You instruct under one or more FBOs or flight schools. The FBO relationship carries your employment status, the services you offer there, the aircraft you are approved in, your scheduling status and your availability at that location.

You can hold relationships with several FBOs at once. Ending one does not delete your CFI record or any history — the relationship simply closes.

You instruct on your own. You have no FBO relationship, and pilots connect to you directly, usually by invitation.

You do not have to wait for your FBO. Create the CFI account now, work with pilots who invite you, and link to the FBO when it joins. Linking is a request from one side and an approval from the other; nothing is merged without both.