On Thu, 30 Aug 2007 09:40:52 -0700, Gattman wrote:
Any advice or hazards I should beware of?
Yea. Look for another IT job and do the CFI thing on the weekends so you
can concentrate on the enjoyment of teaching rather than where your
next dollar...er...student is going to come from. There are still a
relatively high number of companies to work for in the tech industry that
won't bust your balls...assuming you have decent skills and are not a
coat-tail rider like so many people who got into that business during the
dot-bomb era. You may have to move to get the new tech job, but they're
definitely out there.
It would be one thing if you were single. Then the sky is the limit.
I know one former techie who now flies a twin otter in skydiving
operations and he's having a blast. But I'm sure you're aware of your
responsibility to your family. The average salaries in the tech business
are barely able to support a family at this point. What makes you think
aviation will be any better? Hint: it won't be.
If you decide to throw caution and common sense to the wind and become a
full time CFI anyway, keep in mind a couple things:
1) You'll need to work for a school to develop experience. This is good
because the better ones will provide a framework in which you can learn
the ropes, provide an insurance protection for you, and give you a steady
stream of clients. This is bad because most schools treat CFIs like
garbage, and every school owner I've known has expected the CFIs to act as
secretary, accountant, janitor, line boy, and a serve a host of other
roles...unpaid of course.
2) No one will pay you $30-50 as an independent instructor unless you have
experience they want. More often than not today that involves
type-specific training ($$$$) that the average small town FBO / school
cannot provide. And when you are an independent, you're responsible for
all the things the school would otherwise provide for you, including that
essential client list. You're not really an independent CFI as much as an
independent business. If that doesn't scare you, you have never been in
business.
Tread carefully, my friend, and good luck.
-Doug
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Doug Vetter, ATP/CFI
http://www.dvatp.com
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