long story short, i was one of the lucky few who didn't have to get a cfi because i got some flying gigs and then got picked up my AE, and of course after jet orientation they cancelled classes and now im up ****** creek...

so i've decided to get my cfi, which i find really enjoyable so far,

Just wondering what the hardest/least enjoyable part of attaining or actually teaching is?

stories and anecdotes are welcome

 

Least enjoyable for me were students who didn't prep for the lesson(do the required reading, memorize maneuvers, etc.). I didn't instruct for a very long time so I didn't encounter it much, but never understood why someone would want to waste money like that.

 

Hardest part was "pretending" my instructor didn't know anything.

 

Dealing with management.

Nothing annoyed me more than the students who didnt prep for the lesson though and didnt care when you repeated it or counseled them on their behavior.

 

Students who keep bugging you for a checkride...even though they can't fly the airplane if their life depended on it.

 

Studying for the oral for one year and then not losing what you learned. A good way to maintain it is study during the times when you don't have students. Also, jumping in the complex after six months or so to train a comm. student is tough. It would be nice if flight schools let their CFIs fly the planes for free to maintain their skills!!!

 

The hardest thing for me was learning how to teach ground school. Now, teaching in the airplane was very natural for me because I am a 'hands-on' type of person.

It's very hard to know everything about every topic because our knowledge base is so broad. So, if you don't know something, do NOT B.S. the student. Turn their question(s) into a research project. Either look it up together, or make it a homework assignment, and have THEM teach you about the topic they had a question on.

 

Hardest part: First, finding students if not working for large school/academy that feeds them to you. Second, once having a steady flow of students, fighting off complacency when instructing.


Least enjoyable part: Dealing with regulatory officials and the grieving family(ies) after a student augers in.

 

hardest: teaching doctors to fly - they just seem to be some of the worst natural pilots

 

My worst student was a CPA(sorry, recent theme)

The hardest part for me was the uncertainty of hours, but honestly I did very well considering.

I didn't mind if people weren't prepared, because honestly that's more money in my pocket. Right or wrong you may ask, I am a very fair person, and if someone is not prepared, then they are paying me to make sure they are. Remember that your knowledge and skills are an asset, and are the only reason you're getting paid for this service! I don't think there was one student that would say anything negative about what and how I taught them.

Now with that being said, I hold a 100% pass rate, with an avg 65hrs for my Private students, had only 2 instrument. All this was small FBO flying, no commercial prospect students. The easiest thing for me was sending them to their check-ride, because I knew for a fact that they were well prepared and were going be ready for any normal, and abnormal situation that could happen.

As a side-note also here, be sure you are having fun with what you are doing. It rubs off in the sense of if you enjoy it, your students will too, which makes everyone's life easier. Someone having fun learns and performs much better than one that is not. Good luck