Is a newly certificated mechanic qualified to be an A&P instructor?

Q: Is a newly certificated mechanic qualified to be an A&P instructor?

A: It depends.
 
Is the instructor deemed qualified under the school’s process for ensuring qualified instructors as set forth in its operations specifications paragraph A013?
 
Is that process supported by either 1) the school’s accredited system and procedures or, 2) for non-accredited programs, the FAA-approve quality system?
 
Is the instructor providing instruction of a quality so that positive educational outcomes are achieved?
 
If the answer to these questions is yes, then yes, a newly certificated mechanic can be qualified to be an A&P instructor.
 
Title 14 CFR § 147.19 sets forth instructor requirements and directs part 147 programs to “provide qualified instructors to teach in a manner that ensures positive educational outcomes are achieved.”
 
Section 147.5(b)(3) directs the part 147 program to describe how it will ensure its instructors are qualified. The agency in turn takes that description and bakes it into your operations specifications, specifically paragraph A013.
 
For accredited programs, these instructor qualification rules are likely found in your accreditation manual which can simply be referenced or summarized and pasted into your FAA operations specifications. Non-accredited programs will reference the process as outlined in its FAA-approved quality system.
 
In short, a part 147 program is responsible for ensuring that its instructors impart the required knowledge. If instructors fail to meet that expectation and it shows up in student testing performance, then the part 147 program’s certification is at risk. 
 
The FAA’s responsibility is not to dictate whether a specific instructor is qualified, but to assess the quality of instruction through outcomes (i.e., performance on the FAA mechanic test) and to confirm the part 147 program has a process in place to ensure it  qualifications.