Thank you to the mentors spending their time answering waves of newbie questions.
Wife is working on tenure at a university and cannot move, and two years apart is not happening. What are my options here for CFI placement? Is there any possibility of waiting until a position opens at the location needed?
Kyle,
Upon successful completion of your flight training ATP will give you a list of available locations. At that point you have 3 options. 1) Hopefully the location you desire is on the list, you take the position and live happily ever after. 2) Accept an alternate position and a location that doesn’t work and suck it up for the 1-1.5yr it’ll take to build your time and “hope” the location you desire opens up and you can transfer. 3) Look for a position with a different flight school or some other flying gig near your home.
Now if by chance there’s a possibility that a location near you might open in a relatively short period of time ATP might allow you to wait for a brief period (possibly a month or so) then you might be able to wait. However you need to understand these are perishable skills and you sitting not flying won’t help you obtain your goals and ATP doesn’t want an instructor who hasn’t flown in some time and needs a whole lot of re-training.
Bottomline the waiting doesn’t really work and you should count on one of the 3 options I describe.
Adam