Red flags at job interviews

Contracts: Don’t sign one. Offer letters stating the job description and compensation are fine. Contracts that lock the CFI in to a minimum service obligation—whether flight hours, hours on the clock, or months of employment—mean less mobility and leverage, so the instructor can’t leave for a better situation if one should arise. Caveat: CFIs said they might be willing to sign a minimum commitment contract in exchange for training and benefits.

“Junior airline captain” uniforms. The jury was split on some flight schools’ practice of requiring instructors to wear shirts with epaulets. Some believe this requirement is just stupid, and it is annoying when flying in hot-weather climates such as Florida and Arizona. Others think a uniform is fine so long as the flight school offers good pay and benefits. And still others said that the flight schools that require this type of dress code are often the places in which CFIs can build hours the fastest. So, your new hires may be willing to sport those epaulets if they can rack up the hours in return.

Indirect answers to direct questions. Unwillingness to discuss maintenance practices. Unclear about assigning student load. Your inability or unwillingness to answer these types of questions sends a signal to the prospective hire that you might be unreliable.

Training packages for instrument clients. Flat-rate-priced instrument training offering so many hours of ground and flight time can be popular, but CFIs said potential hires should research these packages and find out whether they are realistic, or whether clients have trouble meeting training goals on time. After all, it’s the instructor who’s going to feel the heat from the client if the pilot ends up having to pay thousands more to complete the training.

We’ll give flight schools a chance to wave their job interview red flags. Send yours to [email protected] and we’ll include it in an upcoming article.