I was wondering with the current conditions of the industry if there is even a possibility of having the opportunity to be a CFI at ATP. What are your chances of getting a CFI position at ATP after I finish?
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Hi Cade,
From my understanding, there is a high supply of CFIs, with a demand that isnât quite as high. This is making the market extremely competitive, I donât know much about the ATP hiring process as someone else might. I have heard from other instructors there is a backlog with the âindocâ phase of their acceptance and job.
Hopefully an admin or recent instructor brought onto the team can assist you with this question directly.
Brady
Cade,
From what Iâve heard recently Brady is correct and yes there is currently a bit of a backlog at ATP and frankly its not surprising. The entire planet is suffering from this pandemic. The airlines have been hit harder than many industries and that of course has dammed up the food chain. The fact is really this is as much for the new instructors as for anyone. People instruct to build time. If the number of students is down and ATP continued to add instructors then no oneâs progressing and thatâs not fair or beneficial to anyone. If you wish to instruct for ATP theyâll put you in the cue and when thereâs a slot youâll get a call. Until that time you have the chance to explore other opportunities. When ATP calls youâll then have a choice, say thanks but Iâm good or jump ship if youâre not.
Options are always a good thing.
Adam
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Cade,
Although instructor positions are not guaranteed anymore, that doesnât mean it wonât happen. As a former lead, I can tell you that your best chance of getting an instructor position is how well you performed as a student. Think of your time as a student as a 9 month or 6 month interview. If you show up everyday in uniform, prepared for grounds and flights, progressing on pace, successful at checkrides on the first attempt and always bringing a positive and professional attitude, that will go a long way. Towards the end of your time as a student, the leads will go out of their way to write âletters of recommendationâ on behalf of great students we would want back to work at our training center. Although that doesnât guarantee a job, it has a lot of pull. You would be placed in a list and as soon as your name comes up, youâd have a choice of locations to go to. This is where being flexible comes in. If you only want to instruct at one location, youâre going to be sitting a while.
You should take a job at any location and start building hours and look for a transfer later.
Yes you could always instruct somewhere else instead, but there are hardly as many other flight schools that you would get the constant flow of students which translates to a constant flow of hours at the pace that you will at ATP. Even if you wait a month or two, you will surpass any other instructing job in hours monthly once you get onboard.
Hope this helps.
-Hannah
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Hannah,
Thank you for bringing this insight in, as a student coming near the program and looking for an opportunity to work within ATP, this is a great add to knowledge. This is great for any future/prospected student to hear as well, the first day can really set the tone for everything else.
Brady
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