cappelation

So theoretically speaking the company you give flight training for takes a percentage what they charge for flight training and pays you around 70% of the Flight training cost on the board. Very typical situation

You have been working for the company enduring long days, low pay, low QOL, no benefits, sometimes weeks straight without students or work for nearly two years.

Company has a rental agreement that only company instructors may give dual instruction in the aircraft.

Yet there are about 4 or 5 flight instructors that come and go as they wish and work as "independent contractors" not charging dual instruction through the company but yet being paid directly from the student pilots. They endure no CFI meetings, no committment to the company, just reserve our airplanes for sometimes 6 hours at a time and do their teaching and leave.

I see this as a disloyalty to company instructors by management by allowing whoever wants to fly the airplanes just to receive revenue they would have otherwised been missed. (revenue created by airplane flying far outways flight instruction revenue).

This blocks the airplane from company instructors schedule lost revenue for company instructors as well as a disloyalty to the system.

Why should I or other company instructors not be allowed to let our students pay us directly, and stop giving so much committment to employer when it isnt given in return?

This topic was addressed at a CFI meeting and treated like it was not a seen problem, and I seemed to to be the only instuctor that was completely agaisnt it, other instructors seem afraid to speak up for themselves about right and wrong practices.

What would you do?

KC10 FATboy

You have a couple of options.

1. Stay where you are, unhappy as it is, and stop whining.
2. Go instruct for someone else.
3. Become an independent Instructor and get paid directly.
4. Buy your own airplanes, insurance, rental offices, and start your own small businees aviation training company.
5. Get a job outside of aviation.

joethepilot

Quit, and become an independent contractor, just don't expect that particular flight school to let you use their airplanes. Also you will be responsible for finding your own students... which can be more challenging than it sounds

TBucket

I guess it depends on how much you care about your job. If they say "it's not a problem", then go start doing it yourself. Get some more $$, etc... Give company instruction with your company students at their rates and under their system.. Then do a little on the side the way the other guys do it...


That said, don't expect them to be happy about it, either. They like $$ more than they like you. They could ignore it, or they could punt you out the door as an example...

meeko031

straight to the point, but not necessarily in this order! problem solved!

Outlaw2097

Do you know if there is any relationship (family, college buddies, etc) between those guys and the higher powers at your place?

ryan1234

Personally that "independent instructor" stuff seems to be the way to go. If the company is cool with it, just do it yourself. The trade off would be that they probably have to go get students themselves, rather than let the flight school do the work. If that appeals to you go for it. Everyone has to make some money. If a 30% pay cut justifies not searching for students, great....... if it doesn't and you can do it independent.. why not?

The school has to make money... if that means getting money from rentals because otherwise slow flight training... that's how it is.

Triggerhappy

also take in account that contract instructors have no benefits....being company instructor i would hope to god you have some sort of benefits like medical insurance? If not i would drop that company like yesterday's news....

Mason32

Isn't this in the wrong APC forum?

Pilotpip

If this were two or three years ago, you might have had a bone to pick.

Right now, you're easily replaced.