Congrats Lisa...I'm looking at IDC next January, so not too far from now I'll also be in your shoes.
Like Wet-Willie, my first instructor job was also a Flight Instructor, 21 years ago. I have also taught reservations for American Airlines, and Latin Dance in South Florida, but the truth is that the "willies" stay.
What I'd like to share with you is what the F.A.A. Examiner told me when I passed my initial CFI flight test; "here's your license to learn." "A good diver is always training." Dive Training Magazine You will not only learn from more seasoned instructors, you will also learn from your students. It is up to you to discern what and how to learn from them, but what your students will teach you will not be skills, or something you already know; it will be how to hone your skills in demonstrating them to each individual student.
If scuba instructing is anything like flight instructing, you have to be single, and there isn't a whole lot of money in it, but there is a lot of satisfaction. Here's my little story in that regard:
I had a flight student named Mike Theoratos; great guy, good student. I saw him through private, instrument, commercial, aerobatics, CFI, and CFI instruments. Then we lost touch. He always had a habit of "egging" his loops (loops looked like an egg, not like a circle). I believe the year was 1995, when I ran into him again. TWA was still TWA and by gosh, I was going to San Juan from San Antonio, which meant I had to stop in St. Louis. When the flight attendant came over the p.a. and greeted the passengers and said "Captain Mike Theoratos will be in charge of our flight today," I immediately choked up. How many other Mike Theoratos could there be in the world? The acft. was still on the ground and I asked the F.A. if I could go say something to the Captain; she conceeded. I walked in the cockpit and the first thing I said was, hey Mike, you still egging your loops??? He was reading something facing forward. When he heard what I said, his head snapped up, and to the right. He could not believe it was me, and I could not believe it was him. At any rate, I flew in the jump seat that day, and when he addressed the passengers in mid-flight, he said something like "I'm really going to have to fly this thing right today folks, 'cause my flight instructor is here with me evaluating me" or something like that; I can't remember, but what I do remember is that when we were deplaning, many people stopped me and said "good job sir." Thus far, in my lifetime only one other event has topped that highlight; the birth of my daughter.
Just my .02 psi.
Good luck in your career!!!
