I'm in no way up on the current cost of obtaining a CFI (it's been over 25 years since I got mine), but here's another thought on obtaining it: Why move somewhere else just to obtain the CFI? It might well be more viable to find a good school, and go there for a couple of weeks and knock it out if that is your desire. You could find an inexpensive hotel or furnished executive apartment for the amount of time you'd be there - no reason to pull up stakes completely if there is a potential to freelance where you are currently.

That price is based on that. They have schools with accelerated programs where you get done in about 5 weeks (they advertise 4 but everyone I know that did it took 5-6). It's really impossible to do it in less time than that. They offer lodging for $35 a night. That's $1,225. The course sticker price is $3,500. They tell you when you call to expect atleast $1,000 more and everyone I know who did it spent that or more. Checkride is $800. And $300 in writtens. All for a grand total of $6,800.
But, plus side is they will hire you when you get the rating.

Just stay where you are and get your CFI-A.

You'll need access to a complex single (172RG) or maybe you can use a twin and do your initial in that (that's what I did).

FOI + flight instructor airplane written tests = $300

You'll need maybe 8 hours or so in the airplane. You just need to be able to fly maneuvers to a commercial standard from the right seat.

IMHO, the CFI schools don't teach you anything. It's all self study. You can find lesson plans online but I suggest you create your own for each topic of the PTS. Know everything about part 61, 91, and endorsements. You are being judged on your ability to teach not necessarily memorizing everything. Also, some inspectors are heavy on the FOI stuff.

Take your checkride with FAA inspector at nearest FSDO = FREE

Find a good 2yr CFI who can sign you off. Pay for 20hrs instruction (8-10 in airplane and rest ground school) $900-1000

You should be able to knock this all out for <$3000

$800 for a check ride? I need to become a DPE!

Right!
Most checkrides are only $500 but they charge that much more for the CFI ride because it takes 6-8 hours. You can always take it with the Feds for free but the FSDO here has a terrible pass rate

I've actually been thinking about doing the MEI as an initial! I have access to a twin, but not a complex single. I might shoot you a PM and ask how your checkride went sometime if that's okay. Never known anyone to do that first.
And yep, FSDO= a free pink slip, as the saying goes 😄

Thanks!

Your initial instructor certificate is always done with the FSDO, unless the FSDO is too busy to accommodate your needs. At that point, the FSDO will assign a DPE to do your check ride. Unless the school you attend has signing authority, which is pretty rare (and expensive).

CFI Guy is correct. The majority of your CFI work is self study. I'm sure you have CFI friends who can give you guidance during this self study phase. I would not even entertain the idea of jumping into the airplane until you have thoroughly completed your ground study/preparations.

You can accomplish the CFI relatively cheap if you're smart about it. If you decide to jump into these puppy mills to get your CFI, well, pay up. I think it would benefit you to talk with a CFI buddy. Or ask questions on the forums. At the end of the day, what you need to know is in the CFI PTS, which is substantial in your knowledge base.

Getting the MEI first is an option. But I think it's a really poor option. Say you pass your MEI. Guess what? Just about EVERYONE starts in a single. That makes you a MEI without many students. Not too many people are getting their multi these days now that the whole airline career is all but a waste of time to most people to chase after. So the action is at the single-engine level.

This is untrue.

I had a conversation recently with a recruiter from a flight school, looking for experienced instructors, who was paying over seventy thousand. The training wage was over forty thousand, and they devoted two months to training new hires in their methods, practices, and procedures. Student load was quite low per instructor. Office hours. Schedule set out a year in advance. Full benefits.

This wasn't simuflite or flight safety. This was an established school instructing in light single engine piston equipment, and doing very well at it.

In my case I felt it better to do the MEI as initial, and did. Many others have as well. At the time the ME was the last class rating I had received and was currently flying. I reasoned that if I was current, competent and had a head full of a particular twin, including all its gouge and gotcha's, why not? It worked out fine and got me over that hump. This might work out well for Stef also, especially with her right seat time in the twins. What most CFI students don't adequately understand, going in, is all the studying necessary. I also feel the best route is to follow a standard syllabus, though develop your own lesson plans. These lesson plans are also living documents, subject to modification and refinement. I agree, get with a CFI and get off on the right foot with this endeavor. You might be suprised how far along you can get without setting foot in an airplane; this is more about teaching than flying anyway.

I'm not dismissing her twin time. She has money concerns, and getting an MEI is not going to be an immediate money maker. It'll be harder for her to find clients. And if she goes freelance, she'll need to focus in on clients with twins, and those who have twins already have their multi-engine certificate. Or she can work for a flight school with a twin...which comes with that $9/hour job that she can't afford to take.

Look around any ramp at any airport. There are a vastly huge number of single-engine planes than twins. Nobody starts flight training in a twin. You got to get that instructor certificate that will produce money. It's not at the twin level. She can run 4-6 single-engine students in a day. I'm willing to bet she may be able to run 1-2 multi-engine students in a week. When she makes enough money with single-engine, she'll want that instrument add-on. The twin should be her least concern at this point.