IdahoFlyer

In my part of the country there is a very large disparity in CFI pay. Some schools start their CFIs at $8/hr and some pay $50/hr, and that's for the same crappy old 172. I was fortunate enough to work for two schools full time as a contract instructor and one payed $32/hr and the other payed $50/hr. I think the reason students are willing to pay higher instruction rates is a higher caliber of instruction. When students recognize that an instructor is not there just to build hours they will pay more for the instruction they receive. And while instruction is typically seen as the bottom of the ladder it should be treated as a profession and important part of one's career. While I did instruct as a means to fill my logbook I also used it as a way to gain experience and knowledge. I look back at my time as a full time instructor with fondness, and I jump at the chance to instruct whenever I get the chance. Instructors really do deserve to be well payed.

threeighteen

So do most people in the Aviation world.... Doesn't change much though.

IdahoFlyer

I couldn't agree more. We are our own worst enemies, willing go work for next to nothing just to fly for a living. I think if we'd all approach our jobs with a little more professionalism regardless of our position in the aviation food chain we might just get paid what we're worth.

spudsmac

2

I wish more of my fellow pilots viewed it this way.

globalexpress

Well, if all these articles are true about young people not entering the profession, then that will likely fix flight instructor wage problem, and perhaps some of the lower tiers of the pay scales entry level pilots endure.

CFItillIdie

I think the pay for a CFI really depends on a several things. Location, niche, and experience. In Chicago and I would imagine the larger cities, a full time CFI can make a very liveable wage. Flight schools in the area where I worked at were charging between 45-65 bucks for instructors. I have even heard 75-80 for some Cirrus instructors. Those obviously cater to the upper crust folks. Lets face it, if you can work as an instructor in an area, you can build a client list that will pay to have a good CFI who they trust. And your students can help build your client list. The sad thing is that the schools always took slightly less than half the above rates. I think a lot has to do with being an independent contractor. Right now there is a good surplus of CFI's, but I have a feeling that will soon change.

Bellanca

The flying club that I currently instruct at pays $20/hour, which is really good given that I am only at the 350 hour point. However, finding students is tough, especially beacuse they have to 'buy' into the club before I can instruct them, that deters a lot of potential students. Even at the flying club, wages have completely stagnated. I talk to pilots that CFI'd there in the 90's and got $20/hour back then. 15 years ago $20/hour went a lot farther than it does now. Also, according to them, hours were a lot easier to come by because the club had 7 planes (now it is down to 2) and a steady flow new students.

With a few exceptions, flight instructor pay is horrendous. I've seen places that charge 40-60/hour to students for an instructor, but turn around and only pay the cfi $8-15 of it. I was offered a job at one of these places that payed only $8.50/hour, and according to their website they charge students $45/hour for the CFI. I've found quite a few places where the pay is slightly better, but no guarantee of students, and $15/hour when you have to go out and find students is going to make living tough.

Even for places like you mentioned that pay half of 45-65/hour, with the wx Chicago has there is going to be a lot of time where these CFIs are grounded. How many Chicago CFI's are averaging a lot more than 50ish hours a month? Even 60 hours a month at $30/hour is only around $21k per year before taxes. On my job hunt I have yet to come across anything that pays close to $30/hour that doesn't require like at least 500 hours of given.

The instructors that are catering to the higher clientele can definitely make livable wages, but breaking into that sector of the instructing market is difficult. You need a good amount of experience to build up a client base, and have the hours to qualify for some of these people's insurance policies. I agree with others, for the people who want to instruct for a living getting into one of these niche markets is the way to go, but it is not easy to break into these areas for a newer instructor.

Cubdriver

The whole CFI compensation scheme is so goofy, erratic and vulnerable I never took it seriously as a viable source of income. I was paid anywhere from 20-40/hr over the years at various businesses. However, there are so many variables attached to it that an hourly rate is almost worthless as away to figure out the real pay. Weather, clients, aircraft condition, scheduling, demand, there are SO many variables and ALL of them tend to dock your pay. So I just never took it seriously, more like beer and gambling money. I have seen people both work their butts off and still not make a living ($25k) and knew of more than one who did fairly well ($80k), but no one got rich and all of them seemed to work harder and take more risk than the pay warranted. It is a niche profession for the few who stick with it and one which most people try to get out of as fast as possible. Personally I do not believe it is a viable profession in and of itself, except maybe for sim operators. A few schools (Embry Riddle, Kansas State, TransPac, FlightSafety) seem to make the best of teaching, but who wants to be trapped in the lower middle class the rest of their life. I always saw teaching as a way to help people and worth it for that reason alone, but not viable as a profession.

MusDg

I started off as a CFI 4 years ago making $21/hour and averaging 80-120 hours/month. I'm know up to $37.45/hour and totaling 40 hours/week. Location is a key factor is well. A large population in your area means more clients.

Outlaw2097

Went to work at a 141 and saw they started out pay at 11.50 (thats with a single I, nothing else). My pay was 15.50, and even then wx brought my work hours a week to 20-30.

No one was really speaking up, so I did. Polled other CFIs, talked with mgmt, put together proposals...end result was a yin/yang: $3/hr pay bumps for all, but I was out of a job before that went into effect.

My sendoff message was that pay needs to increase more or they will lose CFIs quicker to 121 jobs. They didnt listen, so now students are waiting on CFIs who arent taking the lower paying job there.

Either put up a fight for fair pay or roll over and bend over...but dont whine and do nothing.