Pilot shortage?

[RaymondKHessel]

I\'m finishing my commercial and have been hearing that getting a job as a CFI is almost impossible right now because of the economy. Our school had 8 instructors and laid off 2 high-time ones then didn\'t replace them, which was bad for some of the CFIs that had just graduated but din\'t have jobs yet. My instructor was noe of them and now I am flying with a guy who I think only has about 250 hours but didn\'t ahve any other students. When I asked the owner if I should wait to finish and maybe put off doing my CFII until the market got better, she said that wasn\'t a good idea, but that I need to be able to move literally anywhere. She said there is a pilot shortage in India. When I finish I just need to take a written test to convert my FAA license to an India license. They need instructors over there, and she thought that was my best chance for getting a job. The chief pilot said the same exact thing and told me they would be hiring soon so it\'s better to finish as soon as possible because timing is everything.

 

The owner tells me that I really need to have my CFII done, but I am getting skeptical. I\'ve seen on the forums about how the pilot shortage from retiring military pilots is BS. Is this more of the same? I asked some other students and a CFI who graduated a while ago and didn\'t get a job for over a year, and they said she told them the same thing.

[kygreen229]

I\'m finishing my commercial and have been hearing that getting a job as a CFI is almost impossible right now because of the economy. Our school had 8 instructors and laid off 2 high-time ones then didn\'t replace them, which was bad for some of the CFIs that had just graduated but din\'t have jobs yet. My instructor was noe of them and now I am flying with a guy who I think only has about 250 hours but didn\'t ahve any other students. When I asked the owner if I should wait to finish and maybe put off doing my CFII until the market got better, she said that wasn\'t a good idea, but that I need to be able to move literally anywhere. She said there is a pilot shortage in India. When I finish I just need to take a written test to convert my FAA license to an India license. They need instructors over there, and she thought that was my best chance for getting a job. The chief pilot said the same exact thing and told me they would be hiring soon so it\'s better to finish as soon as possible because timing is everything.

 

The owner tells me that I really need to have my CFII done, but I am getting skeptical. I\'ve seen on the forums about how the pilot shortage from retiring military pilots is BS. Is this more of the same? I asked some other students and a CFI who graduated a while ago and didn\'t get a job for over a year, and they said she told them the same thing.

 

Im wondering the same thing except I will just be getting started this May...Its such a hard thing to get going finacially anyway and then the fact that normally its not easy to get a job when your done but with the economy it seems like its impossible. I still cant decide if I should make the plunge or not. I really really reallllllly want to but AHHHHH! ha.

 

Some people that are just getting CFI jobs please shed some light!

 

-Kyle

[Trans Lift]

Raymond,

 

I personally think that is the biggest load of BS ever. Yeah, finish up your training quickly, give us your money and head off to India to see what you can find......ridiculous.

 

They just want your money mate. If you are struggling right now, I would say to hold off for a bit and get another job. There are a few jobs starting to pop up here and there for instructor positions. Hopefully it is the start of things getting better.

 

There may be a shortage of pilots in India but it is not for 250 hour FAA instructors. If you have 3000 hours PIC in an AW139, then you could probably get a job alright. But I wouldn't bet on getting a job too easy with your hours buddy.

 

Its a hard one to call but I wouldn't put myself into too much financial hardship at the moment to get your CFI/II done. Not for another while anyways! If you can afford it, then get it done and job hunt like a mo-fo here in the states! You may get lucky. Try to show up in person to places too, its better than an email!

 

Best of luck in these shitty times,

 

Damien

[heligirl03]

Wow. Where do you train?? I got interrupted in my first reply an hour ago but Damien beat me to it. I know several people who are holding off on their CFI/II for now because they don't want to end up sitting around for the next year just to get scooped by a more recent grad when the openings do pop up. It's been happening here and there and it's both outrageous and understandable. The school wants your money, dude, don't do it. The India thing is the most BS I've heard since SSH.

 

Take a year, put together your CFI book, get another job and pay down some of your bills, then when the market comes back a little you can jump in and finish quickly and be right back at the front of the line but in a better place to financially survive working as CFI.

 

Good luck!!

HG03

[RkyMtnHI]

I have heard about the India jobs, i have a friend over there flying fixed wing;

 

He said you need a commercial and 100 hours Robbie time to get a job over there.. that's only hearsay tho. I'm sure you could do some research and maybe find out more.

 

I would agree that if you are close, you should finish.. as it's always easier when you are working on something to finish than to start back up. I would also agree that you should be taking a closer look at what ever decisions you are making at this point as times are hard. You are doing the right thing getting as much info as possible to help make the best choices.. this is a great place to do it.

 

I do believe things will get better..

 

good luck.

 

dp

[Inferno]

Its a tough decision:

 

Finish now and be ready for a job should one open up...

 

Wait till times are better and have to jump back into everything, possibly leaving a nice (or at least financially viable) job in the process...

 

In my mind, its better to have it done, and be ready for the job when it comes. You never know how long times will be tough, but just going to a school when times are better to get your CFI/I is no guarantee of getting a job there.... You can always do odd commercial jobs in the interim for currency if you were to finish now.

 

I would be highly suspicious of what your school is shoveling your way though.

[r22butters]

I applied for an R44 job in India not too long ago. I had more than the minimums, but still did not even get an e-mail response.

 

Of course the other question now seems to be, why get your CFi if there are no CFi jobs, and even those who have them don't get to keep them long enough?

[Spike]

Not to sound syndical or anything, but why did you start your training in the first place?

 

Sorry to inform you, this business has never been easy to break into. Never has been and never will be. Having said this, does this scare you about becoming a helicopter pilot? If so, then I’d say you should probably seek a different line of work. If it doesn’t, then you need to finish your ratings ASAP.

 

It’s like this, right now, a new CFII, MAY or MAYNOT, be able to find work. As a commercial applicant you WILL NOT be able to find work because you are not qualified. Here’s another way to look at it, if the helicopter industry took a turn for the best tomorrow; you’d be out of luck. That is, until you finish. However, even by that time, many of these positions will have been already taken.

 

If you truly want this then I suggest you finish your ratings which will allow you to at least apply for positions and be ready when the call comes in. If you wait for “better times” then you’ll probably be waiting forever.

 

Lastly, India? This is the best advice your school gave you???? The school you’re paying thousands of dollars!! Two words come to mind my friend “RED FLAG!”

 

Good luck.

Edited February 6, 2010 by Spike

[jaredsega]

Wow. Where do you train?? I got interrupted in my first reply an hour ago but Damien beat me to it. I know several people who are holding off on their CFI/II for now because they don't want to end up sitting around for the next year just to get scooped by a more recent grad when the openings do pop up. It's been happening here and there and it's both outrageous and understandable. The school wants your money, dude, don't do it. The India thing is the most BS I've heard since SSH.

 

Take a year, put together your CFI book, get another job and pay down some of your bills, then when the market comes back a little you can jump in and finish quickly and be right back at the front of the line but in a better place to financially survive working as CFI.

 

Good luck!!

HG03

 

 

AHHAHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHAHHA "The India thing is the most BS I've heard since SSH"

haha that is great stuff! SSH just cracks me up!!

[heligirl03]

AHHAHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHAHHA "The India thing is the most BS I've heard since SSH"

haha that is great stuff! SSH just cracks me up!!

 

Seriously!! I only wish I had attended a seminar before it was too late, I hear they were phenomenal!! Bwahahahahhahah

[Spike]

AHHAHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHAHHA "The India thing is the most BS I've heard since SSH"

haha that is great stuff! SSH just cracks me up!!

 

And it's all "Turbin Time" my friend......

Edited February 6, 2010 by Spike

[RkyMtnHI]

And it's all "Turbin Time" my friend......

 

LOL, that was funny...

 

dp

[nikon858]

You never know when opportunities are going to present themselves...yes they want your money, and I feel the school I went to screwed me too...but I got an opportunity just a few months later...I don't fly that often, but I already have ~50 hours turbine, paid at that...so I do recommend finishing your ratings asap...The school I work at is just slow, but those are just the times.

[kodoz]

The owner tells me that I really need to have my CFII done, but I am getting skeptical. I\'ve seen on the forums about how the pilot shortage from retiring military pilots is BS.

 

I think I know the school, and they fed me the same line pretty much. Except the India thing--that's a first. They told me they had a great reputation in the industry and that 100% of their students got hired somewhere. That was 2.5 years ago when I started. When they began pushing me to do my CFII, I asked if it wouldn't be better for the students if we waited to do our CFII when we could actually teach instruments, instead of going 3-6 mos without and having to relearn it with a student at the controls. They just told me they don't hire without it, even though their insurance requires 500 hrs to instruct in their R44s.

 

My roommate and another friend did their CFII with the school. One of them had an offer somewhere in South Korea but didn't take it. The other hasn't had so much as an interview. It's been over a year for the 3 of us. The only difference is that I'm $7500 less in debt because I don't have my CFII. I have my tests done and my lesson plans ready, but I can't justify spending the rest right now. Chances of getting a job are too slim.

[rotorrodent]

I\'m finishing my commercial and have been hearing that getting a job as a CFI is almost impossible right now because of the economy.

 

 

This is a tough one. I will share with you what happened in the early 1970's and you can decide from there.

 

In the early 70's (Viet Nam winding down), there were 10,000 pilots looking for jobs and only 1 job available at the time. Hint- Use the down time wisely to prepare yourself for the upswing. IMHO, now is the time to do your training, studying and preparation for when the jobs open up.

 

As for jobs in India? For me, I should have taken some of the overseas opportunities that came along way back when. I kind of kick myself now for not taking some of those far away jobs. I would have come out on top "sooner". Mind you, I accomplished all that I set out to do by not taking those deals that came along. I didn't want to try new things back then. Today? If everything falls into place, I would take the choice. It is not forever. Serve your time and come back. Be adventuresome if you care to.

 

Bottom line. The choice remains yours to make. I honor your freewill and choice.

 

Good luck!

 

Cheers

 

Rotorrodent

[RaymondKHessel]

Thanks for all the advise. I don't want to give the schools name, but they are a pretty big one. Quitting now would be hard to do, but this India thing just doesn't seem right. I know the owner is just a business woman but I trusted that the chief pilot would give me good advice. It's not that I'm afraid of going to another country since I can do that, but I just don't believe it. Will a school hire you if you havn't flown a lot recently? This seems like situation no win.

[Carpenter]

My 10 cents. If you have the $, I say just finish and be prepared for an opportunity to materialize, but if finishing would cause financial hardship or increasing debt, just walk away knowing that you only spent 50K instead of 80K. I finished my training almost 3 years ago, and have not had one job offer. I know it's a hard and difficult decision. You are not alone in this journey of chasing your dreams; There are countless people in this country licking there wounds so to speak.

[yzchopper]

I too, know which school you are refering to as I trained there too. It is odd that the Chief would also recommend to go to India. Just finish your training. Keep current (fly once/month or every two months) and when something comes your way you will be current and ready. Good luck

 

Steve

[Trans Lift]

One other thing, a CFII should cost nowhere near $7500. That is ridiculous. If you already have your Instrument done, then it should involve, one or maybe two flight after your CFI checkride. This $7500 thing is just money grabbing nonsense.

 

Remember that you are the customer, demand to do it part 61 and the way you want to. Not the way your Chief pilot or owner does. The owner in the last place I worked in was a money grabber and was trying to charge the same price. Most students don't have that much at the end of their training. I sat down with him and told him how I felt. The one and only student in the school ended up just doing two flights and a checkride.

 

I did my Instrument and CFII checkride at the same time and I had never even done a CFII flight, as in instruments from the left seat.

[apiaguy]

IT IS SILVERHAWK!!! Big deal... students be warned for the millionth time.

 

A School will tell you anything YOU want to hear... there may be SOME truth in there.

[HeliNinja]

Be wary of rumors about jobs in India. I know several Indian pilots and the jobs there are going to Indian pilots. They are actively ignoring ex-pats and foreigners, unless you are high time. From what I was told, there's only one school there and they have a shortage of instructors and airworthy aircraft. One student only had 11 hours after 12 months. The grass is usually never greener.

 

The best advice I can give students is to conduct yourself in a professional manner and impress upon your school that you will be a safe and mature instructor. Remember, a CFI's job is to teach, not to log flight hours and bide your time until a turbine job. Show your school that you are enthusiastic about instructing and you have a better shot than most.

[mausermolt]

I\'m finishing my commercial and have been hearing that getting a job as a CFI is almost impossible right now because of the economy. Our school had 8 instructors and laid off 2 high-time ones then didn\'t replace them, which was bad for some of the CFIs that had just graduated but din\'t have jobs yet. My instructor was noe of them and now I am flying with a guy who I think only has about 250 hours but didn\'t ahve any other students. When I asked the owner if I should wait to finish and maybe put off doing my CFII until the market got better, she said that wasn\'t a good idea, but that I need to be able to move literally anywhere. She said there is a pilot shortage in India. When I finish I just need to take a written test to convert my FAA license to an India license. They need instructors over there, and she thought that was my best chance for getting a job. The chief pilot said the same exact thing and told me they would be hiring soon so it\'s better to finish as soon as possible because timing is everything.

 

The owner tells me that I really need to have my CFII done, but I am getting skeptical. I\'ve seen on the forums about how the pilot shortage from retiring military pilots is BS. Is this more of the same? I asked some other students and a CFI who graduated a while ago and didn\'t get a job for over a year, and they said she told them the same thing.

 

wow glad you have the money to give Silverhawk....she (owner) has taken all my money and i just finished up my commercial! i like the school but yes it is a business and they have to make money somehow. before i started my training i had a school tell me that i could be earning 250K right out of school working in australia! all they want is your money

[kygreen229]

Silverhawk huh..well I live in Boise and am planning on starting at Silverhawk in May. I cant tell if this is bad news about Silverhawk, or just regular things your going to hear from most any school because it is a business after all.

The economy is in the tank but its like people are saying well forget anything you wanted to do for a career and take a 9-5 crappy job and live with it. REALLY???? this isnt the attitude thats going to get anyone anywhere in my opinion. At least not enjoying what you do for a career in life. Im with the others that have said do it if you can and prepare yourself for the future in your career path. I havent even started training yet but have been working at a "job" that is just a job and not something I want to do for my whole life.

 

So I gotta ask, is Silverhawk not good as a school then?

[yzchopper]

Silverhawk was good to me before and during my training. I have not been back since 2006 when I moved back to Washington State. Somethings I wish were told to me before I started my training because I would have done things a little different. I do not think they were/are that bad of a school. Just ask lots and lots of questions. If you don't understand, ask more questions. Also don't believe everything that you hear. Do some research and make your own opinion when things are said. Also do not fly with just one CFI, try to fly with several different CFI's as this helps you learn different ways to do the same maneuvers and then you take that information and make it work for you. Good luck

P.S.,

If you fly with Rudy do not get on his bad side or your training will not be without some annimosity between the two of you and that only makes training more difficult for you. If you have questions about anything PM me and I will answer them.

 

Steve

[heliav8t]

i personally hate it when people get on here and question why others do something. but its simple, because they wanted it or still do. i say stick with it, finish it out and be ready for the first opportunity. if you love it, you love it. its what you were put here on earth for.if you stick with anything long enough or believe you can get it, you will eventually. -best of luck