Originally Posted by
wwings
I am among the many CFI's who is looking to get into a regional airline in the coming year. I have instructed for several years now, and should have no problem meeting the minimum time required for most of the regionals if/when they hire in the coming year.
My question is this: what is a good way to evaluate quality of life between different carriers? This is beyond "do not commute if you can help it" and "don't fly for Mesa" (I can do a search of the forums). I am thinking along the lines of work rules, days off, travel benefits.
I have a good CFI job for now, and don't mind waiting for a few extra months to get a good job rather than jumping for the first airline that hires. Since I am married QOL is arguably more important to me than a fast upgrade or building the most time possible, although these are considerations as well.
Couple of things, the first you will be under qualified when the regionals open the doors because of the 121 guys that are out of work right now, so be prepared to wait an extra 6 months to a year until those guys get hired and you become competitive (not everyone will open their doors). Second as someone mentioned before, QOL is defined slightly different by everyone. In my case it means not commuting, good working rules, good pay (for a regional anyways), and plenty of days off with a good line value. May or may not seem like a lot, but at a place like MESA, you'll only score a couple of those.
In your case if you're ok with just living in domicile and don't care much about anything else, anybody would do; anybody but gojets, stay as far away from those guys as you can (do a search if you need more info).
One last thing consider the fact that QOL is a direct byproduct of seniority, so the quicker you can acquire seniority the better your QOL in relation to all the other things besides domicile.
Hope this helps.