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Flying Instructor salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a flying instructor is $91,000 per annum, before tax, up $19,400 since 2018.
Pay usually combines a base rate with an hourly flying component, so the total depends on how many hours you actually fly and how often weather grounds the schedule. Instructor grade matters too, since a Grade 1 or 2 instructor can sign off more training than a newly rated Grade 3. Large flying schools and defence contracts tend to pay more steadily than small aero clubs, and many instructors treat the role as a step toward charter or airline flying where the earnings are higher.
Roles that pay more than flying instructor
The largest typical pay rise is $46,900 a year, moving into Pilot.
- Pilot+$46,900/yr
How to negotiate a higher flying instructor salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time flying instructor salary is $91,000; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Flying Instructors are on the national skills shortage list, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Teaching and instruction and Plant and equipment operation tend to command a premium over general flying instructor experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Pilot pays a typical $46,900 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Flying Instructor salary questions
How much do flying instructors earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a flying instructor is $91,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is flying instructor pay rising or falling?
The median flying instructor salary is up $19,400 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than flying instructor?
Pilot pays a typical $46,900 a year more and draws on similar skills to flying instructor.