What to expect during a CFI Interview (PHX Area)

HumbleSiPilot77

Well-Known Member
Hello Folks,

I recently graduated from ASU and completed my MEI and CFI SE (via their contractor ATP) and I wanted to get some advice starting my journey.

First off, I am a relatively high time military vet, (about 900 hours total) however I would like to instruct for a while for the experience of it. I figured, even though I qualify for military and soon collegiate R-ATP, I could always learn quite a bit from CFI experience. I also would like to get my CFII in the meantime while earning a decent living. I applied to well known schools, CAE placed me in their pipeline, although an interview slot wasn’t immediately available, AeroGuard called me to set up an interview and I am waiting to hear from WSA and AFTC. This week I am planning to apply to SEFT and SCA in Scottsdale.

My first question is, what should I expect in the in person interview process? My CFI ratings were sort of spread out to 8 months due to life happening so I would like to prepare before an interview to refresh some of my knowledge.

I wanted to say thank you to guys who recently dropped their $.02 on AeroGuard/Transpac in another thread. They called me today and I will likely set up an interview for next week.

Thanks in advance.
 
My interview was on Skype. Taught a maneuver, I think rectangular course. Answered some questions...explain Va, some regulation questions, etc. When I applied having a CFII was mandatory, so I had an approach plate and got asked questions on that. It was all still pretty fresh in my head from the checkride and wasn't the end of the world. I had about 6-7 books next to me, and actually referenced the FAR/AIM once. They were okay with it, told me that before the interview. I did a phone interview as well with some basic HR questions. I wouldn't stress too much about it. Dress nice, speak well, and smile and you should be fine.
 
Sounds good. My initial was in November and single engine was in mid April (which largely touches maneuvers and endorsements) so I could be rusty. Since I live here in Phoenix I’m expecting in person interview. Did they tell you what maneuver prior to interview? I have lesson plans for every item in the PTS and I have extensive Sway presentations (they are like interactive PowerPoints) so I can dial in any item from my iPad. I agree it should not be a big deal.

Do they give you an offer immediately after the interview? Or is it the occasional “we’ll be in touch”?
 
Sounds good. My initial was in November and single engine was in mid April (which largely touches maneuvers and endorsements) so I could be rusty. Since I live here in Phoenix I’m expecting in person interview. Did they tell you what maneuver prior to interview? I have lesson plans for every item in the PTS and I have extensive Sway presentations (they are like interactive PowerPoints) so I can dial in any item from my iPad. I agree it should not be a big deal.

Do they give you an offer immediately after the interview? Or is it the occasional “we’ll be in touch”?
Yeah, they told me before. They gave me a decently detailed preview of what the interview was going to be like. So I didn't go in blindly. I waited 24 hours to hear back. You should hear in 24-48 hours. I had a Uhaul packed and was in Arizona the next week with an apartment.
 
I got hired at AeroGuard last year and have been working here for 9 months.

My interview was pretty much identical to tcco’s. Skype interview which consisted of teaching steep turns on a whiteboard behind me, some basic questions on flight planning and reading approach plates, and the usual inquiries about my background and experience. Lasted maybe half an hour and I got a call saying I was hired within 15 minutes. CFII was NOT required when I was hired but it IS required now (AeroGuard paid for my CFII which took 9 days start to finish) but they asked me IR-related questions regardless. In the end they mostly care about your attitude and professionalism.

Once you do get hired, the onboarding process is extremely quick and efficient. You will sign all your paperwork electronically, and a week before your first day they will set you up with ForeFlight + all your company documentation and a study guide for the quiz you will take at the end of week 1. You will have to study SOPs, flows, callouts, v speeds, etc, but it’s not too difficult.

Once you start, standardization lasts about 5 weeks before you start flying the line. Week 1 is ground school 8 hours a day Monday to Friday. Week 2 is only 2 hours a day in the classroom practicing teaching lessons with your fellow instructors. After that, you’re mostly sitting around drinking beer and getting paid while you wait to go on your training flights. You’ll have a sim, then a sim stage check, then a couple day flights, a night flight, then an oral stage check and a flight stage check (this is for PPL). Then you get assigned to a team, get 4 or 5 students, and start flying.
 
Fantastic insight!



Hmm this would make me ineligible for employment. I wonder if they haven’t noticed this on my resume ?!



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If they’re already talking to you then they probably don’t care. Just because they advertise CFII required doesn’t mean they’ll stick to it. We’ve recently had a large influx of new students, and instructors have been getting pulled out of IR to teach PPL so I wouldn’t be surprised if they took you anyway.
 
Awesomeness. Yeah corporate recruiter called me Saturday which I missed but l’ll call her tomorrow to touch base.

Is a contract required to get hired?

Would I immediately start MEI stuff as well?

How new are aircraft? What are the equipment in them? Is that true that they are air conditioned? I have super high heat tolerance due to time spent in Iraq but wouldn’t hurt to ask. Also never flown an Arrow/Archer, kind of looking forward to that too.


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Awesomeness. Yeah corporate recruiter called me Saturday which I missed but l’ll call her tomorrow to touch base.

Is a contract required to get hired?

Would I immediately start MEI stuff as well?

How new are aircraft? What are the equipment in them? Is that true that they are air conditioned? I have super high heat tolerance due to time spent in Iraq but wouldn’t hurt to ask. Also never flown an Arrow, kind of looking forward to that too.


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Contract is not required, that’s only if you accept any bonus or free training they give you. Otherwise you’re off the hook. People do get fast tracked to Instrument and commercial but that’s all up to company need and outside of your control. Expect to start teaching private. Aircraft are in the 1999-2002 range but are extremely high time. Most planes have 20-30k hours on the airframe. Equipment is standard 6 pack with GNS430W. They are indeed air conditioned but the AC breaks a lot and you will have days where it’s 100 degrees and you have no AC. Above 105 degrees you are required to have an AC though. I get a working AC about 80% of the time in the summer. As for the Arrow we only have one so you will not fly that most likely, just Archers and Seminoles.
 
Alright, sounds good. I don’t think bonus is a make or break type of bonus anyway so I’d probably skip that. High time aircraft doesn’t bother me as long as maintenance is on point. 80% sounds good, do instructors pull aircraft from one another?

What is the breakdown of student population? Do you encounter language barrier issues?


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Alright, sounds good. I don’t think bonus is a make or break type of bonus anyway so I’d probably skip that. High time aircraft doesn’t bother me as long as maintenance is on point. 80% sounds good, do instructors pull aircraft from one another?

What is the breakdown of student population? Do you encounter language barrier issues?


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Maintenance does a good job for the most part. The main thing is that your PIC authority is highly respected and never questioned at this company. If you don’t want to fly an aircraft and you think it’s unsafe, you have the power to down that plane and no one is allowed to fly it until maintenance inspects it and puts their signature on it. Same goes for weather; if you think the weather is unsafe and cancel, no one will ever question you.

Instructors have zero say in what aircraft they fly so they don’t take planes from each other. We have dispatchers who assign planes to each person and you can’t get anything without going through them.

Students are 95% Chinese. We have some American students but you have to be CFI/CFII/MEI to teach Americans. The language barrier is an ever persisting challenge that you have to learn to work around. Some students have great English but most of them are pretty awful, so expect to use hand gestures and drawings a lot, but they work very hard and try their best to learn the presented material.
 
Sounds good on all accounts. I have worked with foreign students in the Army so I would welcome that challenge.


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