How to become a flight instructor
Official title: Flight instructor
Also called: Flying instructor, Pilot instructor, Aeronautical instructor, Aviation instructor, Helicopter pilot instructor, Flight simulator instructor
Flying instructors teach people how to fly planes, helicopters and other aircraft.
Main tasks
- Teach students how to fly different aircraft
- Prepare students for pilot licences
- Teach aviation rules and regulations
- Conduct pre-flight checks with students
- Demonstrate flying in different aircraft
- Debrief students after flights
- Maintain safety standards
- Teach navigation and weather reading
How to become one
You need to do training to become a flying instructor and a qualification and experience may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Required: to be over 16 years old; a New Zealand Commerical Pilot Licence or a Commercial Pilot Helicopter Licence; a Flight Instructor Rating (C Category); to pass the ADAPT pre-pilot screening test; 200 hours’ flying experience for commercial pilots or 150 hours’ flying experience for commercial helicopter pilots; a NZCAA medical certificate; to be a fit and proper person. Other requirements: an advanced certificate or diploma in aircraft operation; a Bachelor of Aviation.
Ways in
- Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in aircraft operation. TEC links this job to study in aerospace engineering and technology. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Aviation (General Aviation), NZ Dip in Aviation, NZ Dip in Aviation (Aeroplane Airline Preparation). Usually 1.5 to 2 years. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $51,000 a year one year after study and $71,000 five years after; 73% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
- Registration or licence: A New Zealand Commerical Pilot Licence or a Commercial Pilot Helicopter Licence.
Pay · Past change · AI and this job
- Median pay: $63,000 a year, a TEC estimate before tax.
- Upper: $125,000 a year
- TEC shows pay for this job by the hour: median $30.29 an hour.
- TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
- Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Steady (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
- People employed in the group Air Transport Professionals: 4,332 at the 2018 Census and 4,587 at the 2023 Census (+5.9%). Past change, not a forecast.
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Who does this work
- About 470 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
- In the group Air Transport Professionals, 20% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
- Where people in the group Air Transport Professionals work (2023 Census): Auckland 30.5%, Canterbury 17.9%, and Wellington 7.8%.
Related jobs
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Questions people ask
How do I become a flight instructor?
You need to do training to become a flying instructor and a qualification and experience may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Required: to be over 16 years old; a New Zealand Commerical Pilot Licence or a Commercial Pilot Helicopter Licence; a Flight Instructor Rating (C Category); to pass the ADAPT pre-pilot screening test; 200 hours’ flying experience for commercial pilots or 150 hours’ flying experience for commercial helicopter pilots; a NZCAA medical certificate; to be a fit and proper person. Other requirements: an advanced certificate or diploma in aircraft operation; a Bachelor of Aviation.
How much does a flight instructor earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $63,000 a year, before tax.
Has the number of people working as a flight instructor grown in New Zealand?
It has held steady: TEC records the number of people doing this job as steady between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.
Will AI change the work of a flight instructor?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
- Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census totals by topic for individuals 2013, 2018, 2023 (CEN23_TBT_004): employed by occupation, ANZSCO V1.3, summed to unit group (2023 Census (CEN23_TBT_004)), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.
Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.
This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.
These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Updated 4 October 2026