CFI vs. CFII

[TimW68]

Just can't help wondering if the number of CFI's that are having such a hard time finding work has to do with their rating. Are CFII's having as hard a time finding work? It seems to me from what I have seen that the few students that are out there are working on instrument time more than ever. The II's seem to be booked on the flight schedule alot more than the instructors without the II. Also does age tend to make a difference with hiring new CFI/CFII, i.e. 22 year old instructor vs. 35 yr old. Would appreciate hearing from both I & II's.

 

Thanks

 

Tim

Edited December 28, 2009 by TimW68

[yzchopper]

Yes it has everything to do with their rating but you need to include two other items. 1) Total time, 2) what type of aircraft and type of work did you do. CFII's are also having a hard time getting work due to lack of hrs and probably many other things. Every pilot has a different background and story so the reasons for not being hired can be few or a lot.

 

Most operators insurance is requiring that their pilots have the instrument certificate and it is not much more to get the CFII. The CFII looks better to the employer too than just having the IR.

 

As for the age... That is tough because with age comes experience, but not always. I know pilots in there Forty's that have very little experience and guys that are now in their early thirty's (started flying around 18-22yrs old) that have tons of flight time 1500-3000hrs and experience in multiple aircraft, different areas (regions) of work, and type of flying.

 

I have the CFI certificate and less than 1200hrs all helicopter time and have worked doing Logging, Firefighting, some Longline VR, Cropdusting, Instructing, Aerial photography, Cinematography, Sightseeing, and Ferrying to name a few. I have experience in R-22, R-44, S300C, OH-58C, 206A Jetranger, Bo-105 Bolkow, Hughes 500E,D, Hiller 12E, Croman SH-3H, and the S-61A. I even owned my own flight school for a short period of time. Did I mention I'm only 34yrs old and did all this in about 2.5yrs.

 

I completed my training in Jan 2005 and started flying shortly there after. I have not flown since July 2008. A lot can happen in a short time frame and you can gain lots of experience if you play your cards right (being in the right place at the right time). I will be doing some refresher training in the next few weeks and possibly going back to the Robinson Factory Course again. Hope this helped answer some of your questions.

 

Steve

[R22139RJ]

It would be hard to determine if CFIs are hurting for work more than CFIIs because of the lack of statistics. Its speculation. I am a 22 y/o CFII and got a job with the school I trained at so I can't really tell you if its hard to find work.

 

I would get the CFII rating though. Its a little more work with ground lessons and information, you will have a better understanding of instrument flight with more studying, and its only a few more hours in the helicopter. There is no hours requirement for the amount of training needed for the flight so if you are johnny on the spot, it wouldn't be that much more expensive.

 

Good luck.

[Inferno]

You do bring up an interesting issue with age. Would an older student be less likely to respect or want a younger CFI/CFII?

 

IMO, experience, teaching style, and personal fit between a CFI and the student trumps everything else. Others may see it differently.

 

As far as a CFII making it easier to get work, I have no clue. It couldn't hurt though, could it?

[yzchopper]

Inferno,

I agree "experience, teaching style, and personal fit between a CFI and the student trumps everything else".

I have seen it where age does matter. One of my instructors was only 19 and he was/is a great pilot. He had a guy around 40+ that wanted to get his PPL and this young CFI was available but the guy refused to "fly with a kid" as he put it. The CFI I'm referring to is now typed and flys the Big Dogs with Columbia Helicopters.

 

Steve

[RkyMtnHI]

Just can't help wondering if the number of CFI's that are having such a hard time finding work has to do with their rating. Are CFII's having as hard a time finding work? It seems to me from what I have seen that the few students that are out there are working on instrument time more than ever. The II's seem to be booked on the flight schedule alot more than the instructors without the II. Also does age tend to make a difference with hiring new CFI/CFII, i.e. 22 year old instructor vs. 35 yr old. Would appreciate hearing from both I & II's.

 

Thanks

 

Tim

 

 

I think everyone is having a hard time finding work. Period. I am not saying people aren't getting hired, just that it's harder now days. I know one school that just hired three new CFIs.

 

That being said, i would find it hard to justify hiring an instructor now days that does not have his/her's II. Things are going to change in this industry, in fact, are changing now, to where jobs are hard to get without at least an instrument rating. We are seeing it now in the EMS sector and will no doubt see it more as time goes on in other areas.. Therefore, the schools will be looking harder at the II's than the CFIs. Also, if i were hiring for a commercial application i would personally prefer a pilot that had been actually teaching instrument over one that had just passed an instrument check ride.

 

Where i might make an exception for the school is if a CFI came to us with an instrument rating and committed to finishing their II with us. It would give us an opportunity to get to know each other and see how the pilot performed at high altitude (another important issue we see lacking on resumes).

 

As far as the age question... i had a guy call today to do an add-on, he was adamant about NOT flying with a young CFI. He was older and has around 5000 hours FW experience and had a not so good experience with a younger CFI at another local school. That being said, i prefer instructors with some real world experience, both in flying and business.. BUT, some of the best pilots i know are under 25... and many of our new students are the same age... so i think a good school will have some of both.

 

jmho,

 

dp