Obtaining CPL & FI, & jobs in the US
 

I am looking into getting my CPL and then my FI rating in the US.
As you all know this is not cheap, so the last thing I would want to happen is to get fully qualified and then not be able to find a job.

So, can anyone tell me if there are jobs available for newly qualified instructors in the US?

I have a UK and US passport so there is no problem working in America.

I am 23 years old, I have my PPL, I have a degree, and I have just spent a year teaching English in a civil aviation collage in China.

I enjoy both teaching and flying so I would like to combine the two, and I would like to see where it all leads. Reading past comments it seems to be difficult to earn a decent living instructing so maybe I will move on to something else, but I want to stick with flying.

I do not have any real commitments so I would be willing to work anywhere.

So what are my chances? Should I not take the risk and play it safe? Pessimistic and optimistic opinions are welcome.

And if anyone has any suggestions on where to get qualified it would be appreciated.

CFI jobs US
 

Try american flyers,

They always seem to be looking for people, big schools dedicated to training.

Steven Daun at Pompano Beach is the guy you want, sorry no email.

Good luck

:)

You need to find a school who employ graduates of their CFI courses - look in the pages of Pilot , Flyer & Flying magazines . There is certainly not much around at the moment though - a surplus of furloughed pilots filling any available instructional jobs for little pay .

AF have taken on ex-students but as a U.S. passport holder , you may not be as attractive - your reliance on them for a visa is diminished hence less control over terms of employment .

I'm afraid you may find some difficoulties finding employment here in the States. the regional are not hirin much, so vertical movement is at a minimum. however, if you decide to get a JAA CFI (or wathever is called), I bet the JAAapproved schools in the States will beg you to work for them.
I would NOT reccomend American Flyers - they pay peanuts and fly mostly single engine a/c. I'd try for Comair academy, FlightSafety academy and the likes, with lots of international students. Sierra academy in Oakland, California is another option.
Good luck to you.

Cheers.

JAA or FAA
 

I had not thought of getting a JAA license instead of an FAA license, I guess it would be worth considering.

But if I got a JAA FI rating then I would limit myself to only instruct at the international schools and not other schools in the US. Plus in later years if I wished to get out of instructing and into another flying job in the US would having a JAA license hinder me in finding a job?

And can I really trust a school that says "we will train you and then hire you" when they haven’t met me?

Thanks for your help

Right now , it's the only way you are going to find employment as an inexperienced instructor - there really is that little in the way of work .

I think the suggestion regarding JAA licences was to do these in addition to FAA - this way you would be able to teach in the U.S. for a JAA training provider such as Comair or NAC .

I echo the remarks made by erjdriver although might add that where I am the regionals are not hiring at all .

Just for pointers you could take at look at www.aopa.org and www.climbto350.com
I continuously see ads for CFIs there, even though it`s not on a day-to-day regularity. AOPA also has a directory of ALL registered flight scholls in the US, so you might want to get your hands on that too, especially since it includes phone and fax #s.
ACA are also hiring...