To be or not to be

steelrain27 · Post by **steelrain27** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 2:14 pm

I'm not sure if this question has been posed some where here before but I thought I might as well make a post.

My flight instructor said to me that I should become a flight instructor after i finish my PPL CPL. I want to eventually (asap however lol) become an airline pilot or fly purolator or fedex.....i want to fly big jets is basically what i am getting at here lol I know i need to get an entry level job and work my way up. Trust me these facts have not been lost on me. However my question is, is it worth the money to become a flight instructor or should i just get my IFR before i am out of money???

What is the life of a flight instructor like? Generally how much do you make? Is if fulfilling? How many students does one usually handle? Are there any perks? If i want to fly jets should I even bother with becoming and instructor or just try and fly small commuter stuff??

I know there is a mountain of questions there but as i vastly approach the start of my CPL I just want to get an idea of what is a head of me on this exciting and expensive road less traveled. I know alot of people on here have ALOT of experience so anything and everything that you wish to share is greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance
Steelrain27

Crazymax · Post by **Crazymax** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 3:04 pm

Instructor will get you PIC time. That's the key.

Max

husky · Post by **husky** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 3:26 pm

Of course most instructors will tell you instructing is the best entry level job.

Just take that opinion with a grain of salt. If your end goal is the airlines you're probably better off trying to get an FO position on a Navajo or similar, or if you're willing to work the ramp for a bit, you might be able to get an FO spot on something bigger.

Even though this is not PIC time, it's probably much more valuable if your end goal in the airlines or large cargo operators.

ski_bum · Post by **ski_bum** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 3:27 pm

Instructor Questions hey. I would recommend it, however get your Multi-IFR before your instructor rating, but get both. Teach for a year, get your 1000 hours and MOVE ON...

The lifestyle of a flight instructor, hopefully you like your parents house cause I wouldn't move out just yet. The money is poor, it was the least amount of yearly income I have ever made since I started working at 16. NO JOKE!! Summer can be a good time, but the winters are really hard on the wallet, my winters were sponsored by VISA! I did my taxes with HR Block and they gave me the student rate as my income was so low and they figured I was a full time student. In reality I worked 29 days a month, 12-14 hours a day.

It can definately be a fufilling job, it is great to pass on what you love to others, I had an average of 2 full time students and a bunch of part-timers to fill in the gaps. It is important to pick the school carefully, and do the instructor rating at the school you want to work at. The rating will turn into a 3 month interview.

LostinRotation · Post by **LostinRotation** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 3:30 pm

If you want to know what it's like to be a flight instructor, especially at the place you have the greatest chance of getting hired....why don't you ask the ones around your school ?

Personally I loved teaching.....but you have to. If your in it for the hours and aren't passionate about it, don't do it. Get your MIFR and look for work up north. Jobs aren't as hard to find as they were two years ago.

-=0=LiR=0=-

Rudderless · Post by **Rudderless** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 4:16 pm

If you do the instructor thing, you can build some hours, meet some people and get the lay of the land. If you go straight to the multiIFR, you'll have no flying time and will have to stay current until you find something, if you do.

If you teach ground school and do briefings/sims on crappy days, you may not starve to death.

Most professions require a few years of long hours and low pay, i.e. doctor, lawyer. These days the trades are supposed to be the way to go if you want to make decent money. Flying is not a way to make a quick buck, for sure.

My 2 cents

qth · Post by **qth** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 8:36 pm

At the end of the day you have to ask yourself which one you would be happy doing. Instructing for 1-2 years or working the ramp for 1-2 years. They both require long hours with low pay. Instructing will get you hours sooner in the book however working the ramp may get you into a twin turbine sooner. I instructed back in the early to mid nineties for 2+ years and I have had friends who worked the ramp for the same time period. Nobody I know have bemoaned the path they took and we all ended up at the companies we wanted around the same time.

shimmydampner · Post by **shimmydampner** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 8:50 pm

Crazymax wrote:Instructor will get you PIC time. That's the key.

Max

So will lots of other jobs that don't require an instructor rating. And they'll be more beneficial experience as well.

yycguy · Post by **yycguy** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 9:06 pm

I loved my time instructing and it was a great entry job to aviation. Yes the pay is very poor, but so is the pay working the ramp in some northern town. I know other former instructors who now work for Air Canada, Jazz, West Jet, Cathay Pacific, and for Morningstar (Fed-ex 727's), so you can work towards that as your goal.

Having said that, you should get your multi-IFR before you start instructing, because when the day comes that the multi instructor quits at the last minute to go fly a turbo-prop, you want to be ready immediately to fill their spot and take over their student load. Otherwise you could end up like some instructors who have thousands of hours of single engine time but no multi-time, and they are stuck. Remember that it's the multi-time that will get you your next job onto something bigger.

Crazymax · Post by **Crazymax** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 9:27 pm

shimmydampner wrote:
Crazymax wrote:Instructor will get you PIC time. That's the key.

Max
So will lots of other jobs that don't require an instructor rating. And they'll be more beneficial experience as well.

I don,t know, I believe instructing can be a very beneficial experience if someone take the opportunity....

express · Post by **express** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 10:03 pm

Ramp. Float. Corporate. Airline. Dash of Medevac in there ok too. Well rounded experience: hard work, hands and feet, diversity, best long term. Simple as that.

BigWillyStyle · Post by **BigWillyStyle** » Sat Apr 07, 2007 7:30 am

Get your float rating. It's a lot cheaper than an instructor ticket and you fly cooler planes under tougher conditions. Getting the MIFR right outta school is a crock. You will end up paying for your own renewal at least once. No operator in their right mind is going to put a 250 hour pilot in the left seat of a fast, half-million dollar twin. I believe that idea is from the same flight schools that will tell you their 50K 2-year diploma program is absolutely essential for getting a job. Get a summer or two of PIC on the water, and THEN use your tips to buy the MIFR.
My 2c.

BWS

richardhead · Post by **richardhead** » Sat Apr 07, 2007 8:40 am

My opinion for what it is worth. Do what your heart tells you. Having done it myself, I can tell you it was OK but that's it. Everything worked out good for me, but if I had to do it all over again I wouldn't instruct. I would get my MIFR and float rating and go up north. Try and find a reputable operator and have a good time and get some good expierience. The next time you are up with your intructor take a second and think what it would be like doing what you are doing at that moment over and over again. Good Luck

richardhead · Post by **richardhead** » Sat Apr 07, 2007 8:43 am

My opinion for what it is worth. Do what your heart tells you. Having done it myself, I can tell you it was OK but that's it. Everything worked out good for me, but if I had to do it all over again I wouldn't instruct. I would get my MIFR and float rating and go up north. Try and find a reputable operator and have a good time and get some good expierience. The next time you are up with your intructor take a second and think what it would be like doing what you are doing at that moment over and over again. Good Luck

richardhead · Post by **richardhead** » Sat Apr 07, 2007 8:44 am

My opinion for what it is worth. Do what your heart tells you. Having done it myself, I can tell you it was OK but that's it. Everything worked out good for me, but if I had to do it all over again I wouldn't instruct. I would get my MIFR and float rating and go up north. Try and find a reputable operator and have a good time and get some good expierience. The next time you are up with your intructor take a second and think what it would be like doing what you are doing at that moment over and over again. Good Luck

Stan_Cooper · Post by **Stan_Cooper** » Sat Apr 07, 2007 1:32 pm

You might not have to pay for an IFR renewal if you get your IFR with your CPL... The way things are going if you work hard it's possible that you'll get an IFR PPC within 2 years after your IFR ride.

happily.retired · Post by **happily.retired** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 8:58 pm

I adored instructing!
However it left me in financial ruins and the majority of my graduating class who went the bush route ended up in bigger birds, with higher pay in less time than those of us who chose to instruct.