IGI?

[wheelsup]

How does an IGI show that you have proven yourself? Maybe someone who knows nothing about the IGI will consider it a bonus. Anyone who knows otherwise knows that you took another instrument rating written exam and paid another 70-100 bucks.

I think he's talking about the value of a gold CFI, in order to get that you need the IGI or AGI. The customer (read student) doesn't know any better, it can be used as a marketing tool. Also consider this:

Joe Smoe
CFI, CFI-I

Joe Smoe
CFI, CFI-I, AGI, IGI

Who looks more qualified from a student perspective (you need to think like a student here).

On a side note it was also a talking point on my airline interview, at least it took up time to talk about that vs. technical questions!!

 

[mhcasey]

Spending money: IGI::
Investing: Fannie May in early 2008

I hope someday I can be a chief pilot so that I can call someone and say, "Yeah man I'm really sorry. You actually have almost exactly the same qualifications as applicant X except that you are clearly a dork that wasted your money on getting your AGI/IGI."

 

[bdhill1979]

How does an IGI show that you have proven yourself? Maybe someone who knows nothing about the IGI will consider it a bonus. Anyone who knows otherwise knows that you took another instrument rating written exam and paid another 70-100 bucks.

I am talking about the Gold seal, for which the ground instructor cert is a requirement

 

[wheelsup]

It's funny, because it seems you guys who are against the IGI/AGI are completely missing the point of getting a gold seal. Completely, as in right over your heads.

Also keep in mind, some airline ground instructor positions require the AGI, if you ever want to go that route.

 

[bdhill1979]

It's funny, because it seems you guys who are against the IGI/AGI are completely missing the point of getting a gold seal. Completely, as in right over your heads.

Also keep in mind, some airline ground instructor positions require the AGI, if you ever want to go that route.

Exactly

I know mine has gotten me work that I otherwise would have to have lowered my rate to get, or not gotten at all.

I feed my family with this certificate

 

[mhcasey]

It's funny, because it seems you guys who are against the IGI/AGI are completely missing the point of getting a gold seal. Completely, as in right over your heads.

Also keep in mind, some airline ground instructor positions require the AGI, if you ever want to go that route.

What is the point? The only point I've heard is "resume booster." As another member pointed out, those in "the know" understand how pathetically easy it is to get your gold seal if you're willing to dish out $200 and an hour or two of your life. The only point I can maybe possibly sympathize with is that it would be a good way to market to prospective students by having it on a business card. But then again you're just overplaying a rating that requires no real qualifications.

 

[bdhill1979]

What is the point? The only point I've heard is "resume booster." As another member pointed out, those in "the know" understand how pathetically easy it is to get your gold seal if you're willing to dish out $200 and an hour or two of your life. The only point I can maybe possibly sympathize with is that it would be a good way to market to prospective students by having it on a business card. But then again you're just overplaying a rating that requires no real qualifications.

If by overplaying you mean charging $40 an hour in a $25 an hour market and having no openings in the schedule until the next guy passes a checkride, with a guy waiting to take that guys place; then yes, I am over playing it....bigtime


Besides, an 80% or better first time pass rate is more than

pathetically easy

or

requires no real qualifications

 

[mhcasey]

If by overplaying you mean charging $40 an hour in a $25 an hour market and having no openings in the schedule until the next guy passes a checkride, with a guy waiting to take that guys place; then yes, I am over playing it....bigtime


Besides, an 80% or better first time pass rate is more than
or

Your gold seal alone got you all of those students, huh? 20% fail rate is pathetically high.

 

[bdhill1979]

Your gold seal alone got you all of those students, huh?

Yes it did

20% fail rate is pathetically high.

Students fail, it happens. Most of the time it is nothing you as the instructor could have done, unless you are doing something really wrong.

The most recent one always nailed his hold entries, until on the checkride he had a brain fart. One flew to LPV minimums on a GPS approach when the airplane was not equipped, after being told on every GPS approach we practiced that the airplane was not equipped so we use the LNAV mins. Another one did the exact same thing AFTER being told the story of the guy flying to LPV mins and having that point hammered in extra hard.

Do the above failures reflect poorly upon me as the instructor?
of course they do

Could I have instructed them any better?
I don't think so

Either way, staying above 80% when it is somewhat out of your control is not so easy over the long term.

 

[esa17]

I take a bit of offense to the whole "a gold seal is easy" mentality. To heck with some of the people you know but I've worked my tail off to make sure my students are as prepared as they can be for the test. I'm as invested in their passing as they are because if they fail, I fail. In 9 months I have 11 passes, one bust, and I'm proud of what we have accomplished.

 

[bdhill1979]

I take a bit of offense to the whole "a gold seal is easy" mentality. To heck with some of the people you know but I've worked my tail off to make sure my students are as prepared as they can be for the test. I'm as invested in their passing as they are because if they fail, I fail. In 9 months I have 11 passes, one bust, and I'm proud of what we have accomplished.

That is exactly what I mean.

If it is so easy, get it, its just paperwork if you meet the qualifications.

Then go through your career saying "it never helped me" if you still feel that way.

 

[LucasM]

The IGI and AGI took around 12 and 15 mins to take respectively, cost around $75 a piece, and allowed one free renewal of my CFI tickets without having to do the courseware. Worth it? Probably not but it's still neat to have a gold seal CFI, if you ever instruct again that's something you can put up there that will seperate you from the pack, maybe allow you to charge $5-$10/hr more than the regular "Joe-flight-instructors"™ out there.

Why have I never heard of this before? CFR 61.197 doesn't say anything about that.

 

[mhcasey]

I take a bit of offense to the whole "a gold seal is easy" mentality. To heck with some of the people you know but I've worked my tail off to make sure my students are as prepared as they can be for the test. I'm as invested in their passing as they are because if they fail, I fail. In 9 months I have 11 passes, one bust, and I'm proud of what we have accomplished.

As you should be. And Bd I completely agree - every once in a while a guy gets nervous, didn't review what you told him a million times, or whatever, and busts. If this occurs more than 4/5 times though, the instructor needs to start seriously rethinking his standards. Most students should get back from the checkride and say, "That's exactly what you said it would be but easier."

I'm glad the gold seal has worked marketing wonders for you Bd, but I suspect 1) Not all markets will cling so passionately to a gold seal, and 2) Your success can be attributed to your hard work, the success of your students, and the reputation that builds much more than it can be attributed to your shiny gold certificate. Maybe it is a useful tool to pull out when a prospective student is "shopping around," but why not just tell them, "I have a 90% pass rate?"

My final thoughts to the OP: Take the tests if you have nothing to do with $200 and want to cover all your bases. I've never had the "Gold Seal" brought up by anyone but a huge tool at my last flight school that was a mediocre instructor IMO.

 

[subpilot]

I don't think anyone is saying that it is dumb to get a gold seal. The argument on this side of the fence is that if you have the record for a gold seal but have not taken any of the ground instructor exams, is it worth it to take the time and effort to go take these exams ($200 is a week of groceries for my family). If I put on my resume that I have 850 hours of dual given, 2 years of instructing experience, a 100% pass rate (10/10) and my students average 45 hours upon completion of there checkrides. Is it going to add a whole lot by stating that I am also a gold seal? I would be much more impressed by someone with there ATP. I just think that taking the IGI or AGI exam has nothing to do with me proving that I am worthy of a gold seal... and the gold seal is not required to prove that I am a good instructor.

 

[popaviator]

Thanks for all the input guys....I'm taking the IGI in a couple days, but what is the AGI?

 

[subpilot]

Advanced Ground Instructor