Also called: Certified Flight Instructor, CFI, Ground Instructor
Teaches new student pilots to fly, usually in small single-engine planes.
You meet a student at 8 a.m., brief them on today's lesson, then sit beside them as they practice landings, sometimes 10 in a row. You stay calm while they make mistakes and step in only if needed. Most CFIs are building flight hours toward an airline career.
Estimated; pay is often per flight hour. University and career CFIs earn more.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 2 years after high school. Commercial pilot certificate plus a CFI certificate; takes about 1-2 years of flight training.
Ways in: Certification, Trade school, 2-year college. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Aviation / Professional Pilot, Aviation Education.
Growing faster than average. Strong demand because airlines are hiring and CFIs leave quickly for those jobs.
Low risk for 10 years. Simulators and AI tutors help ground school, but teaching someone to land stays human; it's a busy first pilot job.
Classes: Physics, Speech, Algebra II.
Official data: O*NET occupation 25-1194.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.