How much should it cost to get IFR-rated? What to look for?
The Part 141 flight school that I used to work at quoted around \$7,000 for their instrument package, which was 30 hours of dual flight, 20 hours of ground instruction, and 10 hours of PC-ATD simulator time. They were a Cessna Pilot Center using the old CPC King Schools course. It was a good course, and while numbers varied, I did have a couple of students who squeaked by right on the Part 141 course minimums. Other pilots added 5 to 10 hours more flight training into the mix.

In general, my gut says that it should cost an average pilot who has 100+ hours and flies semi-regularly between \$7,000 and \$9,000; probably closer to the low end than the high end, especially if the student does a bunch of self study at home on a flight simulator, possibly using VATSim as a simulated ATC.

As far as what to look for, I would recommend a Part 141 course just because the FAA is involved in the course standards, and instructor standardization is (supposed to be) part of the 141 criteria. It might be worth asking what their first-attempt pass rate is on checkrides, but that's not a meaningful long-term measure of the course's quality, just a short-term one.

You should find a course whose syllabus makes sense, includes simulator training and scenario-based flights, and make sure you work with an instructor you like. They can't be your best friend - they very well might need to give you some serious critique or cut a lesson short because things aren't going well - but you should be happy to spend a couple of hours a foot away from them in the cockpit.



I'm trying to track down the average hours to attain an instrument rating in the US; if I find it, I'll update my answer.