Any estimates of the typical cost to go from a Commercial through the CFI, CFII, and MEI? Another 15K? My old man told me to get the CFI because I'm going to have to get the MEI to build my Multi time with out breaking the bank. No way to get the MEI with out the CFI, bummer.
I was going to get my CFI to teach my brother to get his Private. He told me that he wants me, and only me to be his instructor when I get it. Guess I'm stuck.

Don't get your CFI just to have it under your belt, get it and learn learn and learn some more. Its the easiest way to get paid to fly with low time.

Show me where it says that in the FARs.

thanks for the replies, I think I'm considering the CFI route more each time

FYI,

I think I'm deciding to go the ATP route for CFI in Daytona Beach. It does seem to be the more cost effective method to get the hours and experience that I need. Thanks for the input

Technically, the CFI, CFII, and MEI are all seperate ratings. The first one you get (refered to as your intial instructor ride) will have a more exhuastive oral interview, covering instructional theory and aviation fundamentals quite thoroughly. Subsequent instructor check rides are treated as add-ons, where you only cover the materiel specific to that rating and skip over the stuff covered on the initial instructor ride.

People usually take the CFI ride first, as their initial, but this is not required. I have trained CFII's who did not have and never got the CFI...their CFII ride was their intial ride and covered all the basics as well as the instrument stuff.

So you could get your MEI without doing the others, but you would have to find out if a low-time pilot could even get a job as an MEI. You could do free-lance at a club or FBO, but many rental operations require 50-100 hours of ME time in order to teach in their aircraft (insurance). Large, organized flight schools can usually employ MEI's with less ME time but you normally have to work as a single-engine CFI first (it's all seniority based).

What Rick said.