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Originally Posted by johntlewis  How much can I realistically expect to make as a CFI? |
Anywhere from $15-$25/hr for both flight and ground instruction. Each school is different. Sometimes you charge and get paid for every minute of a lesson (the client schedules a 2 hour lesson, you get paid for 2 hours), sometimes you only get paid what is on the Hobbs meter (client schedules a 2 hour block, you fly 1.2 hours, you get paid for 1.2) and sometimes it's something in the middle (like charging Hobbs time + briefing/debriefing time). It all depends where you work and what you decide for yourself.
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Originally Posted by johntlewis If I am able to actually fly 20 hours a week and teach a few hours of ground school, I can make it financially. However, aren't there many weeks when weather is bad so that you can't fly much? |
Depends where you instruct. I used to work in Washington state and lived in a VERY fog-prone area. It wasn't unhead of to go for a week or 10 days without a single flight in the winter, for no other reason than weather. But I've heard places like Florida, Arizona, or Texas have pretty much year-round flying no matter what season it is.
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Originally Posted by johntlewis Also, flight schools promise 80-100 hours a month, but is that really realistic? I would hate to take a job only to find out that I'm only flying 10 hours a week. |
Again, it all depends on the individual school. One summer I averaged 110+ hours per month working for my college. If the school has good service, good instructors, reasonable rental rates, etc., word spreads and you'll stay busy. Don't necessarily trust what the school's manager says though. Talk to other pilots in the area, other instructors at the school, mechanics at the airport, etc. and try to figure out what kind of a reputation the school has before you commit to working there.
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Originally Posted by johntlewis One more question: Will most flight schools allow you to get a part-time evening job to help when times are bad (say 10 hours a week)? Would there even be time for a part time job? |
Sure, it's none of the school's business what you do in your off time. If you can make it work with your instructing schedule, go for it.
That said, staying busy as an instructor often depends on having a flexible schedule. The thing with instructing is that it's highly service-oriented towards the student. People want to fly in their free time...that might be evenings, weekends, or early in the morning--whatever works for them. In order to get students to pick you and stay with you as an instructor, you'll need to be fairly accomodating.
It's really nice for students to be able to call you on short notice and go flying. Or if you have bad weather for part of a day, but it's forecast to clear later, it's nice having the flexibility to take off the part of the day with bad weather and reschedule people for later in the evening.
My advice would be to get a part time job in the evenings during the winter when flying is slower, then commit 100% of your time to instructing in the summer. That summer when I was flying 110 hours/month I was working from 8 or 9 in the morning until 8, 9, or even 10 at night. There was no time for another part time job.
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Originally Posted by johntlewis It's a big move for me even though I'm single so please help me with some advice. |
As was mentioned, specializing in something can help a lot. Can you do tailwheel training? TAA (Technically Advanced Aircraft...glass cockpits, basically) training? Any experience in owner aircraft, like Bonanzas, Mooneys, C-210s, Saratogas, anything like that? Aerobatic/spin/unusual attitude recovery training? Niche markets like those are the areas instructors can make extra money in.