Exciting as it may be, earning your instructor certificate is a bit scary for most pilots. The magical transformation from student to teacher takes place with a simple stroke of a pen. Just a moment ago you were the struggling, respectful student, soaking up every profound word from your instructor. Now, you are supposed to be the expert.
"Can I do it? Will I be good? Will my students trust me? And if they do, should they?" These are healthy questions, ones that you can answer only from experience and with mentoring from others you respect. The first lesson you give, the first intro flight, the first solo you authorize - all will be learning experiences for you as much as for your students.
Then come the hard-knocks questions. "Okay, so what if I'm a CFI. How does a newly-minted instructor line up a job? Why would any school hire someone with few flight hours and no teaching experience? And, with that in mind, how should I pursue my first professional position?"
Let's start with the good news. Whatever your airport friends may tell you, there really is a developing pilot shortage, and the first manifestations are at the CFI level. In most parts of the country, flight schools are beginning to have difficulty finding good instructors to hire. I emphasize "good" because the complaints I hear aren't so much about a shortage of warm bodies with CFI certificates, but about the difficulty of finding and hiring quality teachers.
Gone are the days when a multitude of resumes bombarded flight schools every week. Instead, the regional airlines are hiring away their more-seasoned CFIs at record rates, and most flight schools are struggling to keep up with the turnover. With more openings and fewer applicants it's harder to be selective.
In short, you are most certainly hireable if you can convince a school that you're diligent, professional, customer-oriented, and a good communicator. That being said, what are the tricks for getting hired at a school where you'd really like to work? Let's lay the groundwork for what makes a person desirable to employers, then cover a few valuable tricks for closing the deal.
In the simplest terms, at least three basic criteria are critical to getting a CFI job: qualifications, character, and contacts. You probably figure that "qualifications" means flight experience, right? Not necessarily. A comfortably-full logbook certainly implies experience, but other credentials can be equally valuable. Graduating from a good flight program is certainly worth some points. So are good professional and personal references.
For those who seek a teaching position, additional CFI ratings are almost always a good investment. Even for pilots with low total time, numerous ratings reflect additional training and skill. Perhaps most importantly, they show that you're "trainable." In many cases, to meet a school's insurance minimums, ratings will substitute for hours, allowing you to squeak into a job you might not otherwise qualify for.
A good example is the multiengine CFI rating. The extra five to 10 hours accumulated in earning a "Multi-I" represent a little more experience and a lot more know-how. Many instructors wait a long time before pursuing a CFI multi rating. Accordingly, most schools have only a few instructors to handle their multiengine students. Because Multi-I's usually are more senior instructors, they're the ones who'll be hired out of the school next. You want to be waiting in the wings to fill their position.
Of all CFI ratings, the instrument instructor rating is important to you for reasons beyond making you more employable. For those who plan to fly heavy iron one day, we all know the importance of multiengine experience. But the skills you'll need most for an airline interview simulator ride, focus on instrument knowledge and proficiency, rather than multiengine flying. Teaching IFR improves your instrument skills, and that's something you want to have nailed, both for instructing and for your future flying career.
"Character" is about being diligent, professional, customer-oriented, and a good communicator. Flight experience is just one part of what makes a good instructor. I'm sure you'll agree that plenty of experienced pilots are poor instructors, and, at the same time, many low-time instructors excel because they have good teaching, analytical, and communication skills. Employers recognize that even the newest CFI is an expert in the eyes of a student, and professionalism is conveyed more by character than logbook.
So make the effort to look sharp. Do your homework on prospective employers, and make sure your resume and application are free of errors and smudges. Mastering verbal communication skills is the key to being a good instructor. If you can present your ideas clearly and effectively, you'll be in high demand. If you're not as sharp as you'd like to be, take a speech course, or join your local chapter of Toastmasters International. It may take a little time, but polishing your speaking skills is easier and more effective than blindly logging flight hours. Besides, good communication skills will accelerate your climb all the way up the career ladder.
Now for the third item on the employability list - contacts. I'm a fanatic about networking because knowing people inside your target companies, and getting good referrals from them, are worth their weight in gold. Think about it. Who gets the job first, a CFI with a thick logbook, but who nobody's ever heard of? Or a sharp, new CFI who knows the chief pilot? Like it or not, just about anyone would rather hire the known quantity, and that's why you should start now to meet the folks at your preferred employers.
Even if you're still in training for your CFI, start making contacts now because beginning your search early tremendously reduces the pain of getting your first aviation job. Research the schools in the area where you plan to work, identify several good employers, and get to know people at each of them. In today's market it's only a matter of time until a flight school will need to hire more CFIs, and if you know someone at that school you're on the inside track for a job.
You can also make valuable job contacts through part-time and summer aviation jobs. Go after a counter or line position while you finish your training. The effort fits in with the job hunting you'll need to do with CFI certificate in hand. Not only will you make career contacts while looking for part-time positions, you'll improve your personal communications skills and gain valuable interviewing experience.
As you think about contacts and referrals, remember that doing a first-class job on the CFI checkride in itself can lead to opportunity. With all the mediocre CFI applicants that FAA inspectors and designated examiners see, they're usually glad to spread the word about those who impress them.
Here are the few secrets I promised.
No CFI openings at the flight schools where you'd like to instruct? Then volunteer to teach ground school. Cinching a ground school opportunity isn't all that tough because most CFIs don't want to do things that don't involve flying. (If the school figures that attendance may be too low to cover your pay, offer to teach the class for a percentage of the take.)
Do a good job as a ground school teacher and your students will beg you to be their flight teacher. Is someone already teaching ground school? No sweat. Offer your services to the teacher to help students with their questions. Soon students will be quizzing you after class about how, when, and where they should start the flying itself.
While all this is going on you're making a name for yourself at the flight school and lining up prospective students. Do a good job, and it's just a matter of time until you slide over into that CFI position.
The next CFI job-hunting trick is deal-making. Don't have all of your ratings yet? That's power! One good way to get hired by a flight school is to negotiate a deal. Interview a bunch of flight schools and try to get someone to promise you a job in return for getting your CFI or other ratings there. They need the business, and, generally, they'd rather give CFI jobs to one of their own, anyway. Ask around, and you'll almost certainly find at least one school that will make that deal. If it's not possible to get the arrangement in writing, go for the personal word of the owner or manager, sealed with a handshake.
Now for the kicker for getting hired at the majority of flight schools - bring your own flight students! Consider this. You walk into Top-'o-the-Line Flight School and introduce yourself to the manager like this. "Hi, my name is John Kelly. I have three primary students lined up, and I'm looking for a place to instruct. Can you help me?"
How can they say no? At many schools a big part of an instructor's job is to attract new students. If you can do this and do a professional job of instructing, you'll be an invaluable asset to the operator, even if your flight experience is limited. This approach is especially valuable if you're committed to moving to a particular community where instructing opportunities are limited. Start lining up some students in that town right away, and have them waiting in the wings when you're ready to apply. Voila! You're hired!
So welcome to the special club of CFIs. Know your stuff, communicate well, make some friends in the business, and you'll be doing your part to train new pilots in no time. And imagine - getting paid to fly!
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