Originally Posted by
14CFR
I should have clarified. The $11-$12k would include all three CFI ratings.
Regarding starting pay, the last company I was affiliated with started in the mid $30k's and topped out at just over $50K.
The target goal of any CFI candidate, aside from building time (we are all doing that to some degree or another), should be the motivation and desire to truely teach another person. The rewards are more intrinsic than extrinsic. Sadly, this is not case, more often than not. If one finds him or herself lacking this motivation, then he or she should not acquire the CFI ratings. It's not for everybody and it's nothing personal. Similar to persuing any other pilot credential. If one were to go into it with only the former in mind, then he or she will simply be fueling the fire of ignorance and misnomer which seems to be self-perpetuating at many flight schools at present. There are other ways of building time besides instruction. Not all of them are glamerous, but we all start from the bottom and work our way up. This applies to all of us.
From what I've read, I wish more chief pilot/instructors thought like you do.
There is a condition going around Florida (and I'm sure other parts)... many pilots call it 'inbreeding' amongst CFIs: Basically when a student gets his/her CFI, they turn around and start instructing at a school with less than 300hrs of mostly 172 time. They've never really had much real-world experience... but they are proficient in their maneuvers (in a 172) and begin to teach other students. They don't instill some critical traits of being a pilot, which are outside the scope of maneuvers, etc. Those other students get their CFI, and the cycle continues. The 'older' CFIs with the same bad habits become check pilots... and the cycle gets worse, etc.