Hey,
I know that a CFI doesn’t usually spend hours upon hours flying in the air, so what does the typical workday consist of?
Are you expected to work a normal 9-5? or do you usually just come in for ground school, scheduled flights, and help out with other things the school might need?
Thanks!
Raven,
Your work days will vary. You’ll be flying, in the sim and doing ground instruction depending on many factors. In addition, again depending on where your student is in the program, weather, license requirements your hours can and will vary.
Bottomline you need to be flexible.
Adam
Raven,
There is no typical day. As a CFI you’ll be making your own schedule. Each of your students will be at different phases of the program. Your schedule will change day-to-day because you’ll be coordinating your schedule with other CFIs. What matters most is that you look ahead at what each student needs to accomplish. It’s up to the CFI to build each student’s schedule to meet or exceed those goals. Of course unforeseen circumstances may arise. When that happens you’ll need to be flexible, like Adam said, and figure out how the schedules need to be rearranged to ensure each student still completes the right number of events per week.
Tory
Raven,
A CFI position is a full time position, it could easily be 9-5, plus some either side of that. Everyday is different, with student performance, weather and aircraft scheduling being the predominant concerns. You will sometimes have very early mornings and sometimes very late nights.
While being a CFI is hard work, I really enjoyed it and often think of it as one of my best periods in aviation.
Chris
On average I spend 10 hours a day at the training center. Some days more some days less. Some days not at all (more mental breaks after the 6 hours of TOLs) I don’t have a family or kids or anything and I’m away from home (instructing in mesa but from Atlanta)
Michael - When you picked your instructor location were there any CFI openings at the three ATP locations near Atlanta? Being from ATL I am hoping to get a slot near home. Thx
Robert,
Regardless of whether or not there are openings now, a lot can change by the time it’s your turn to choose.
Tory
You should expect to spend anywhere between 10-14 hours at the training center. From grounds to sims to flights, your daily schedule will vary. While the hours are long, there’s downtime in between. Also, keep in mind that per the FARs you aren’t allowed to instruct in the aircraft for more than 8 hours in a consecutive 24 hour period. Fatigue is also a factor to consider.
Nope, for the past month or so, there’s only been west coast openings. But yeah, the options change pretty drastically