A little help from my friends...

[iSight]

...or at least some nameless, faceless strangers.

I'm looking for advice on where to focus my efforts.
Situation: you're an instructor with 1300+ hours teaching MIFR but very sporadically and not gaining much in terms of multi time. You're starting to feel yourself plateau at your current place of employment. You didn't partake in the yearly hiring season festivities because you were banking on a deal with your current employer that never materialized and that deal was supposed to take you to next year. You are starting to feel like you might get pigeonholed as "just an instructor" if you keep building the instructor hours instead of "real" hours. You like WV Westafallias and women from San Diego and could eat sushi 5 days a week.

Do you
a) grin and bear it and just be happy you're getting paid to fly instead of load bags?
b) quit instructing and work your more lucrative part time job full time and go job-shopping and networking on days off so as to get a leg up before the next season?
c) quit everything and drive the westfallia to San Diego and eat sushi all summer?

I'm interested to hear from some people involved in hiring. I've talked to some and it seems that instructor hours after a certain number (500? 750? 1000?) don't seem to hold any weight with some of them. In fact, some give the impression that it's a sign of someone who can't fly a "real" job. Is that a real thing? Should I be doing everything I can to find some other kind of work? Or would instructing until 2000 hours be of value? I'm wanting more variety of experience and trying to keep my options open as far as my career.

Cheers strangers.

[sstaurus]

Why not keep job hunting while instructing? Especially if it's sporadic, it sounds like you have the time to keep hunting. Unless you're thinking of a road trip of sorts. The only real hiring wave you may have missed is for floats...

Overall I'd recommend looking for whatever lifestyle you want. Sure, I've heard of some who have that idea of instructors you mention, but thats few and far between. Extra instructing time isn't bad, but doesn't really add to your desirability if it's all one type of experience. Any MPIC is obviously worth a lot to many companies that have that written in their customer contracts, I don't think you'll have too much trouble.

I love Westfalias too, it's a shame running away and becoming a hippie doesn't pay the bills

Get in touch with Discovery Air in Dryden, quick! Go detect for a summer, I always wanted to do that...

To sum up, I wouldn't say there is much value career wise with continuing to build instructing time, unless that's what you want to do as an end game. If you can afford to live on just instructing, quit your other job, and just instruct and job hunt. That will keep you current, and give you more time to search.

[imac0960]

DA is always looking for detection pilots. 1000TT with 100multi.

I wouldn't quit a flying job if you have one. Some hours are better than none. Lots of operators are going to be hiring GGN is on the hunt for FO's and so is EVAS.

[Changes in Latitudes]

Get in touch with Discovery Air in Dryden, quick! Go detect for a summer, I always wanted to do that...

Great suggestion. Hicks and Lawrence would be a perfect way to put a new experience in your logbook, exiting that pigeonhole that you're worried about, all while having a blast this summer. I don't think anyone ever regrets going there. Don't forget, it is always easier to find a job when you already have a job; so don't stop flying, whatever you do.

I don't think you're in as much of a potential rut as you think, especially with your decent attitude about things.

Go get em' tiger.

[cdnpilot77]

Get in touch with Discovery Air in Dryden, quick! Go detect for a summer, I always wanted to do that...

Great suggestion. Hicks and Lawrence would be a perfect way to put a new experience in your logbook, exiting that pigeonhole that you're worried about, all while having a blast this summer. I don't think anyone ever regrets going there. Don't forget, it is always easier to find a job when you already have a job; so don't stop flying, whatever you do.

I don't think you're in as much of a potential rut as you think, especially with your decent attitude about things.

Go get em' tiger.

Perfectly said!

[Illya Kuryakin]

I'd . it all. Drive the VW camper to CA, marry a rich American chick.....
sstaurus got it RIGHT! Chase the LIFESTYLE, not the tin. Do what makes YOU happy!
Illya

[iSight]

Thanks for the replies.

It is hard to instruct and job hunt. The instructing is spread thin such that I have to do it pretty much 7 days a week. And when I do take a few days to go somewhere the school starts to think that I'm not wanting to be there and my students suddenly are flying with other instructors or I stop getting new ones. Catch 22. And of course my employer is telling me that time is time and I should just keep instructing. Of course they would like me to instruct until I'm 70 I'm sure.

Driving the VW to Cali is definitely tempting.

Thanks folks. I'll keep plugging away and I'll figure it out somehow.

[iSight]

Thanks again for the replies. I've got it figured nicely.

K

[Changes in Latitudes]

Great. Let this be a lesson to the wee fledglings that follow in your path.

Enjoy.

[HORUNNER]

Why not keep job hunting while instructing? Especially if it's sporadic, it sounds like you have the time to keep hunting. Unless you're thinking of a road trip of sorts. The only real hiring wave you may have missed is for floats...

Overall I'd recommend looking for whatever lifestyle you want. Sure, I've heard of some who have that idea of instructors you mention, but thats few and far between. Extra instructing time isn't bad, but doesn't really add to your desirability if it's all one type of experience. Any MPIC is obviously worth a lot to many companies that have that written in their customer contracts, I don't think you'll have too much trouble.

I love Westfalias too, it's a shame running away and becoming a hippie doesn't pay the bills

Get in touch with Discovery Air in Dryden, quick! Go detect for a summer, I always wanted to do that...

To sum up, I wouldn't say there is much value career wise with continuing to build instructing time, unless that's what you want to do as an end game. If you can afford to live on just instructing, quit your other job, and just instruct and job hunt. That will keep you current, and give you more time to search.

+1