Originally Posted by atpwannabe
Yeah, but rickair7777, doesn't the same amount of $ (given all things are equal in terms of quality of training) at a facility like ATP or FSA gives me more options? For example, wouldn't being affiliated w/ATP or FSA, as one who is a CFI in a AMEL a/c with 1000TT and 250 multi gives me an edge?
You would have an advantage as a brand-new CFI getting a CFI job at the place you did your CFI training. This applies to any school. But CFI jobs aren't that hard to come by anyway.
1000/250 should get you an interview at any of a number of regionals regardless of where you went to school.
If the cost and convenience of FSA is comparable to your local flight school, then by all means do it! They have a good reputation. Same applies to ATP.
But if they want $60K+, my recomendation is to get it done locally...what you need to get a job are ratings and flight time, period. Get 'em as cheap as you can (unless you have a trust fund, then do whatever makes you happy).
The nature of civilian flight training is that there is no possible "value added" that is worth paying an ADDITIONAL $30-60K. A lot of people don't know any better, and a lot of people pay the money...the entire "glossy-brochure" flight academy industry is based on ignorant customers. Don't be one.