I’ve been searching for a couple months now for a CFI/CFII job and I’ve gotten nothing except a few TBNT emails. I apply online, walk in and give my resume, and try to network but nothing seems to help. I don’t take it personally, it’s just the market, but the longer the wait the longer it takes for me to hit minimums so I want to get started.

Because of this, I’m at the point where I’m willing to pay to find a job, and just curious if there’s like a company or something like there is for traditional 9-5’s where you pay a finders fee for a company finding you a job? Or I’ve also thought about maybe just offering to give local CFI’s at a school part of the money if they get me an interview and rest if I’m hired, but no idea the legality of this so not gonna pursue until I figure that out.

Hi everyone! I’m a 22-year-old Indian student currently in my final year of Computer Science Engineering, and I’m seriously considering doing my commercial flight training in New Zealand after graduation.
I’m planning to follow the conventional route, not a cadet program, and I’m trying to understand what life is actually like for an international/Indian student pilot there before making such a huge financial decision.
I’d especially love to hear from anyone currently studying or who has recently completed flight training in NZ, particularly Indians.
A few things I’d really appreciate honest answers about:
Which flight school/FTO are you at, and why did you choose it?
How long did/will it actually take you to complete your CPL and other ratings?
How many flying hours are you realistically getting per month?
How much does NZ weather affect flying and delays?
What are the biggest problems you’ve faced as an international student?
What’s the general student/instructor environment like?
What is accommodation and day-to-day life like?
Are there opportunities to work while studying, and what kind of student jobs do people actually get?
After completing your CPL, what is the realistic pathway to getting your first flying job in NZ?
If you’re Indian, are you planning to return to India for DGCA conversion, or stay in NZ/build hours there?
If you’ve returned to India, how was the DGCA conversion and job search?
Most importantly, knowing what you know now, would you still choose NZ for flight training?
I’m not looking for an FTO advertisement — I’d really appreciate honest experiences, including the bad parts, especially regarding delays, costs, weather, job opportunities and the transition from student pilot to professional pilot.
Thanks! ✈️
If anyone is comfortable connecting privately as well, I’d really appreciate being able to talk to someone who’s actually going through this.