Change in instructor location assignments

Gabe,
Have you selected your location yet? Were you able to pick any one you wanted?

Daniel

I got the location I wanted. I start instructing in Denver on Monday.

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This is great news to hearšŸ˜, and I hope the policy stays in effect into the future. I need to finish an enlistment before I can get started, but living an easy drive to RIC makes the possibility of being able to choose that as both a training AND instructing location very exciting. If itā€™s super busy at the time, great. If it isnā€™t and it takes me an extra several months of instructing to build time, fine. Being home with the family daily (mostly) certainly is worth a little extra time.

All this, of course, if/when I actually get the ball rolling on all this. I have only recently, through researching here and elsewhere, discovered this lifelong-dream of a career is still possible at my wizened age of 38. :wink:

Alan,

I donā€™t believe itā€™ll be changing any time soon. As you get closer fell free to ask any and all.

Adam

Adam,

Much appreciated! Iā€™m one of those who got his grad school in before joining the Army and let the Army pay back my student loans, which put me rather late in getting on. I still have 11 years before I could retire.

I have wanted to get out pretty seriously over the last few years, but worried that at my age, it was too late to start a new career. I have been researching like mad, running numbers, and given the best-case scenario with progression through my Army career, and a pretty dismal-case scenario for possible airline pilot career progression (while maintaining full awareness that there are no guarantees), all things considered, the pilot route is a way better option in a lot of ways. 1) Itā€™s what I always wanted to do. 2) Itā€™s what I still really want to do. 3) Financially, itā€™s a no-brainer!

This website, and others that are referenced on here, have been a wealth of much-needed information. Iā€™m so grateful!

By-the-way, I lived on Oā€™ahu for three years up at Schofield Barracks. Every time we flew to Maui or the Big Island on one of the 717s, I thought what a great life that would be, so congratulations!

Alan,

Thank you for the congrats. Yes life is pretty great. I was actually have a VERY long conversation with an Army Apache pilot earlier today who flies out of Schofield. Heā€™s trying to get out and we were talking options. Nice guy.

Obviously 11yrs from now much can change but all indications are that things will remain strong. Iā€™ll be retired by then so you can have my seat :slight_smile:

Adam

Haha! Well, intentions are not to make it to retirement, rather get out after my current enlistment. I would be 39 or so by that point, so gotta get moving!

Hello Everyone,
First time poster here :slight_smile: Reviving this thread.
I called ATP today to ask for some information (I have been reading the forums here for some time) and I was told you cannot choose your CFI location. Is this correct? This could be a deal breaker for me to leave my home for 1.5 plus yearsā€¦
I live about 40 minutes from TTN, so that would be where I would like to go.

I am going to schedule an intro flight lesson in January, but I was wondering if anyone here has any information on this.

Thank you so much!

At the end of your training, you will be allowed to choose a location to instruct off a list of specific locations that have a need for instructors. Your desired location may or may not be on that list. But if itā€™s not, you can choose a different one and put in a transfer request to the one at which you would like to instruct. The location options for transfer requests fluctuate a lot, so it shouldnā€™t be too long of a wait to get the location you want, but unfortunately thereā€™s no guarantee of that within a specific time frame.

Thank you Kyle.
So it appears this has changed from what it is described above. I am assuming if you at in a location that is far from your home, you are on your own to go home to see family, correct?

Ygor,

Yes. ATPā€™s CFI location assignment has changed. Kyleā€™s description is correct. And yes, if a CFI does not get their preferred location, personal travel expenses would be on the CFI.

Tory

Tory,

Can you wait until a preferred location opens, or do you have to start the CFI job right away at an available location?

Thanks!
Ygor

Thatā€™s a conversation to be had with whomever in admin is responsible for CFI base assignments. My guess? Probably not. This change in base assessments is intended to reflect how airlines assign pilots to bases. If you were at an airline, special accommodations would not be made. Again, worth asking admin. Better to ask when you are offered the position. Donā€™t think asking now would do much for you.

Tory

I see your point Tory,

Obviously, for someone who has a home and a spouse, this is a major issue to consider, and it would be irresponsible not to take this into account now.

It would seem to me that commuting for an airline as a pilot is not comparable to being a CFI in a location far away from your home, since you are able to fly home before and after an assignment, for free, so I feel the two are more like apples and oranges. One you can see your family on a regular basis, the other one, not so much.

Do you know if the transfer process to other locations is easy? Since I am right near PHL, anywhere within a few hours (4-5) drive would at least allow me to see my family on weekends.

Ygor,

As I said in your other post, there are ZERO guarantees for location. The transfer process itā€™s easy or difficult, itā€™s simply a matter of availability. If thereā€™s an open slot AND no one senior to you has requested it itā€™s your, if not itā€™s not. While I agree moving for an airline is very different than moving for a CFI gig, it is similar in that you have no idea how longer itā€™ll take. Could be a month, could be never.

Adam

What he said ^

Tory

Ygor, something to consider is you can still attend ATP at your home location and always apply to be a CFI at another flight school closer to your home.

Thank you guys! Makes sense to me. I have no idea about availability of CFI jobs, so this is all a whole new world to me. It didnā€™t occur to me that I could even work elsewhere. But I guess working elsewhere outside ATP complicates things when it comes to airline connections and tuition reimbursement opportunities, or not?

Ygor,

In todayā€™s hiring environment youā€™ll have no issues getting hired at the Regional of your choice but yes the Tuition Reimbursement could be an issue.

Adam

True, tuition reimbursement privileges are lost if a CFI decides to teach outside of ATP. However, thereā€™s still regional signing bonus money to be made.

Tory