Question:
Can I become a flight instructor in 6months to 1 year if I start out now?
Justin N
2010-03-10 08:19:30 UTC
I am dead set on becoming a pilot. There is nothing more I want to do with my life.
I have 12,000$ put away for flying. If I push really really hard is it possible for me to become a flight instructor in that time frame?

Here is my situation... my wife is a very smart and driven women. She wants to get her masters in Florida and the sooner we move the better. My whole objective is to get a job to support our cost of living while she goes to school and I build my hours.

A.) can a flight instructor make enough to pay the bills for two people?
B.) Will I get benefits for the both of us?
C.) Is it fee-sable to get a job in 6 months to a 1 year as a flight instructor if I push really hard now?

I am really confident that once she gets her degree in 3-4 years we will be stable enough to start a decent living. I just want to make sure that I can keep us "stable" while we get our education set.
Eleven answers:
2010-03-10 10:11:43 UTC
As posted, $12k won't get you there, but if you gotta fly, you'll work to make it happen!



If you are learning to fly and intend to make it your career, you are learning a lifetime skill. You could learn the "monkey skills" of being a brain surgeon in a year, but your depth of knowledge would be lacking... same thing for flying.



While you could become a CFI in a year, and having goals is admirable, realistically a two year time frame will give you more calendar time to absorb what you are learning. When you become a CFI you will learn that there are different types of learning, and the most reliable is by allowing time and opportunity for the material to be absorbed....



Best wishes!
Rob G
2010-03-10 12:17:03 UTC
A) I highly doubt it. When I was a flight instructor, I was single, lived with a couple other people (less rent), had no big expenses like a car payment, and I could barely afford to live. If you are willing to have a 2nd part time job, and your wife is willing to also have a part time job, and assuming you don't have a lot of debt (car payments?), then yes it is possible. It will be very hard but we all went through it. Hopefully, you don't have kids because that would make it virtually impossible.



B) Very unlikely. Most flight schools don't give their instructors any benefits (not even health insurance). Even the large aviation universities probably don't give their instructors benefits. In fact, some flight schools only hire you on as a contractor, instead of an employee, so that it is easier for them to tell you "we no longer need your services" (i.e. it's easier to fire you). If you want health insurance, you will probably have to either get it from your wife's job or pay for it yourself. Unfortunately, lots of instructors go without health insurance because they can't afford it.



C) Sure... if you are willing to fly full-time. You can certainly go from 0 hours to working as an instructor in under 6 months if you don't have a job and can basically fly 7 days a week. Contrary to what many pilots might think, flying a plane is not rocket science. Almost anybody can learn how to do it well enough to do it for a living. If you are a quick learner and a hard worker, you can certainly do it in 6 months. Can you afford to not work for 6 months?



BTW, I hope you have a college degree. You'll need one in order to make it as a professional pilot.



Also, $12,000 (USD) is not nearly enough to pay for your flying expenses. Count on doubling that, at a minimum, to take you from 0 hours to a flight instructor.



Good luck. Remember, don't throw everything away just so you can fly planes for a living. It's just a job after all.
2010-03-10 08:56:02 UTC
Flight instructor requires a commercial pilot certificate with an Instrument rating, which requires 250 hours of flight time. Count on spending around $100 per hour for the airplane. Add another 100-200 hours at $30-$50 per hour for the instructor and you're talking some serious money. After you get that, the instructor certificate will require more ground school and a small amount of flight training.



Personally, I'd say 6 months from nothing to 250 hours is a big stretch.



As for money and benefits, it depends on where you work as an instructor. Some schools don't offer any benefits, others (particularly universities and larger companies) offer full benefits. Pay varies depending on where you are and your experience level.



By the way, at the moment flight instruction jobs are difficult to find as the economy is depressing student load and the regional airlines aren't hiring, which is the next step up the pipeline for many flight instructors.



That being said, it's an extremely rewarding job and I love it. Get yourself a job to pay the bills in the meantime, and fly as often as you can. By the time you get your flight instructor license the economy will probably have turned around and there will be more students available. Good luck, and welcome to flying!
2010-03-10 08:45:22 UTC
Well, $12,000 put away for flying won't get you much past a PPL. If you're going to finance your flight training the rest of the way, plan on requiring at least $40k more plus living expenses if you want to get your CFII and multi-engine instructor ratings (recommended). At some schools, it can easily cost $80k for training. In general you can only borrow up to 80% of your flight training costs. You'd also better look into what the monthly repayment on a flight training loan is going to cost so you can plan a budget if / when you get a flying job. Can you do it in 6 months to a year? A year is doable, if you push very hard and have no interruptions in the money supply for training. 6 months is extremely optimistic.



A) A flight instructor salary is usually hand-to-mouth. If you get on with a busy flight school you might make $30-$40k, but the average flight instructor makes under $25k. Paying rent, utilities, car payments, insurance, flight training loan payments and still afford to eat with only one of you working will be tough and the next several years won't be easy. You may need 2 jobs or she may need to work part-time. Will it be worth it? Probably.



B) Most instructing jobs pay by the hour and do not pay any benefits. Only the very large "pilot mills" can afford to pay a regular salary and benefits. They also typically want you to have a CFII and MEI and at least a 2 year degree.



C) The job market is really tight right now, even for flight instructors. It may change in a year or two, but not if the economy doesn't improve significantly. In general, if the major airlines are hiring, there's trickle-down effect as everyone moves up the ladder. I wouldn't plan on settling down in a permanent location because as a pilot you have to be able to chase the jobs and go where there are openings. Your best bet to getting a first job is to train at a school where there is a good possibility they'll hire you when finished. Flight schools often hire those they train since ytheir graduates are a "known quantity" to them.



All I can say is good luck, but don't expect much stability unless you can get on with a busy school who doesn't have financial problems of their own. The competetion for the available jobs will be fierce.
Fly B
2010-03-10 08:30:14 UTC
A) Not in the way you're describing it anyway. I know some Chief Flying Instructors of very large, subsidized schools who make over 100,000 per year, but these guys have over 20,000 hours and 30 years of flying under their belts. A first year flight instructor would be lucky to pull in 15k/yr. I don't think that will be enough to support two people single-handedly.



B) Again, in your scenario, young flight instructors are unlikely to receive any benefits. You'd have to be a chief instructor at a major school to see any kind of benefits. Instructing really is only a time-building exercise.



C) If you push really hard, and get really lucky with the weather, I would think it's possible. There are many courses offering 1 year commercial-multi-IFR; although they rarely have students graduate on time; mainly due to weather or scheduling. With a little luck and the right school, it may be feasible. Something you may want to look into tho, even if you exclude the multi and IFR ratings, $12,000 is probably not going to be enough... You may want to double check that before you make any critical financial decisions. Instructor courses I have seen range from $7,000-$10,000... and the basic commercial rating would cost much more than that.
ater
2017-01-19 16:11:14 UTC
Flight Instructor Salary Philippines
Tina Leonova
2010-03-10 08:57:15 UTC
Your budget is not realistic. Your PPL will chew up most of the 12 grand, and you still need a CPL (preferably with multi-engine and IFR ratings) and instructor rating on top of that.



Just how good a pilot are you? To do the necessary hours in 6 months you would need to fly 2 to 3 hours a day, every day. With ground school, study time, weather delays and flight planning, when were you planning to sleep?
H135Captain
2010-03-10 08:59:31 UTC
Getting a job as a CFI is not difficult. Many schools will offer you a position if you conduct your training with them. Before you select a school, simply ask them upfront if they will hire you if you get your raitings with them. Pick the school that says 'yes'.



You will then be able to find out what they pay their instructors and how many hours you will likely be instructing. From that you will be able to create a fairly accurate budget and see if it will sustain your anticipated lifestyle.



Word of caution: before you design your life around becoming a CFI, make sure you understand everything that is involved in being a CFI. Go up for a flight with a CFI and let him (or her) show you what is involved. I once had a plan to become an aerobatics performer and after I took my first lesson (in a CAP 10) I immediately knew it was NOT for me!
gieselman
2016-10-04 15:38:33 UTC
no longer inevitably so Howard. I make a stable living teaching in my "semi retirement" I offered my shape enterprise numerous years in the past, now, flight teaching retains me TOO busy. I dont whinge tho, I do it because of fact I ensue to like it. The six discern earnings is merely gravy.... so a ways as earning profits at aerobatic guidance, choose for it, some do properly ie wealthy Stowell some are fortunate to fly 20hrs a month. Like in genuine assets, the key's region, region, region.
jtk15sc15
2010-03-10 20:31:29 UTC
A. NO

B. NO

C. NO, i highly doubt that. you'd have to fly more than an hour a day, something highly unlikely and very costly.



12k will get you through your Private and if you are lucky your IFR. Thats probably it. Good luck
ht Freerider
2010-03-13 21:13:11 UTC
it is possible yeah. you will be flying ALOT! and often


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