I was suckered into this job by a recruiter who tells fibs, or rather, blatant lies. The pay is NOT as advertised. As of now (December 08) instructors are paid based upon student progress. I have instructed more than 300 hours prior to this place, and the language barrier does make a HUGE difference. I spend probably five times longer covering subject matter with my students here than it takes with a student who speaks fluent English. Don't get me wrong, though, because the students are nice and most of them work hard. Their flying is usually good, but the ground stuff takes FOREVER to get through their heads.

Management is SO disorganized. If I am ready to send my student up for a "stage check" (which will mean I get paid if he/she passes) it can take up to a week or longer before its even scheduled! As of now, there is only one DPE and the wait list for a check ride (and my pay check) is about two weeks.

The planes aren't so great. I do a VERY thorough pre-flight. Sometimes planes are dispatched past due dates for inspections. I even had a maintenance guy brag to me that he'd been written up twice this month...

The living conditions suck, too. The "dorms" are old and stinky. Atwater is a small town, and there's not much to do.

If you come, make the best of it. You won't get much flying done in the winter because of the fog. Working with foreign students will challenge you as a CFI, and it will make you a better teacher. The instructors are nice and fun people to hang out with. But, come here as an absolute LAST RESORT.

Sincerely,
Current employee