And.....?

 

About 5% of the agents make 95% of the money. To be successful it's a full time gig. If people want to look at/list houses when you're flying they'll go elsewhere. And they call you on weekends, holidays, late at night, etc. (again, you're flying). My wife has a real estate license. The median gross income for a full time Realtor is about $43,500 (that's according to their national association). Part time even lower. The brokers make all the cash. If you're buying property to flip yourself different story - you can surf online while in the hotel. There's also a lot of fees and association dues. Part time you'd probably not break even.

When I was at a regional in 2004 I did substitute teaching in Jacksonville FL for $70 a day. Lots of work available (every day) in the undesirable high schools (was told by students that they were going to kill me via a drive-by on multiple occasions). You have no authority, no power, and no control and yet are ultimately responsible for what happens (remember when you had a sub? How did you treat that person? It's worse now and you've got to control yourself in any situation or they'll toss YOU in jail). Lot of liability. You have to decide if the extra money is worth putting your other career in jeopardy.

Depending on the school system it can be a tough gig. I now live in a well-respected school system and there's a waiting list for subs. Again, you can work everyday if you want, you just have to accept assignments in districts less desirable and with higher crime rates.

 

"Depending on the school system it can be a tough gig. I now live in a well-respected school system and there's a waiting list for subs. Again, you can work everyday if you want..."
Very true. My district in Texas pays $100 per day if you have a degree. It all depends on the school.
I was a sub for a while before I started my regular teaching job. It was all about networking. Talk with the other people there. You can learn about places to avoid, or places that are really good. Just like flying....it is all about networking

 

Just remember that you'll be on reserve with the minimum days off and as per 117 and your company contract you may not be able to pick flying on your days off. At my regional we have enough time off per 117 and can't pick up on our day off unless it's red flagged and that hasn't been happening lately, so it's easier said than done... I'm on reserve and every time I finish a reserve assignment I'll ask scheduling if they have anything else that I can get, the answer has always been no....

 

That's exactly what I did and live in base. Might just become Mr. Mom as well?

 

Assuming you have your instructor tickets, why not teach local ground schools? Definitely a good way to make extra cash. Or (wait for it) charge some wide-eyed youngsters with SJS a few hundred bucks for an 'airline transition ground school' (hey, ATP does it, and they make plenty of cash...)

 

I'm finishing up the process to be a mystery shopper, get paid and get a free meal out of it. I heard some of them full time can make $5,000/month... I just would like a few extra hundred though.

 

What's a "mystery shopper" if you don't mind me asking? I'm off to training in a couple weeks and I'm very interested in avoiding going from broke CFI to broke regional pilot.

 

Jaret and Bzoaycd,

First of all, the statement above is fairly amusing. That said, one thing you guys need to understand is that the regional (and especially regional reserve) schedule is not always conducive to second jobs, only because of the constantly changing schedules. You can quickly become known as "unreliable."

Having said that, I paid for my flight training in the '90's by delivering pizza, and if your car is up to the task, pizza joints tend to have more flexibility than most employers, and you can do well (I can vouch for the $80-100 a night).

Flying as a CFI can be great, but remember you need to watch your monthly hours flown. If you exceed the limits and something happens, the airline, the FAA, the NTSB and the victim's family(ies) will have you for lunch. Also, if you're going to teach, make sure you have your own CFI insurance. If you have an incident or accident, your future projected earnings will be used against you.

One thing about substitute teaching...some places call alphabetically. If you are in such a district, and if your name comes after G, and it's a good district/school, you won't work.

But, for the record, try car detailing; work with a handyman that needs 4 hands on certain projects; landscaping; lifeguarding. Some of these are menial, but the issue is flexibility, which you won't have much of.

In the end, the best way to make money is to either a) save it by having one or more roommates, cooking your own food, taking your own food on trips, and not spending money on the entertainment you want to spend it on or b) fly more, if that is an option (which it may not be).

It's unfortunate to have to work two jobs, but I'd rather see someone work two jobs than spending all of their time belly-aching about being broke and not doing anything about it.