What would you do?

bc2209

Well-Known Member
If you had the opportunity to pick between two programs at your flight school what would you do? Imagine yourself as a very low time pilot who is just starting instruction.

First program: less money, more flight time, less restricted on points of flight such as cross country, airports, etc and mostly students who speak poor English

Second program: more money, less flight time, very restricted on airports, cross country, airspace in general, night flight, students are very proficient in English

What would you pick and why?
 
Is there a time commitment for either program? I other words could you try one out before deciding?

The first one seems a little more appealing to me. Mostly because your getting exposure in different enviroments. Although international students seem to have it's own set of issues.

What's the experince level of tge students on the second one?
 
Do the first program... Not because it's more flight time or less money.

Do the first program because it will force you to teach others who don't have the same cultural background and English skills as you. You will naturally become more of a leader because of it. These skills will serve you well in a future career in aviation.
 
Option 2. You need to distinguish yourself as NOT one of those CFIs who spent 1250 hours in the traffic pattern and cross country and night time are the best way to do that.

*edit* I may have misread the OP. Did you mean that option 1 is the one that is going to give you more discretion to get more cross country and night time? Because I say go for whichever one does that for you.
 
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Option 2. You need to distinguish yourself as NOT one of those CFIs who spent 1250 hours in the traffic pattern and cross country and night time are the best way to do that.

I read it as option 2 is extremely restrictive on flying at night and where you can and can't go on cross countries. Where as option 1 was more "live free or die" in terms of flying at night and you can go anywhere.

Been wrong many a time though.
 
I read it as option 2 is extremely restrictive on flying at night and where you can and can't go on cross countries. Where as option 1 was more "love free or die" in terms of flying at night and you can go anywhere.

Been wrong many a time though.
Yeah, I just edited my previous one.

Regardless, the OP doesn't want to be one of those guys posting in the airline pilot forum complaining about how hard it is to get the cross country, night, and instrument times for the ATP.
 
Is there a time commitment for either program? I other words could you try one out before deciding?

The first one seems a little more appealing to me. Mostly because your getting exposure in different enviroments. Although international students seem to have it's own set of issues.

What's the experince level of tge students on the second one?

Sorry there is in fact a time commitment on one over the other.

Scenario one: no contract required

Scenario two: I believe it is a 6 month contract.

Also: scenario two students come in with zero flying experience but with a significant (6 months I believe) of ground an theory.
 
Option 2. You need to distinguish yourself as NOT one of those CFIs who spent 1250 hours in the traffic pattern and cross country and night time are the best way to do that.

*edit* I may have misread the OP. Did you mean that option 1 is the one that is going to give you more discretion to get more cross country and night time? Because I say go for whichever one does that for you.

Yes much, much more discretion on those items
 
Having worked there, I know both programs. Unless things have changed in the option 2 program, or you want to be a career instructor, go for option 1 if you can afford it. It will be easier for you to get your night time, as well as x-country for ATP and 135mins. I'm not sure how important multi-time is, but when I was there it was easier to get in the multi program in option 1. I would say get the night, x-country and multi time that you need in option 1, then switch to option 2 if you want.
 
Another relevant question is, what is your career next step? If it's anything other than CFI, I reiterate: get that night, multi, instrument, and cross country. It's amazing what you'll learn taking a piston twin into class B at night on an IFR flight plan with a student who is trying to get you violated.
 
Option 1. Teaching non english speaking students is a TOUGH challenge. It forces you to become creative to get your point across. You may have to teach the same topic 4 different ways to 4 different students to help them understand, which in turn will help your knowledge base. For me the international students were very rewarding seeing them progress and graduate.

Its also a great for conversation at an interview ;)
 
It really depends on what "less money" means. I know when I was looking at CFI jobs, there were a couple programs in which I could earn decent time, but would barely be able to support myself. The rent alone at the cheapest places to live (shared on campus apartment) was almost everything that I would be making while teaching. Getting finished several months sooner (meaning taking the one with more hours) can mean the difference of several thousand dollars.

The other real part is the difference in experience. I was talking with a CP and HR person at an interview not too long ago. When looking at people with 1500 hours, they said that they valued people that had "1500 hours", and not "the same one hour 1500 times".
 
Whichever one is going to give you the flight time the quickest.
Like the line in a ribald song: "Get in, get out, quit &*^#ing about, ya ho ya ho ya ho"
Before you know it, instructing will be a fading memory. You will learn more than your students, but as far I am concerned, it is a means to an end.
As someone who sees many people come through, generally, I can tell someone who was a flight instructor, and who wasn't. Never really could make a discernible as to where they were a flight instructor. Unless they were instructing in T38's.
 
Take the less restricted option; while it may pay less, you may have the opportunity to earn the same since you can fly in program A on a day that you would be grounded in program B.

You'll build better ADM skills, too.
 
Another relevant question is, what is your career next step? If it's anything other than CFI, I reiterate: get that night, multi, instrument, and cross country. It's amazing what you'll learn taking a piston twin into class B at night on an IFR flight plan with a student who is trying to get you violated.

Quoted for absolute truth...
 
Option 2 is better in my opinion. If you're talking about the program I have in mind, your students pass rate won't affect your CFI since they don't go for any FAA check ride. With option 1 you get paid a little less but it's also more challenging with the students poor english. I believe most of them get the FAA PPL. From my experience working there (I started in option 1 and transferred to option 2) my quality of life improved with option 2. As far as flight time, you can get pretty busy with option 2 too. They had lots of students on a wait list before I left and I mainly had 4 students to work with. At some point even 6. The only part that sucked was getting trained to teach the program and receiving the paperwork to start instructing after the training. You'll get to enjoy being a DI during that period. I hope the process is faster now. Either way you'll be working for one of the best flight schools in the country and the pay, flight time and quality of life is overall good there.
 
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