Is it possible (financially and training wise) to be a career flight instructor after ATP? I’ve always wanted to fly, but don’t want a life living on the “road”. I want to be home with my family most nights but would love to fly and teach during the workday. Is it possible to complete the ATP program and transition into a full time instructor without needing to first go the airline route?
What are the pros and cons or going this route?
Steve,
This is America and you can do as you like. If you simply want to instruct that’s your choice but you need to know in general instructors (being an entry level position) don’t get paid a whole lot. Now I have no idea what your expenses are, if you’re single and are somewhat self sufficient, or if you have a partner who maybe can do the heavy lifting financially, but if not I think it would be very tough financially. Particularly as your income would vary by the amount of students training.
As an alternative plan (and one I see many pilots follow) you could instruct, build the required 1500hrs to get hired at a Regional or LCC, fly for a year or so and look to get into the training dept at your airline. I know many full-time instructors who get paid well and only fly a trip on occasion for currency.
Adam
Steve,
I have known one or two people to make a career out of flight instructing, one can do alright financially if you end up running a school, of being a FAA Examiner, but it will be a tight budget with just flight instructing.
Being home every night is really tough as a pilot. Pilots by definition fly people to far away places and that means time on the road. There are some jobs that are more conducive to being home than others, but they are few and far between and still involve some nights on the road.
Chris
Steve,
I think it would be difficult to make a living off of flight instructing alone. Like Chris said, if you own a flight school and could get in to being an examiner you could probably make a decent living at it. It’d look in to part 135 jobs in your area. There aren’t a ton that are home every night but they do exist! You just need to find the right one.
Hannah
Steve,
While many have done it, I could see where it may cause problems financially in the world we will live. Notoriously, flight instructors make a fraction of what even P135/91 pilots make compared to the airlines, as well. Given today’s inflation rates and trending of economics, I think this would cause stress to a full-time instructor. Now, owning a flight school or taking on a rank within an established company may work better, I can’t speak on that nor the benefit/perks.
If you’re looking to be with your family most nights, maybe looking into a med evac team and/or private company where they want to be back same day, might be an option. Depending on your residential situation and/or environment, that may work? I recommend visiting your local airport and taking a discovery flight if you don’t have any flight experience. Also network a little and see what everyone is doing, you may find P91 or P135 guys operating in-and-out and raise some QOL questions to them. You may find a career instructor at the local airport. You just never know who you come across.
Brady