Originally Posted by
JayMahon
I enjoy teaching and training in other capacities, so I have a feeling the CFI route will be a fun one for me. I live near a college that has a growing aviation program but not a lot of aviation in the area, so there is a constant need for CFIs to cover their student base. Some of the CFIs are 9-5 with benefits (new CFIs, not Chief Instructors). I don't need a 9-5, I can be flexible and will try to pack as much flying in as I can.
As for family, I am a family man. The wife's a real winner, we've been married 15 years and she's been by my side through all sorts of life changes. We homeschool our kids, so taking a Tuesday/Wednesday off is just as good as having the weekend (even better, Theme Parks don't get packed out mid week like they do on the weekend).
We're in a transition place anyway, so relocation is wide open. I hope to delay a big step like this until I get on with a regional and we'll stay flexible to take advantage of good opportunities. A lot of the 'horror stories' I read have to do with being locked into one location and being 'stuck'. I'm coming into the game late but with no debt.
We'll see how it goes.
Jay-
Dont think I was discouraging you, I just wanted to give you some "black cloud" concerns. Keep in mind, I started my CFI training with 2 other guys, 1 guy dropped (no reason why) the other guy is struggling to get thru (he was away from flying and is not picking it up as quickly). He told me last week he is running out of training funds and thought he would be getting paid to fly by now. Think about what would happen during flight training if some event caused the airlines to stop hiring, would you be OK (obviously that would make it harder to find a CFI job), or if it became a struggle for you and it ended up costing 25% more than you planned. I know there is a pilot shortage, however I think we are 1 "event" away from it solving itself at least for another "lost decade".
I think you are smart for asking about what could happen and you cant plan for it all but having some back up plan (another regular job) would not hurt the situation either. If a recession DID happen, the fact you already had a job is better than trying to look for a job.