Dispatching in the USA.. by a US dispatcher
Hey folks,
I have read this thread, and much of what has been said is pretty accurate. I am a licenced FAA dispatcher and pilot here and I thought I would shead some light on the subject.
The school you mentioned is know as the oldest dispatch school in the US, they have a good reputation, but they have a high failure rate due to the intensity of the 6 week training period.. Over here, the airlines really dont care where one gets the license, all schools here are part 65 certified by the FAA and approved to teach the exact same material.. the method of teaching is the only difference.
In the end, once hired by an airline, they are REQUIRED by the FAA regs to put each new hire though their own training program pertaining to their own specific operations specifcations, commonly referred here to as (OPS SPECS) and to their aircraft types.
We do share operational control with the PIC and bear a hugh responsibility for the safety of the overall flight and we feel strongly that we contribute greatly to the avoidance of accidents and company profits through our flight planning and weather/ aircraft knowledge.
As for our jobs future here.. well the economy here is in the crapper.. the worse In have seen it in many years, layoffs are to happen this year, some airlines may not make it at all.. I have to tell you many of us here in the US are looking to convert and move to other countries to dispatch or other airline work.. we dont see our industry here recovering from this oil problem anytime soon.. Over here seniority is EVERYTHING, so we would have recall rights before any new hires, with that, I would hate to see anyone come over here from overseas expecting to find a dispatch job with all the senior people here on a waiting recall list, you will have a very long wait.. years possibly!
As for getting a job with UPS/FED EX or mainline airlines.. forget it.. vertually all of us here are/have been trying to do the same, these companies only hire highly experienced (8 to 12) years dispatchers and only with internal recommendations.. very tuff.. infact near impossible... they have hard no turnover as they are the best places to work.
I hate to paint a dismal picture on this matter, but I felt it was important to give you all the "real" facts in the US.. ALL the dispatch schools will tell you or paint a rosey picture.. but they have to now don't they.. otherwise they would not be able to keep their door open.. I teach dispatching as well, I have a classroom available, I can help you get the same license that any school can teach you.. But I NOT going to sit here in Florida and blow shunshine up your butts.. It's not a pretty picture here..
I'll be glad to help anyone with more questions.. Good luck in your quests..