Location question/ instructor pay

Airline Pilot Questions & Answers
1

First of all I’d just like to say that I’m very thankful for everyone who goes on this site to answer. I’ve gotten great insite on the questions I’ve previously asked, and also read over questions of others. I apologize in advance for my long question…

1)does location of which school you attend make a big impact? I’m thinking of going to the school in charlotte, or the one in Long Beach CA… obviously open to other locations if you guys think there are some that are considerably better than others

  1. I know ATP guarantees employment as an instructor after completing the course… can this be done at any location? Or are you assigned somewhere? And also… for instance could I attend school in charlotte, and then choose to instruct in Denver??

  2. what is pay expected to be like as an instructor. It looks like the hourly rate is not so straightforward, nor is the hours an instructor works very straightforward. I know the probably response is “it depends”… and I totally get that.
    Just wanted to know what range one would reasonably expect as an annual salary.

  3. would anyone recommend gaining hours other ways? I have a friend who flew for a small (maybe private place??) in Hawaii upon completion. He worked there and in 9 months had the hours to go to regional.
    I have also heard of people doing things like land surveying, and transporting jobs for some companies that might possibly pay a little better.

Huge fan of what I’ve seen of ATP so far, have no issue whatsoever spending time as an instructor! Just simply looking to eliminate school debt as efficiently as possible.

2

Wesley,

Here goes:

  1. ATP strives to standardize the training at all it’s locations. Chose a location that works best for you for convenience, logistics, or simply you’ve always thought it be cool to live in X. Regardless you’ll be fine.

  2. When you successfully complete your training ATP will offer you a choice of available locations. Hopefully they’ll be one you like. If not you can seek employment elsewhere or select one of the locations they list and possibly transfer to another but there are no guarantees.

  3. https://atpflightschool.com/airline-career-pilot-program/guaranteed-cfi-job.html

  4. This gets discussed and debated daily. Personally I’m a fan of flight instructing as it provided you not only with hours BUT a high quality of hours. Flight instructing forces you to hone your skills and become a better pilot. Some other jobs may not. That said the choice is yours.

Adam

3

Thank you Adam. Very helpful as always

4

Wesley,

Let’s get to your questions:

  1. No. Just pick the location that is most convenient for you and go with it. The company really strives to standardize the locations as much as possible.

  2. When you finish the program, you will be offered a list of available locations to instruct at. You can chose from any on that list. You can also later put in a transfer request if you wish.

  3. When looking at the instructor pay, base the time of 75-80 hours per month (as an estimate). Also, keep tuition reimbursement in mind as it pays $500 per month directly to your loan.

  4. I would stick with the instructing gig, it is the proven path to the airlines and I’d the one that you will learn the most doing.

Good questions, keep them coming.

Chris

5

Wesley,

  1. No. Convenience matters more.

  2. You are assigned based on company need, just like the airlines.

https://airlinepilot.life/t/how-much-does-a-flight-instructor-earn/8061

  1. Depends on the individual. Some pilots want to expand their flight experience. Others have had a dream of flying floats somewhere tropical, and they want to fulfill that dream before they move on to the airlines. The more you change jobs the longer it will take to get to 1500. For some, that’s okay. Flight instructing is the most challenging. That should be the bulk of your experience.

Tory