"Part Time" CFI question

saracelica

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saracelica
To the CFI's that don't do instruction full time - What is your "other" profession?

My current CFII is a "computer" guy, the other CFI in the club owns his own business and the third is about to retire from flying the big iron.

Just wondering what other CFI's to satisfy paying the bills.
 
Max Trescott posted on Facebook yesterday asking if there was a shortage of CFIs. He doesn't know any who aren't overbooked.

Mixing your question and his, the logical conclusion is that CFIs are underpaid.
 
I saw Max's posting.

So "part time" CFI's are obviously working somewhere or else there would be alot more full time CFI's. My CFI is "busy" and not accepting new students because he says he can't afford to just be at the airport full time.
 
Many CFIs are part-time because they enjoy flying and teaching, but rely on their day job to pay the bills. At many fields the folks doing the training have full-time 9-5 jobs, so they are looking for instructors who can fly early mornings, evenings, and weekends when they're available to fly. That tends to work out well for part-time instructors, who may only want to take on a handfull of students anyway.
 
Line service, flip cars, also a student.
 
I am not taking on anymore students right now, as I don't have the time. Pay is OK I bill myself out at $50hr cash.

Main job is flying a turboprop.
 
my other job is being a trophy husband
 
I am an IT guy, during daytime hours.
 
Many CFIs are part-time because they enjoy flying and teaching, but rely on their day job to pay the bills. At many fields the folks doing the training have full-time 9-5 jobs, so they are looking for instructors who can fly early mornings, evenings, and weekends when they're available to fly. That tends to work out well for part-time instructors, who may only want to take on a handfull of students anyway.

My point exactly Brad. what are they doing for a full time job.
 
My point exactly Brad. what are they doing for a full time job.

Anything from basketweaving to boilermaking. In these parts, many part-time flight instructors are federal employees or contractors. Some have aviation related full-time jobs; most do not.

Due to duty time issues and employer prohibitions on moonlighting flying jobs, you don't see many 121 pilots. Occasionally you'll see some charter pilots instruct P/T.

Some of my past CFIs were clergyman, USAF retirees, computer programmers, and a 121 flight dispatcher.
 
All of mine are retired military. Afterwards their careers varied, one flew airlines, another flies cargo for UPS, one became a professor for ERAU, one still flies for the Navy as an IP of some sort, the last one flies for a private company flying F-5s as an instructor.
 
My former CFI's other job is to be a high-end gigolo. He always showed up at the airport tired but at least he shared his tips, which tended to be baked apple pies, knit socks and meal vouchers at the Elks lodge.
 
it's a hard job, but damn it, someone has to do it. :lol:

heck ya. the boss gets grumpy if the dishes and laundry aren't done and supper isn't on the table. benefits are pretty good though.
 
Hubby is a computer programmer. His official title is far more impressive than that, though.
 

LOL!

So far in our little unofficial count here we seem to have mostly retired guys and IT people who bother to go to the next level and teach. From a sampling of an online website anyway.
 
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