Ditching the CFI Track: Will It Hurt Your Pilot Career?

It’s not necessary to be an instructor to land a professional flying job.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, May 06, 2026 at 09:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

There are alternatives to being a CFI to accumulate flight hours. [Credit: Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

For a professional pilot career, extensive flight instruction experience is generally not a liability unless applying for a teaching position.
Employers prioritize total flight hours and specific skills relevant to the job, not necessarily instructional background.
Candidates should be prepared to honestly explain their career path if asked why they did not spend more time as a flight instructor.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Question: I want a career as a professional pilot, but I don’t like being a flight instructor. I plan to get out as soon as I can. Will not having much flight instruction on my résumé become a liability when I start applying for jobs?

Answer: Getting a job in aviation comes down to having the amount of experience (hours) the employer is looking for as well as the right kind of skills for the position you are seeking.

READ MORE: Are You Struggling to Find the Right Seat Position in the Cockpit?
READ MORE: Decoding the Alphabet: Why U.S. Military Aircraft Names Use Letters

Unless you are applying for a teaching position, it probably won’t make a difference.

However, you may be asked why you did not spend more time as a CFI, so an honest answer is your best bet. Such as “a better-paying job more suited to my skills and interests came along.”

There are far too many CFIs who don’t like being an instructor and, sadly, it is their students who suffer. Good for you to realize it was not a good fit.

Ask us anything you’ve ever wanted to know about aviation. Our experts in general aviation, flight training, aircraft, avionics, and more may attempt to answer in a future article. Email your questions here.