UND, Transpac, Embry
- Thread starter coks
- Start date
thevideographer
Well-Known Member
I worked at UND and Transpac sounds better. I don't know anything about Riddle.
Bamaaviator
Well-Known Member
I am also finishing up cfi initial, although you are probably closer to checkride time than me. Im curious to know what others on here think. I am interested in sending out my resume to other schools, just to have a backup in case the school that's training me doesn't hire me. Are the big schools like FSA, UND, and transpac taking outside instructors given the current hiring climate at the airlines?
kryan11
Well-Known Member
Yes. There's a few guys who left UND for Transpac as well, I'm not sure why. Maybe the person above can expand on that. Just remember no matter where you go, your number one priority is to instruct. You're not there to build hours, that's just a benefit.
Bamaaviator
Well-Known Member
I completely understand that. Actually I am a big proponent of taking instruction seriously and doing a thorough job with students. When I got my ratings I demanded to have instructors who took the job seriously, and looking back, I'm glad I did. I could care less about hours, sometimes I think I may end up just being a career instructor, but if I do, I would prefer to do it at a bigger school vs a small school, although I wouldn't rule out small schools entirely.
Screaming_Emu
Well-Known Member
I only know it as a student, but UND was really good at taking flying and making it less awesome. I'd imagine Riddle is a similar experience, just sweatier and with no women.
Roger Roger
Bottom of the list
This thread title has to have triggered so many ERAU alumni.
tcco94
Future GTA VI Pilot
Just give it a few months at TPa. You have to be a special kind of person to enjoy instructing there.
TPac is to build hours. It's why they lose 95% of guys who hit their time and the avg beyond that isn't long at under 5 years. I'll say the good about the place was the hours.... and that's literally all they recruit for.
We can't just accept the fact that working 50 hours a week in 115 degrees for $28,000 is a normal instructing job. When 20 minutes away you can get paid double + and a much easier language barrier without the pressure they attempt to put on you to sign off students who clearly aren't ready.
I recommended at least 3 guys who got the jobs at TPac and I was completely honest with them before they know what they're getting into. You will work, you will be paid bad, you will deal with a bad language barrier, but you fill get hours fast. Boom, that's how you get someone to accept all those factors.
For me personally, I had a good experience there. I got hours I had pretty good students and my boss was cool and trusted my word for my struggling students. I had some good instructor days and some days I sucked as an instructor...all that being said I can't ignore some of the other ways instructors their got treated differently because they had a different boss or class of students. Some get good experiences and some get bad.
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kryan11
Well-Known Member
Good insight. I will say I have looked around and the pay is pretty much on par. You might find somewhere that pays $20-$30 an hour, but it will work out the same once you figure in the sign on bonus that Transpac offers, their paid indoc training, they'll pay for your CFI and MEI, and the shear amount of hours you'll get. Plus you get a consistent salary rain or shine, flying or no flying.
Stone Cold
Well-Known Member
That's the Prescott campus. Remember, DAB has activities from February until May at a minimum.
I never instructed there, so I can't help the op other than saying find a place you'll be happy. Instructing in the summer can be brutal depending on location.
tcco94
Future GTA VI Pilot
The only better deals I think are Westwind because you can build your schedule but like you said it's hourly. I think CAE has a salaried instructing job but its 200 dual given. You'll do fine out there though. You'll be a great patient instructor...which most of us weren't the best at that.
Karnage
I-am-a-pirate. I do not need credentials!
CAE is all salaried for the regular, full time instructors. They do have some hourly/contract instructors but they are usually guys that have left with airline jobs but wanna stick around for extra cash. The FAA program will take wet CFIs and will, after signing a contract, do CFI-I and MEI upgrades. The EASA and MPL programs pay more but have previous dual given requirements.
Maximilian_Jenius
Super User
Transpac pays for the CFI-I, but haven't heard that they're paying for the MEI.
drunkenbeagle
Gang Member
My CFI-I cost me less than $1,000, and most of that was the examiner's fee. I would not choose a job based upon that alone. Honestly, I am probably the worst instrument pilot in the history of aviation, and I can't see how it should cost any CFI more than that. It is probably the easiest checkride you will ever do.
drunkenbeagle
Gang Member
Take a look at some smaller schools - while you might not fly quite as much, the pay won't be that much worse, and the experience may well be worth it in the long run. The local school here has the usual G1000 172s and 172P's, and P28R / P28A, plus a Baron, DA40, C162, C140, SR22, and a nice Cherokee Six, in a town you would actually want to live in. Small schools have local students, everything from weekend warriors to military guys to retired airline pilots looking for flight reviews - you'll learn as much from the students as you teach them most days. The flying is usually more fun as well.
tcco94
Future GTA VI Pilot
$1000 will pay for your examiners fee. Unless you know someone it's going to cost you more than $1k to get it with just a couple feel good flights, examiner fee, written fee and usually an oral by the sign off instructor. You're already in the high $2-3000.
My checkride alone in Dallas was $800. If you had a hiccup and failed? $800 retake.
drunkenbeagle
Gang Member
Mine was $600, not that long ago. Assuming you have been instructing for a while, knowing someone shouldn't be that hard to do either. Sure, it is easy to spend more. That's just what I spent. The 3 months of studying, probably about 250 hours total, is by far the biggest expense. Time is money.
tcco94
Future GTA VI Pilot
I think the cost of the rating depends if you are current and good with instrument. Most of it could be on the ground free study
drunkenbeagle
Gang Member
I'm probably the worst instrument pilot ever to blow through a localizer, and I passed the ride fairly easily. It was about a 4 hour oral (very detailed), and 1 hour flying 3 approaches and a hold (not that hard). Besides, if you screw up, say that you are "demonstrating a common error" - which is required by the PTS. Most of the tasks are "Exhibit instructional knowledge" in nature, only a handful are "Demonstrate and simultaneously explain.."
The_Duke182
Well-Known Member
Pay is way below industry standards at TransPac and now with the new owners cutting back expenses across the board they no longer pay you extra for working a 6th day.
I am even having a hard time connecting to wifi before ramping out at dispatch because they cut back on the wifi plan can u imagine that? Also they tend to make changes then put things back.
I honestly thought things would get better with the new ownership but it is just going downhill FAST. This is why A LOT of check instructors left recently including the one that had been doing cfi standarization for years.
I am even having a hard time connecting to wifi before ramping out at dispatch because they cut back on the wifi plan can u imagine that? Also they tend to make changes then put things back.
I honestly thought things would get better with the new ownership but it is just going downhill FAST. This is why A LOT of check instructors left recently including the one that had been doing cfi standarization for years.