Can I Make it as a CFI?

[johntlewis]

Hello Everyone:

I thinking about making the career change and I realize that I'll need to start off as a CFI and that the pay isn't great. Is it possible to make a "living" as a CFI? Let me give you some background.

I have my CFI/CFII single engine and have about three hundred hours of instruction under my belt as a part-time instructor. I'm single so I don't have to worry about a wife and children. I only make around $25K at my present job. I have a small emergency savings account but if I had to use it for living expenses, it would be gone rather fast. On the other hand, I have very little debt obligations.

How much can I realistically expect to make as a CFI?

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?

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.

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?

It's a big move for me even though I'm single so please help me with some advice. Thanks a bunch,

John

[VDEE7]

You can make a living as a CFI if you find a busy school and fly days and nights.. alot of places are hiring now days and the pay has increased over the last 2 years. It'll be slow at the beginning but it'll pick up later on just be patient. Once you get over 1000h of dual given you can find you a bigger school with higher pay and benefits.

[triple7]

It is totally do-able. It sounds like you are in a pretty good position to make it work, depending on what your debt is like. I worked all summer at a very busy school flying 80-120 hours a month and my paychecks were at times comparable to my former day job. If you do your research and find a good school that has plenty of students and a good reputation you should be fine. Make sure you dont sign on somewhere that is famous for planes breaking down or pissing people off because then you will never fly. I think I was taking home around 800-1100 every two weeks over the summer, but I was also working my tail off. You just have to go in with the mindset that it wont be easy, but will be a good time. And on the flipside of it you will build time quickly and move onto your next job that much faster. But just remember to not lose sight of the big picture when you are trying to build that time. Your students have entrusted in you a sacred duty, and that is to teach them to fly safely and give them the tools to act as PIC. Make sure you dont let them down along the way.Good luck.

[alexk1980]

Depends on where you live. I am averaging about 60 hrs a month and that is considered good in New England, I also landed a job with a pretty descent pay scale however, I have a daughter. I am pulling, after Uncle Sam gets his share, about 13K, so it is tough, luckily the woman works and pulls some weight so we get by. This industry is a kicker, you work like a dog to get scraps but the payoff is that you get to fly a jet someday. Unfortunately the industry knows that everyone is starving to get there and they unfortunately take advantage.

[clumpinglitter]

Originally Posted by johntlewis

Hello Everyone:

I thinking about making the career change and I realize that I'll need to start off as a CFI and that the pay isn't great. Is it possible to make a "living" as a CFI? Let me give you some background.

From what people have told me, you have the best chance of making a living as a CFI if you have some sort of specialized expertise. Such as type training, or even something like high altitude/pressurized training. Then, you can build a good customer base and charge a pretty good fee. Traveling to train at the customer's site is usually involved.

-C.

[jrh]

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

[bunghole]

Whatever you do you should make a priority of choosing a place of employment that provides some sort of health insurance. Without this then you allow such a huge personal financial risk.