Originally Posted by
Blueyawnder
Thanks for all the replies. And thanks for not taking a huge negitive turn like some of these threads do. I’ve always had a passion to teach and mentor. I have years of extremely successful and enjoyable instructing experience as well as training gigs in non flying careers. It has nothing to do with seeking authority. Frankly, if the job paid the exact same and litterally the only authority you had was to do IOE for guys I’d still want to do it. I love seeing student progress and the teaching process adds an interesting challenge to the job. At my airline the process is the opposite of southwest. You’ve got to be pretty aggressive. Thanks again for all of the replies.
One more quick thought. Teaching can be a joy and a fulfilling experience. However, when your livelihood is tied to a "clean" violation record, it can add increased risk to your work life which can add additional and unneeded stress to your work experience.
I was a check airman when I interviewed at SWA. After receiving a conditional job offer at SWA, I promptly wrote my resignation letter from the check airman ranks and returned to a regular line pilot position. I was concerned that I had a CJO with no accidents, incidents or violations and my best bet at keeping it that way was to return to regular line flying.
Teaching can sometime feel like a single pilot operation. I know I personally felt like I was hanging on to the tail during my initial operating experience. It is a taxing environment for the teacher and it invariably will open you up as PIC to additional risk to your certificate. Imagine a serious incident where you are PIC and are training a new hire. I'm not trying to say these professional aviators you are giving instruction to aren't fully capable pilots but the experience level at the company and in the specific type can present additional hurdles.
YMMV!