student expections. Am I asking too much?

[Codyjp]

have a look at this and tell me if I am asking too much. it seems that my last few weeks have been quite frustrating:banghead : for me to say the least!

http://www.flypierce.com/resources/studentexpectations

Is there anything i should add or remove?

[MidlifeFlyer]

You are not asking too much of your students. But you are probably in for a disappointment if your expectations are that your students will generally live up to your expectations.

Have you enforced them? For example, I've canceled cross country dual flights and replaced them with a ground session when the proper planning was not done (my students know about this in advance)

[Codyjp]

I have been more lax in the past with enforcing things but I haven't been tightening things up a lot more.

I may just be ranting due to a bad few weeks!

[beechpilot]

We try to enforce similar rules but more often than not we have students come in for a cross country without having done their homework or a last minute cancelation etc. If someone cancels last minute because of sickness we will take it into consideration but if they simply don't show, they'll be charged. I'm not on salary and often times I drive in only for a couple lessons in a day so I'm going to make damn sure I get paid for my time even if the student chooses not to show.

[gator4798]

Wow I just consider that common sense. My PPL checkride is the 14th and Up to now I don't think I have ever been late to a lesson by more then a few minutes. Never enough to cancel or delay a flight. On occasion I'll show early if I know my Instructor is out flying with another student before me. I'll preflight the plane and have it all ready. He just jumps out one plane and jumps into mine and off we go :-) well after the paper work for his early student :-)

[beechpilot]

Originally Posted by gator4798

Wow I just consider that common sense. My PPL checkride is the 14th and Up to now I don't think I have ever been late to a lesson by more then a few minutes. Never enough to cancel or delay a flight. On occasion I'll show early if I know my Instructor is out flying with another student before me. I'll preflight the plane and have it all ready. He just jumps out one plane and jumps into mine and off we go :-) well after the paper work for his early student :-)

Good luck on your checkride!!!!!

[Codyjp]

Originally Posted by gator4798

Wow I just consider that common sense. My PPL checkride is the 14th and Up to now I don't think I have ever been late to a lesson by more then a few minutes. Never enough to cancel or delay a flight. On occasion I'll show early if I know my Instructor is out flying with another student before me. I'll preflight the plane and have it all ready. He just jumps out one plane and jumps into mine and off we go :-) well after the paper work for his early student :-)

yes, you are the type of student that makes your instructor happy. It does seem like a fairly basic request but i am too often proven wrong. Good luck on your checkride! Have all your paperwork in order at least the day prior and have it ready when he/she comes in! set the mood right and you will be golden!

[jrh]

You're not asking too much. Everything you've listed is reasonable. Just make it clear to your clients what your expectations are, then enforce them consistently.

[Codyjp]

i am glad to hear nobody here thinks I am nuts. It sort of seems ironic that I had to put all that together on my fourth anniversary as an instructor...

[Chief Captain]

Not asking too much at all. When I go for a lesson, it's my duty to ensure that I've done all the prior preparation. As to arriving on time- nothing irks me more than an instructor being late. I won't kill a guy for calling and saying that he'll be 15 minutes late. It's common courtesy. However, if he makes a habit of it, then it's a problem.

[moxiepilot]

Cody - here are my suggestions:

Be Prepared - with the "weather briefing, if required" part, I would eliminate, ":if required".

Respect my time... I wouldn't put it out there of crediting a student's time for a canceled flight due to you. I no show charge students like you do, but not if theyre sick car breaks, etc. Same applys to me, I pretty much never cancel, but if I'm sick theyres no way in hell I'm giving up free time I should be paid for. You probably get a few late cancels a week, what the student doesn't see it that they've only done it once, but over the course of a month you have 10 late cancels. Sucks for us instructors. Dont give up everything...compromise.

I don't overcharge. I probably give an extra .1 here and there plus all the preparation, plus paperwork or planning; it all adds up to where I have probably given them more free time then they imagine.

Nice site....

[Codyjp]

Originally Posted by moxiepilot

Cody - here are my suggestions:

Be Prepared - with the "weather briefing, if required" part, I would eliminate, ":if required".

Respect my time... I wouldn't put it out there of crediting a student's time for a canceled flight due to you. I no show charge students like you do, but not if theyre sick car breaks, etc. Same applys to me, I pretty much never cancel, but if I'm sick theyres no way in hell I'm giving up free time I should be paid for. You probably get a few late cancels a week, what the student doesn't see it that they've only done it once, but over the course of a month you have 10 late cancels. Sucks for us instructors. Dont give up everything...compromise.

I don't overcharge. I probably give an extra .1 here and there plus all the preparation, plus paperwork or planning; it all adds up to where I have probably given them more free time then they imagine.

Nice site....

true. I wont charge if they are sick, or in a car wreck or something else but if they choose to not come then they get charged. I have only canceled late notice on a student once (sick) if 4 years. I also no showed a student once due to a mistake in my scheduling. it that case I did give him credit for his time. He was waiting on me for an hour and I didn't show so he deserved it. once i 4 years. I am good with that.

also, you are right, they don't realize what we have to do to be prepared 'behind the scenes'.

[Chief Captain]

Originally Posted by Codyjp

I also no showed a student once due to a mistake in my scheduling. it that case I did give him credit for his time. He was waiting on me for an hour and I didn't show so he deserved it.

Ha! If one of my instructors had applied that rule, the net movement of money would have been from him to me!