Instructor Rates

OnTheFly7

OnTheFly7

Well-Known Member
What seems to be the average for an instructor?

I have seen rates from $35 and hour to $65 and hour. I am just taking the average and thinking htat $45 to $50 and hour is the norm for an instructor.
 
$45 an hour for CFI, $40 if you bought a 'membership'
The CFI gets between $19-$24, based on few things, including how long he has been instructing there.
 
Are you asking because you want a job and want to negotiate pay, or are you a student looking for an instructor and don't want to get ripped off?

If you're looking for a job, get as much money as you can. $40-$50 seems to be a fair rate in a lot of areas nowadays. I wouldn't work at a flight school for less than $20/hour no matter how good the school is.

If you're looking for an instructor, don't worry about money, worry about quality. An experienced, sharp instructor who makes time for you, is always prepared, is easy to get along with, makes learning enjoyable, etc. is worth whatever he charges. If that's $60/hour, go for it. Take good care of him and you'll get great training.

If you get a newbie time-building CFI who doesn't care about teaching, you can't get him cheap enough. He might only charge $25/hour, but it doesn't matter how cheap he is, it'd still be a waste of time and money to use him.
 
jrh said:
Are you asking because you want a job and want to negotiate pay, or are you a student looking for an instructor and don't want to get ripped off?

If you're looking for a job, get as much money as you can. $40-$50 seems to be a fair rate in a lot of areas nowadays. I wouldn't work at a flight school for less than $20/hour no matter how good the school is.

If you're looking for an instructor, don't worry about money, worry about quality. An experienced, sharp instructor who makes time for you, is always prepared, is easy to get along with, makes learning enjoyable, etc. is worth whatever he charges. If that's $60/hour, go for it. Take good care of him and you'll get great training.

If you get a newbie time-building CFI who doesn't care about teaching, you can't get him cheap enough. He might only charge $25/hour, but it doesn't matter how cheap he is, it'd still be a waste of time and money to use him.
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Looking at rates for training. Like I said, I have seen the rates go across the board. Like most, I don't want to get ripped but at the same time don't want shoddy instructors.

I am willing to pay a bit more, especially if the aircraft rates are comperable to places with lower instructor rates.

Since I may be moving away from my "local" area to a new "local" area, I am looking at schools in that "new" area. Pretty much have it narrowed down and just want to solidify a few things in my own mind.
 
PGA07 said:
Looking at rates for training. Like I said, I have seen the rates go across the board. Like most, I don't want to get ripped but at the same time don't want shoddy instructors.
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Aviation is a funny industry. I've flown with fantastic instructors who only charged $25 or $30/hour. I've also flown with mediocre instructors who charged $50/hour.

So it's not a direct relationship between price and quality. Don't avoid the cheaper guy just because he's cheaper or go with the more expensive guy just because he's more expensive. You might get lucky and find one of the great instructors for cheap.

The key is being *willing* to pay more. If you find a really sharp, professional instructor who you "click" with, do what it takes to hang on to him.
 
PGA07 said:
Looking at rates for training. Like I said, I have seen the rates go across the board. Like most, I don't want to get ripped but at the same time don't want shoddy instructors.

I am willing to pay a bit more, especially if the aircraft rates are comperable to places with lower instructor rates.

Since I may be moving away from my "local" area to a new "local" area, I am looking at schools in that "new" area. Pretty much have it narrowed down and just want to solidify a few things in my own mind.
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Philly - student is billed

$46/hr primary instruction
$50/advanced inst (multi, inst, comm, cfi, atp)
$55/hr cirrus training

again, pretty much the norm, but listen to jrh - price does not equal quality.
 
$40/hr and my CFI gets every last penny of it. Actually a nice feeling to know the money I am paying out goes right to his bank account.
 
:banghead::banghead::banghead: Oh Yeah!

Don't mind me..........it's been a looooong day of job searching.
 
I have had two different instructors (one in California and one in Colorado), and both were independent contractors. Both of them charge $35/hr, and both of them make $35/hr. One is a flight instructor at a private flying club, the other works at a large flight school in the Denver area. Although I haven't flown with my Colorado flight instructor for a while, I heard that a new company has taken over the flight school, and they now charge $37/hr, and he only makes $27/hr.:mad:

My test for whether a flight school is good or not.
Find out how much they charge for instruction.
Find out how much the instructors make.
If they make less than 1/2 of what they charge, it is a terrible operation. Personally, I think all flight instructors should be independent contractors through the school they work for.
Want to see some CFI going rates for where I live...
http://www.wvfc.org/instructors.html
Remember, this rate goes straight into their pocket.
 
I know Cirrus/Columbia instructors in SoCal that are charging $695+/day.

I think it might be about time to finally go finish off that CFI...
 
Old Flight School: Student pays 37/40/45 for Private/Instrument/Multi. We pocketed 15/17/22.

New Flight School: Student pays 35, I keep 35.

South Central Texas.
 
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