Whooosah

Hello,

I have a question about a contract I signed with an employer as a flight instructor. Our contract says we are unable to work for any other flight school 2 years after we are terminated, quit, etc. unless written permission is given. I want to leave this job now and work for another flight school. I asked permission like the contract says, saying i want to give my notice that I am leaving and would like to get written permission to work somewhere else.

Boss said no permission will be given and he will sue if I work for another flight school. Says he has done it before to someone else and will make my life hell if I do etc...I really don't want to burn any bridges or break a contract. Is it possible for an employer to do that to an employee? Thank you for any help

Bwatz

That sounds like an empty threat to me. What could a flight school possibly do for you that requires a two year signature? I would leave that place immediately.

yimke

Unless you are making 50k or getting 100hr a month multi, no CFI job is worth a 2 year contract.

rickair7777

It's not a two-year contract, it's a two-year non-complete clause which is much, much worse.

Is there a geographic limit, ie can you go 50-100 miles (or 1000?) and work as a CFI? If the guy will not give you permission to work as a CFI in another state, that's ludicrous.

Part of the reason schools can get away with this kind of crap is because CFI's depend on good references to get an airline job...you do need to be careful about burning bridges.

NoyGonnaDoIt

In terms of your legal rights, the enforceability of non-competes varies a lot from state to state, from not enforcing them at all to enforcing them if they fit some court-created definition of "reasonable" in time and scope. The only way for you to know what applies in your case is to consult with a qualified attorney in your state.

Burning bridges is another story. For this I think you also need local advice. An employer who threatens to make your life hell if you work for someone else may well have a reputation. One can never know - disclosing to a future employer that you broke your contract with "Grbxly Aviation" may just elicit, "Good for you! That guy's known all around as a jerk" as a response. Or, you may have had 2-3 jobs since then that minimize the effect of leaving under questionable terms.

I'm not sure how long I'd personally stick around with a boss who threatened to make my life hell.

Whooosah

Thanks for the advice everyone. I have decided not to burn any bridges if possible. I am ready to bail out of this state since flight instructing is becoming more of a headache to do without compromising something. Time to move on which is a good thing.

I did look up the no compete laws in my state and it is leagal and possibly would have to go to court to defend my actions. I would love to just quit and stick it to em' but I would rather not deal with court. I have more debt anyways than anything. My only advice is to never sign a contract like that again. Good good learning experience.

Im was just reading through the thread where republic was asking for 11k payments from people who broke contract. Made me realize can't just do things and expect to get away with it!

JamesNoBrakes

For the love of god, get Legal Shield, it's only a few bucks a month and absolutely invaluable for things like this.

This is seriously a "what the h*ll is wrong with people?" situation. How could this possibly seem like a good idea at any level? It's straight out abusing people and one way or another this needs to be made known, to everyone...everywhere.

Red Forman

I would like to know the name and location of this flight school so we can keep people away from it and run this guy out of business.

bcrosier

Ditto that. Dirtbag operators like this need to be exposed and shown for exactly who and what they are. Please, for everyone's sake post the name and location of this weasel. If you don't want to do it publicly, private mail me and I'll post it.

There is no excuse for this sort of thing (although I do wonder what in the world you were thinking when you foolishly agreed to any such thing).

FlyerJosh

I'd be interested in seeing the exact language of the non-compete clause. Depending on how it is written there is likely a loophole or an unenforceable aspect to it.

Likewise, there is obviously a reason why you wish to move. If it has to do with safety or legality, the contract may be unenforceable.