Weekend Instruction

[Douglas]

Lets see a show of hands of fellow flight instructors that look forward to the weekend.

Now, I know that most of us don't get hard days off and weekends can often times lead to a very busy day; but I have to say that there is something about the weekend that even if you are working it, you still look forward to it.

The random people that you meet of the street are happier because they are on their weekend. Students that work full-time are more pleasant because hey, it is the weekend.

And when you get home from work, there is going to be some serious fun going on, because hey it is the weekend.


I for one look forward to the weekend....It's Tuesday.

 

[esa17]

The only day I ever get off is Sunday. Even though I could make a little more cash it's more important for me to spend the day with my wife.

 

[poser765]

Weekends aren't such a big deal for me. I teach at a college and it seems like most students want to go home on the weekend, or work all day. It can be hard to get people motivated to fly, unless it's the end of the semester and then they all want to fly all day, every day ("What???I have to be done with stage 2 before I can enroll in x class?"). Middle of December almost klilled me.

 

[CoffeeIcePapers]

During football season, I take Sundays off, generally. Sometimes, I work 7 days a week, sometimes I take the whole weekend off. It just depends on my workload, usually.

 

[mshunter]

I only take days off as needed. I usually work 7. I tell my students who ask why I work seven days and ask how I do it, "It's not work, it's a hobby I get paid for."

Flight instruction is no more than a hobby. When I have to fly people around who are paying me to sit left/right seat, then and only then will it be work. Otherwise, flight instruction is too much fun to be called work.

 

[Crockrocket94]

I never had weekends off. SOmetimes my weekends were wed and then sunday. Split style.

But I see what you're getting at.

 

[Jayrock]

I only take days off as needed. I usually work 7. I tell my students who ask why I work seven days and ask how I do it, "It's not work, it's a hobby I get paid for."

Flight instruction is no more than a hobby. When I have to fly people around who are paying me to sit left/right seat, then and only then will it be work. Otherwise, flight instruction is too much fun to be called work.

At the moment, that is exactly how I look at it.

 

[amd87]

I only take days off as needed. I usually work 7. I tell my students who ask why I work seven days and ask how I do it, "It's not work, it's a hobby I get paid for."

Flight instruction is no more than a hobby. When I have to fly people around who are paying me to sit left/right seat, then and only then will it be work. Otherwise, flight instruction is too much fun to be called work.

Flying, while generally being an enjoyable thing to do, should not be treated as a hobby if you're using it to pay your bills.

If your students think you're there to just enjoy yourself, maybe they won't feel you're justified charging them for that .5 hour preflight discussion you had. On the flip side, maybe they don't think you're giving them your undivided and full effort while you're instructing simply because it's a "hobby".

Don't get me wrong, it's great you still enjoy instructing...I believe students directly benefit from well-tempered instructors. Just make sure you're not subsidizing the costs of their flight training by shaving time off your salary because to you it's "not work". It hurts you and the other CFIs you work with.

 

[esa17]

I still love instructing after three solid years of it. For the first two I was balls-to-the-walls and rarely took a day off. Once I met the woman who would become my wife my priorities shifted. As much as we complain about the quality of life in our profession taking Sunday off is my way of improving mine.


Oh, and she's an accountant who makes 3x what I do.

 

[amd87]

I still love instructing after three solid years of it. For the first two I was balls-to-the-walls and rarely took a day off. Once I met the woman who would become my wife my priorities shifted. As much as we complain about the quality of life in our profession taking Sunday off is my way of improving mine.


Oh, and she's an accountant who makes 3x what I do.

Nice! I get Sunday off now too (unless it's the only good weather day of the week). No sugar momma here...more like trying to support a girlfriend that's full-time in grad school while doing some moonlight retail work. Hence the signature!