I am about to start study leave before i take my GCSE's, but incase i dont meet the minimum requirements for an airline job, i was going to be happy with a FI job at the airfield where i am learning to fly currently. But with these low rates of pay, im a bit concerned.

A union is the only way to go, but on the other hand if you are wanting to hour build only then look at it this way, you'd pay a very minimum of £90 an hour wet to build them yourself. Also if/when you get a commercial job the salary should pay off any debts you ran up.

i get £10ph flight pay only at an airfield in the SE. Have to resort to crap jobs such a a bit of shelf stacking or bar work to make some extra dosh. Only getting about 30hrs a month at the moment which is really getting me down from whats meant to be a pretty much full time job :(
Ben that may be true if you look at it in that aspect, but doesn't help when you already got £30k+ in debt from CPL/IR and have to have 2 or 3 jobs to just pay the loan repayments, or indeed help those who wish to instruct as a career. Is the most rediculous industry I ever come across. Now if only that :mad: Tony would get rid of the damm tax on avgas then we might be able to make a living

The price of AVGAS will have no effect upon your income, I fear. Crappy instructor' pay has bog-all to do with Tony Blair. It may be that a few more people will learn to fly, but your hourly rate won't change.

As I see things, the fixed costs of running a training aircraft can't vary much between schools. They all need a C of A , insurance, fuel and maintenance. One of the few areas in which a school's owners can save money is on Staff wages. Since all the tuppeny-ha'penny schools are competing on price, the result is as you see it.

Look at Humberside. There's, I think, four flying schools on site, all competing for the same bit of business. Result is that all the aircraft are under-utilised and everyone is cutting each other's throat in a bid to gain custom.

Seems to me that co-operation, not competition, is the way to improve the instructor's lot.

I know of one club in Essex which is looking for an unristricted FI at the moment, and is willing to pay a very good retainer plus hourly pay.

I am not associated with this club, and only know about it because they asked me if I'd be interested.

PM me if you'd like further details so you can contact them directly.

Cheers

Gerard