None of my students pay for my time, either on the ground or in the air.
And maybe he'll find it.
You're one in a million. But realistically, in the rest of the world you pay for the plane and you pay the instructor so he/she can do things like buy food, shelter, etc. It is a job.
Well, you're the first CFI I've ever heard of who works for free, and surely you don't claim that it's a common thing. I'd hazard that any CFI who is junior enough to be motivated to "build hours" is probably also junior enough to be motivated by rent and food money. CFIs are already grossly underpaid for the inherent risks and skill requirements for the job, so the devaluing of the CFI role by saying "I won't pay you, but you'll build hours!" hearkens back to the darker days of aviation. Just rubs me the wrong way.
On the contrary. I've paid for way less than half of the instruction I've received.
Or the opposite. I'm actually the most junior instructor I know working for free. Most are much more experienced and just motivated by things other than money.
I think people should be more willing to acknowledge that there is a whole world outside of their experience.
If you don't mind my askin': who, where, and why? Who are your students (demographically speaking), where do you instruct, and why do you choose to do so for free?
FIFY
I'm in a club, and I instruct other members of the club. As do the rest of the instructor pool. Some ab-initio students, some checkouts, flight reviews, etc. I do it because I enjoy it. It's perhaps a less common arrangement, but far from unique.
A lot of glider clubs work that way. Glider Instructors support club growth by providing instruction. Members receiving instruction cover full cost of the flight. It helps if there are a lot of instructors in the club so you are not working every weekend.
Thanks for your reply. The matter of performing professional services, such as ferry flights and instruction, for free is controversial and contentious. I think flying clubs generally fall outside of that debate.
Often times you get exactly what you pay for, and flight training is no exception.
In my club, everyone is expected to provide some volunteer service. It wouldn't work otherwise. Sure, there are some I would describe as free riders and some who overachieve, but it generally works.
Good for you. That's a way of giving back.
If your ability to make rent is challenged by others offering the same service for less, you're either overcharging or in the wrong line of work.
That gave me a chuckle--it could be said that anyone hoping to eke-out a living in the lower echelons of GA during that era was in the wrong line of work. The real issue is about what we value, and how. What's the value of a competent, diligent professional CFI? Next time you check your loved ones to make certain that they are securely buckled-in before you slip the surly bonds, consider the impact that your previous instructors have on their safety--how much is that worth to you now, in $$$? If something a CFI once taught you ever kept you out of harm's way, what was that hour of his/her time worth?
Although there's a difference between wrecking a computer system and wrecking an airplane, I did once spend a couple of well-paid hours preparing a client for a 709 after he did, in fact, wreck an airplane. So there's that.
Thanks—regardless what Timothée Chalamet may say, opera adds a touch of class to any discussion.
As I've said, I've gotten much more free flight instruction than I've paid for.
In my chosen profession, rates vary widely. And the folks charging the most definitely do not see those charging much less as their competition. Plus, we encourage everyone in the profession to sometimes work for free.
Sucks for them. But why does it bother you?
Well, if you're not confident in your ability to provide more value than your competitors, join a union.
That's the way it was when I learned to fly R/C, too (1970s... shout out to Pat Buzzeo and a few others at the RCRC field). When I got back into it in the 90s, the local hobby shop owner was charging for instruction, and he had quite a few students. Feelings were mixed about it.
What works in your profession may not work in others, and it's impossible to evaluate your position without knowing what your profession is and understanding the dynamics that determine the financial compensation that you and other members receive. There are many credentialed professions that host some degree of controversy regarding this matter, including law ("low bono" services) and architecture; and it's a very serious issue within the community of professional musicians (not credentialed but high percentage of post-grad degrees). Maybe we should consider whether flight instruction is actually a profession at all, and there's a lot of evidence to support the assertion that it is not.
Without presuming to speak for decalogue, what do you mean by "value?" Rhetorically posed, let's say that you and I are both offering our services as CFIs in the same market. I charge $150/hr, and you work for free. How does a prospective student such as luciano4biz, knowing very little about flight training, determine which of us would be the better value?
More like we've jackknifed. But I propose that the state of GA flight instruction is the axle, and CFIs giving it up for free is the load. Flight instruction's an interesting topic to me, because of my own experiences and because so much is riding on it.
Not to mention contrary opinions on POA are usually served with a big helping of pedantry. In the discussion above, added humble bragging is heaped on top...for free.
Or the vast majority of your customer base doesn't know how to value differing levels of instruction.
I didn't mind. I especially enjoyed it when, as a consultant charging "2x", my client wanted to replace me with a guy who only charged "x". The guy who only charged "x" was worth 0 and couldn't do the work, but the client really really wanted him to work because he was cheaper, so they paid 3x - That is , my 2x plus the other guy's x - for me to sit there and hold his hand in a futile attempt to make him into a guy who was even worth x, much less 2x. And of course, it's a lot slower that way too, so they were paying way more than 3x for the work that got done.
If your customers can't tell the difference, then maybe the difference isn't that significant. But back on track, did you have any suggestions for the OP?
Then again maybe it is, but a new student lacks the insight to make an accurate assessment. This was the focus of #33, but you didn't reply so I don't know what your perspective is.
The OP was looking for CFIs willing to work for free, and hasn't posted since. My suggestion to him is that a CFI's willingness to work for free is a very poor criterion to use when choosing a flight instructor.
