I struggle to understand the guys who defend making flight instructing a career, or linger there any longer than necessary with respect to the industry’s hiring trend, unless of course you absolutely LOVE doing it, then I have a great deal of respect for you. But for most of us, we enjoyed it, did what we had to do to move on, had the long days, one after the other, but the guys who can’t take the pay cut from their 141 flight instructor job, you have really painted yourself into a corner. Job for job, I would much rather roll up to my (insert regional aircraft), go through my preflight, acceptance check, program the box, and then sit and sip my coffee while the FA and pax get settled. Do that for a few legs a day, over a few days on a trip and then go home. No fuss no muss. Not to mention, it’s a lot easier to make the transition to a “major’ (cough cough, ah-hem) airline from a regional flying a turbine around, than flying the nicest equipment at any flight school. Not saying it’s impossible, but you better have some mind blowing connections.
The gist of my note here is not to knock flight instructors at all, especially the career ones, again, much love, but to say, don’t pass on a regional job cause of the pay. Keep driving that car from college, live with a roommate, keep the expenses low, and plow into the regional job knowing all the risks but staying optimistic about it, that you will be the one who get’s in, upgrades, and moves on. It does happen and will happen. Will you be the one?
Post script, did it happen for me? Not really, but I’m tracking just fine and I do know enough pilots who it did happen too. Fly safe, be positive with everybody you meet and opportunities will come your way.