooting themselves in the foot trying to raise cash from the expats.

I would not work out their were it not for the fact that my time is split between teaching and line flying and I am on the payroll in the UK.

bose-x I think I know who you work for when you are in Spain. The 30 Euros is a call out fee,however, it is charged per aircraft, not per call out. My understanding is that in order to be allowed to own and operate a refueling truck it is necessary to have an AOC. In FTE's case it would be complicated by the need to have two vehicles - one for Avgas and the other for Jet A1.

I know its per aircraft, hence the reason that we leave the refuel tag on the prop. Whenever the fueler is passing, he sees the tag and fills the aircraft. It is rare for us to ever need to call out the fueler to the piston aircraft. Saves a fortune in callout fees. If FTE were smart they could reduce the bill by adopting the same system.

When I need the Dornier filling with Jet A1 then I call them out unless I happen to be stood on the pan when he is passing from filling one of the 42's. But on a couple of tons of fuel €30 gets lost in the bill!! We do however have the same tag for it which I use if I have more time for refuel.

It is not an AOC that is needed for the fuel truck it is however an airside operators certificate for a fuel truck that is needed. You are right there is no chance that any of the based operators would be allowed there own installation. The Spanish are congenitally lazy but they are not stupid.

bose X


The only reason the refueller passes your aircraft is that he is on way to FTE !!


But that is not the major problem for FTE at present, I suspect.


Too little resource to get task done brought about by heavy handed senior management , probably out weights tardiness of refueller.