Originally Posted by rickair7777
Get 'em as cheap as you can
The entire "glossy-brochure" flight academy industry is based on ignorant customers. Don't be one.
Well said rickair. That is the best way to put flight academies into words.
Originally Posted by atpwannabe
Is it all relative though in terms of the # of students I would have to instruct at an FBO making that kind of money? Whereas, at an academy, I'm almost sure that a guaranteed base salary is offered with some perks? Or maybe even making $14-$15/hr with a prescribe number of trainees assigned to me?
This can be somewhat true. I was kinda lucky. I found a great operation that allowed CFI's to work as independent contracters, which means $35 an hour for me. With this extra pay, I am able to offer discounts to my students (I always charge atleast 1/2 hour less than they would normally pay). That means the students want to work with me, and I routinely have a full student base. I am able to CFI as much as anyone at an airline academy.
You have a point. You will not be guarenteed students if you work at an FBO. But I have two things to say about that.
1. If you work hard enough, you can have enough students at an FBO. Offer them a good deal on flight instruction time. Your goal is not to earn as much as possible as a CFI, your goal is to get the most flight hours as quick as possible, then go to an airline and make money. If you spend your first month or two hanging out at the flight school and you talk to all the perspective students, they will want to have YOU as their instructor. Trust me, it works like 80% of the time.
2. One important thing to think about at a flight academy. EVERY student who gets their private/instrument/comm/multi WILL become a flight instructor. That means that flight academies often have LOTS of instructors. Think about that too.