Noah,
If it makes you feel any better, this was my exact situation when I finished the program in February 2021. Due to COVID, none of the airlines were hiring so there was a big surplus of new instructors waiting for spots. I really wanted to stay and instruct at my home location, but the wait list was pretty long. In the end, I selected ‘any location’, because it just wasn’t worth waiting around and not flying. I applied to countless jobs and flight schools, but it was very difficult to get hired as a CFI with no dual given. Have you considered instructing at another ATP location if there is space available? I know it might be difficult to temporarily move, but for me it was worth it. I ended up really benefiting from instructing at a different location and I got my hours far quicker than my fellow students who waited for our home location. I waited about 5 months for a position, but I got to the airlines almost a year ahead of some of them. Some waited over a year to stay at their home location. I even had the opportunity to be a lead instructor pretty early into my time there and later a multi instructor. There is always the potential for a transfer back later down the road. If you are interested, you can read through my experience instructing with ATP here:
In the meantime, my suggestion would be to keep flying, even if it is just renting a plane out of pocket. I tried to fly at least twice a month to keep proficient. I took my family and friends up to keep it fun and it was actually a good initial instructing experience talking through my flying with them. I would still suggest applying to local flight schools while you wait, you could find a position that works well for you. You can always return to ATP when your name is called. As Adam mentioned, really they are looking for flight experience, unfortunately there isn’t much you can add to your resume to help
Here’s what I tell people when they ask about instructing for ATP. I wanted to stay with ATP because I knew the program structure, the aircraft, and I wanted to have students who were committed to this career full time. The partnerships were also something I wanted to have available to me. Instructing for ATP is not for everyone, it is really tough and hard work, but the hours are there and you’ll be lucky to find a flight school with more planes and such an organized structure. Some of my former students are having success instructing for ATP, and some successfully instructed elsewhere. If you are set on ATP and want to start sooner, consider picking a different location. I personally enjoyed it and would do the same thing again, if I had the choice.
Hope this helps!
Roscoe