Originally Posted by
SongMan
Is the Regional life that much better than CFIing?
or is regional only better because it's a necessary path to major?
As a CFI I could have made 30-35k/year for the rest of my life. Unfortunately that's all I would have made. No pay raises, no career advancement, nothing. Going to the regionals gave me a pay cut down to 20k for one year, but 2nd year pay had me back up around 30k which was about the same as what I made as a CFI. First year captains are making 50k+.
CFI jobs are just dead end jobs. You'll never get a pay raise and you'll never have opportunity to advance your career. People who say they can't take the pay cut to go to the regionals are nuts. By year 2 you'll get the same paycheck you're used to and by year 3 you'll be making more money. It's a good way to advance your career and paycheck.