Rating Overview
What is a Flight Instructor Rating?
The Flight Instructor Rating qualifies a licensed pilot to teach, to deliver flight instruction to student pilots. For many new commercial pilots it serves two purposes at once: it is a professional qualification in its own right, and it is one of the recognised ways to build the flight experience needed for an airline career.
SkyTeam offers a conditional opportunity to work as an instructor after graduation for qualified students, based on performance, results, conduct and the academy’s internal assessment. This is not a guaranteed job for every student.
All Programs
Explore every training path at Sky Team Aviation.
Flight Training Requirements
The practical training concentrates on instructional technique, flying and teaching the standard exercises to the required standard per the relevant civil aviation authority. In total: 20 hrs flight & simulator (15 dual + 5 sim), plus 20 hrs briefing (ground time, not counted as flight hours), and 2 theory subjects.
15
Dual hours
5
Simulator hours
20
Briefing hours (ground)
2
Written subjects
License Privileges
What You Can Do With an Instructor Rating
The Flight Instructor Rating authorises you to provide flight instruction and build instructional hours.
Instructor Rating
Issued by the SA-CAA
Instruct
Provide flight instruction within the rating’s scope
Granted
Log time
Build instructional flight time toward higher ratings
Granted
SkyTeam opportunity
Conditional instructor opportunity for qualified graduates
Conditional
Not guaranteed
Opportunity depends on performance, results and assessment
Important Note
Any opportunity to instruct with SkyTeam is conditional and subject to performance, results, conduct and internal assessment. It is not a guaranteed position for every graduate.
Program Benefits
What this program gives you
Work at respected flight schools.
Pursue career opportunities with airlines, charter operators, and private operators.
Gain hands-on experience in training.
Qualifications
Examinations & Your Pilot Journey
To obtain your Instructor Rating, you must complete 2 theory subjects (written exams) and the instructor skill test. This milestone sits on a structured aviation career path.
01
Practical
Instructor Skill Test
A practical skill test with a designated examiner who assesses both your flying and your ability to teach flight exercises to a student.
Skill test with examiner
Your Path Beyond PPL
Your progression follows a structured pathway toward becoming a professional airline pilot.
1
PPL
Earlier stage
2
Night Rating
Earlier stage
3
Instrument Rating
Earlier stage
4
Multi Engine
Earlier stage
5
CPL
Earlier stage
6
CFI
You are here
7
Type Rating
Upcoming
8
ATPL
Upcoming
Current milestone
Earlier & upcoming stages
Training Duration
Time to Complete
2 months
Your training timeline depends on how consistently you train and how quickly you progress.
Factor 01
Training frequency
Factor 02
Student availability
Factor 03
Weather conditions
Factor 04
Learning pace
Prerequisites
Who Can Apply
To enrol in the Instructor Rating, you must hold the following prerequisite qualifications.
Prerequisite
Valid CPL with Instrument Rating (IR) and Multi-Engine Rating (MER).
Medical
Class 1 medical certificate
English proficiency: ICAO English language proficiency, Level 4 minimum, is required.
Training fleet: Cessna 172, Piper PA-28, Beechcraft Baron 55, Diamond DA42.
Our admissions team is happy to walk you through every step, from medicals to paperwork, so you can start training with full confidence.
Entry Requirements
Full requirements checklist
1
Hold a valid Commercial Pilot License (CPL) with Instrument Rating (IR) and Multi-Engine Rating (MER).
2
Pass the 2 SA-CAA theory subjects (written exams).
3
The course must cover the theory of instruction, along with delivering briefings for ground and air exercises.
4
Complete at least 20 hours of patter training.
5
Complete a combined practical and theory test conducted by an authorised examiner appointed by the SA-CAA.
Meet the requirements? The next step is your application.
Investment
Flight Instructor Rating Cost for Students in Egypt & the Gulf
The cost of obtaining an Instructor Rating (CFI) depends on your training pace, flight hours, and overall progression.
Personalized Quote
Instructor Rating Training Plan
Your investment is tailored to your training plan.
Every student progresses differently, which means your total investment is influenced by how consistently you train and how efficiently you build your flight hours.
Students who train more consistently complete faster, and spend less overall.
What Influences Your Cost 4 Key Factors
01
Flight hours required
Minimum hours plus any additional time you may need to feel confident.
Variable
02
Training frequency
How often you fly each week, consistency keeps progress steady and efficient.
Variable
03
Aircraft usage
The aircraft type and total flight time used during your training.
Variable
04
Individual progress
Your learning pace, every pilot is different and we adapt to suit you.
Variable
Final Investment
Tailored to your plan
Speak with our team for full breakdown
Ready to Begin?
Get Your Personalized Cost Breakdown
Speak with our team to receive a clear, structured breakdown tailored to your training plan, no commitment required.
No commitment
Tailored plan
We call back within 24 hours
What pilots earn — and why we will not print a number here
Pay is the question everyone arrives with, and it is the one where most of what you will read online is invented. There is no single pilot salary. What a pilot is paid depends on the airline, the aircraft, the seat, the hours flown in a given month and the country the contract is written in — and most of the figures circulating online name no source at all.
So this page will not print one. What we will say is what the Instructor Rating changes about your position: it lets you teach, and be paid to do it while your own hours build, and that is what moves you along the ladder that pay follows. We have written separately about how pilot pay is actually built up — basic, housing, flight-hour allowances — and why two pilots on the same licence can be paid very differently. Read that before you judge any number you are quoted.
Why Students Choose Sky Team
In this video, we explain why students choose Sky Team Aviation Academy.
Ask about the Instructor Rating
Tell us your age and schooling. The admissions team confirms whether you qualify and calls you back within 24 hours.
Instructor Rating FAQs
Common questions about CFI training at SkyTeam Aviation.
What does the Instructor Rating allow?
To provide flight instruction to student pilots within the scope of the rating, and to log instructional flight time.
Is a job with SkyTeam guaranteed?
No. SkyTeam offers a conditional instructor opportunity for qualified graduates, based on performance, results, conduct and internal assessment.
Why do pilots become instructors?
It is a professional qualification in its own right, and a recognised way to build the flight hours needed for an airline career.
How long does it take?
Usually about 2 months, depending on availability and progress.
Where this takes you
Sky Team is an admissions and placement office: we place students with a flight academy in South Africa, and the academy delivers the training under its own civil aviation authority. What you leave with is a licence recognised on that authority’s terms — not a job offer, because no training provider anywhere can offer you one.
What the Instructor Rating does is open a specific door: it lets you teach, and be paid to do it while your own hours build. We have Saudi students who have been through us and hold both the private and the commercial licence.
What comes after that is an airline’s decision, not ours, and it turns on your hours, your ratings, your medical and your English. Anyone who tells you a training course comes with a seat at the end of it is selling you something we would not.
