QUALITY of the Flight Instructor VET Course
On the other side GA has been squeezed by RAAus being allowed to increase their weight limit and operate out of the Class D aerodromes.
Add the privatised airports squeezing every drop out of the smaller operator's remaining margins in rents and parking fees.
Covid still disrupting supply chains leaving training aircraft AOG for months on end.
CASA unable to swiftly process a medical even though the doc has already done all the work.
For many years I have been "gunna" set up an instructor course, part time, one on one with a Grade One with at least 15 years instructing experience. But CASA would take months or years to approve it and I have to spend working hours flying, not developing the business, or I can't keep the lights on.
The result will be that the only two choices will be RAAus or a sausage factory.
I'm glad I am retiring soon.
Add the privatised airports squeezing every drop out of the smaller operator's remaining margins in rents and parking fees.
Covid still disrupting supply chains leaving training aircraft AOG for months on end.
CASA unable to swiftly process a medical even though the doc has already done all the work.
For many years I have been "gunna" set up an instructor course, part time, one on one with a Grade One with at least 15 years instructing experience. But CASA would take months or years to approve it and I have to spend working hours flying, not developing the business, or I can't keep the lights on.
The result will be that the only two choices will be RAAus or a sausage factory.
I'm glad I am retiring soon.
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Get on board with RAAus, it's a good segment to fly in, some very well equipped aircraft and less CAsA involvement 
While you're doing that you can moonlight at sausage factory, they need experienced instructors.
While you're doing that you can moonlight at sausage factory, they need experienced instructors.
Have resisted all head hunters so far
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Several things come to mind from the above comments.
The first is that there is typically no guarantee of getting an instructor G3 job at the end of the IR training time. A lot of schools look at an instructors course as a way of making money and keeping props turning.
The quality of the course can depend on both the flight school and the instructor running the course. Does the instructor have real flying experience? A good number of hours? Experience as an instructor? Has flown a good number of aircraft types? Has real XC experience? Has good real skills to pass on to his candidates? Is not just out of CPL and IR training himself?
A lot of schools will give the spin that the Government is giving you a 'loan that can be paid back later'. The reality is that the so called loan is with Taxpayers money., not Government money! Unless paid back pronto that loan is going to hang over your head like an axe over your neck. Try and get a house loan with a VET Fee help loan of $100K lurking in the background.
That money has to be paid back whether the candidate achieves his or her qualifications or not. There are a lot of wanna bee pilots and instructors out there with loans to repay that will never earn a buck by way of a spinning prop.
At present there are more CPL and IR pilots being trained than there are jobs available. It is true to say that go north and shake any tree and new CPL pilots will fall out of it.
The first is that there is typically no guarantee of getting an instructor G3 job at the end of the IR training time. A lot of schools look at an instructors course as a way of making money and keeping props turning.
The quality of the course can depend on both the flight school and the instructor running the course. Does the instructor have real flying experience? A good number of hours? Experience as an instructor? Has flown a good number of aircraft types? Has real XC experience? Has good real skills to pass on to his candidates? Is not just out of CPL and IR training himself?
A lot of schools will give the spin that the Government is giving you a 'loan that can be paid back later'. The reality is that the so called loan is with Taxpayers money., not Government money! Unless paid back pronto that loan is going to hang over your head like an axe over your neck. Try and get a house loan with a VET Fee help loan of $100K lurking in the background.
That money has to be paid back whether the candidate achieves his or her qualifications or not. There are a lot of wanna bee pilots and instructors out there with loans to repay that will never earn a buck by way of a spinning prop.
At present there are more CPL and IR pilots being trained than there are jobs available. It is true to say that go north and shake any tree and new CPL pilots will fall out of it.
The answer is “no, they shouldn’t be like that”. What type of course do you think the original students (the ones who’s answer s you are copying) experienced?
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In short, no, the Cert IV in training and assessment should focus around you creating a training plan and assessment for that activity. Copy and pasting somebody elses work defeats the whole purpose of the course, which is for you to learn how to create a lesson plan and an assessment of what the student has learned from the experience. This should involve you creating your own lesson plan and an assessment for that activity, not copy pasting an already existing training plan/assessment. There should be a theory component test which is the plan and assessment text/outline, and a practical component where you demonstrate how you would conduct the lesson and assess a candidate. Ideally it should revolve around something simple and does not have to be related to aviation.
As said before some of these courses have become a bit too focused on taking your money and rushing you through, as long as the required hours are completed and some farcical test with minimal pass requirements. Then you get whacked in the face trying to get your first job because the course isn't worth the paper it's written on for practical application.
BTW there are other core elements to the Training and Assessment Cert, as with most courses of this nature, however what I wrote above should be the main thrust.
Sounds like this course should be renamed CAP, Cert IV in Copy, and Paste, which probably applies to 50% of courses offered by TAFEs these days.
As said before some of these courses have become a bit too focused on taking your money and rushing you through, as long as the required hours are completed and some farcical test with minimal pass requirements. Then you get whacked in the face trying to get your first job because the course isn't worth the paper it's written on for practical application.
BTW there are other core elements to the Training and Assessment Cert, as with most courses of this nature, however what I wrote above should be the main thrust.
Sounds like this course should be renamed CAP, Cert IV in Copy, and Paste, which probably applies to 50% of courses offered by TAFEs these days.
Last edited by 43Inches; 6th Oct 2023 at 07:15.
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If that part of the course is copy and paste, tick and flick, what will the rest of it be like!
Sadly a lot of instructor courses and schools do expect regurgitation, including bad jokes, of a set of briefs that have been used unchanged for donkeys' years, so I suppose it is realistic at least...there is no scope at all for any kind of critical thinking.
Sadly a lot of instructor courses and schools do expect regurgitation, including bad jokes, of a set of briefs that have been used unchanged for donkeys' years, so I suppose it is realistic at least...there is no scope at all for any kind of critical thinking.
given that it's worth around $8,000 on paper
Yeah nah I'll just quietly retire I think! Don't want to be rattled around in a tiny aeroplane or have to work for someone else Have resisted all head hunters so far
Have resisted all head hunters so far
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Sounds like bad shopping.
I did a FIR on a HELP loan. The school had organised a uni lecturer to teach the TAE units. Was presented with enthusiasm and insight. Only so much you can do with very dry material though and onerous assessment requirements though.
I did a FIR on a HELP loan. The school had organised a uni lecturer to teach the TAE units. Was presented with enthusiasm and insight. Only so much you can do with very dry material though and onerous assessment requirements though.
Freshly minted G3 here with training course completed in rural Victoria. Overall, it's been great and enjoyable experience, done part-time over 9 months with breaks due to personal reasons (job changes).Every brief was developed by myself, following the CASA syllabus. During the course, the PowerPoint content was constantly improved with the guidance from G1 instructor.
Briefs practiced at home in front of my Mrs asking genuine ab-initio questions.
Learning to fly from the right (and back) seat was challenging, also flying with other pilots helps too.
I look forward to teaching my family and friends, provided the local school is willing to let me work under their AOC.
Briefs practiced at home in front of my Mrs asking genuine ab-initio questions.
Learning to fly from the right (and back) seat was challenging, also flying with other pilots helps too.
I look forward to teaching my family and friends, provided the local school is willing to let me work under their AOC.
OP - if I was you, I would be asking for a full refund or threaten to report them. You can get an instructor rating for around $22K elsewhere and it will be of a much higher standard.
If you report them you should do the right thing and report every RTO that is delivering the TAE shonkily. If it's done properly it takes about 4 to 6 months of part time and can be a bit of a head****.
