You can survive on 40 hours a month? That's a good bit for a part-timer, I work 50+/ wk at the office and do about 20 or so per mo part time. You would seem to take home less than $1600/ mo at a rate of $40 an hour times 40, so nobody is going to believe you live on that unless you really push the issue. I would look at it this way, if you really can live on that amount minus taxes, then claim it is full time work, but be ready for the inevitable question of what the heck do you do the other 80+ hours a month because they are going to be skeptical. Unfortunately the full time flight instructor sits around quite a bit, which is a gray area to some.