JAA or FAA

[Swanie]

Hey all, hope this is the right section for this but it's here now so....

My situation is i'm 19, about to finish my CASA atpl theory in july, with a CPL and with very low hours and will most likely be stuck in a study mode for a bit after i finish my course. Now, of the two internationally recognised licenses avalible, which would be more preferred in the big game airlines?
Bare in mind, I cannot get a UK passport, not sure how hard a USA one would be to get these-days. Also moving to one of these countries i would be looking at practically halving the $$ i have saved, so would be very happy to do a corrispondence type course if possible?
Was looking at getting either FAA or JAA atpl theory, and i guess a CPL flight test, if it was worth it.

Any help from anyone would be very much welcome:D
cheers
swany.

[scroggs]

If you can't work in the USA or the EU, there is no point in you wasting your money on getting their licences.

Scroggs

[Swanie]

not even a working visa, how hard is it to apply for residency in US
:confused:
really not worth trying?

[neilia]

Well, like Scroggs said, a JAA licence is useless to you if you can't work in the EU, an FAA licence is useless to you if you can't work in the States. You need to do your own investigations into whether you're able to get US residency. This might be a good place to start:
http://usembassy-australia.state.gov/consular/immigrant.html

[scroggs]

It is difficult, though not by any means impossible, to obtain living and working rights in the USA or EU for an alien. To find out how, you need to contact the embassies of the USA and any EU country in your own country. There may well be websites out there which will promise to arrange these things for you; many of them are scams, and I will not permit any such links on this forum (you might like to note that, strictly speaking, no links whatsoever are allowed on Pprune. I take a more pragmatic approach...).

Scroggs

[sam34]

Hello Swanie!
I do not understand why you want a JAA or FAA licence ?
Australia is a big country with a lot a aircraft and good weather! and a big airline company Quantas!
Plus you have begun your theory atpl in Australia...
Forget USA if you are not maried to an american girl. Without green card, not work.
Europe I do not very well the rules, but of course, you must have the rights to work and live in Europe.
But I would be delighted if I could work in Australia for all the conditions I said before. But I am european... In Europe without lot of hours and Type rating, it is very difficult now... :ugh:

Swanie, keep your money to fly in Australia and finish your CPL/IR etc. The cost will be cheaper.
Then if you want to fly in other countries, convert your licence!
do not forget you won't get a FAA or JAA licence but OACI licence! so it will be not a problem just many papers to fill and a few hours of flying.

By the way if you know how a European can work in Australia, send me a private message please!

Thanks!

Sam34
:ok:

[Swanie]

I keep hearing it's much easier to get work in Europe/USA but especially europe, besides there's really only one Aussie airline, at least you get a choice elsewhere lol

i think its much easier to covert JAA to CASA than visa versa

[thepotato232]

As a pilot, there are countries where the work visa application process can begin on the basis of you being a "skilled worker". The U.S. has no such provision for pilots; we've got a significant surplus of low and high-time pilots looking for work. If you're just looking to finish your training on the cheap (relatively speaking), coming to America is probably your best bet. It's still quite possible to get a visa to come to America as a resident student, even with security as it is now. Europe seems to have a bit more demand for someone at your level of experience, provided you can pay out the cash to get your type ratings and break into the European aviation scene. Choose your poison, I guess.

As someone who is taking the first steps to go from FAA to JAA licenses, I can tell you without hesitation that it is much easier to convert from JAA to FAA. The job market looks brighter in Europe for the short term, and you can always switch to FAA if circumstances bring you to the U.S.A. later in your career. All that aside, I'd be trying to get on with a local aviation company before trying for any domestic or foreign airlines. Flight instruction, tourism, parachute jumps - there's a market for each in Australia that you won't find in Europe. At 19, time is certainly on your side. America has these kinds of jobs as well, but you'll have to figure out a way to get the right-to-work issues figured out. Of course, I can't imagine an Aussie with a pilot's license would have too much trouble finding an interested girl here in the States... :*

[helicopter-redeye]

Whats the problem getting residency/ work permit for Europe? Australia to UK should not be an issue should it??

h-r;)

[scroggs]

If you are that interested, go and look on the Home Office's immigration web pages. Australians have no more right to live and work in UK (or EU) than Chinese, unless their parents are British (or EU) passport holders. That is because the EU is pretty full, does not (overall) have full employment, and has no real need in most fields of endeavour to import expertise from elsewhere. Australia, which is a growing population and economy in an under-populated area, does require a degree of imported expertise - but, even so, it is very difficult to get in.

Non-national pilots, of whatever qualifications, are only in demand in Asia and the Middle East.

Scroggs

[G-SPOTs Lost]

You lot are all thinking big commercial carriers, getting into Quantas is very very difficult

Whether or not you have residency rights to work in a country is really irrelevant, I have no rights to live in the USA but have been merrily making my living with an FAA license on and off for over 7 years.

If you are interested in enjoyable flying and less concerned with lifestyle (As I would hope at your young age :) ) and with the choice I would say get an FAA CPL/IR and get a 2iC in the USA rating on something useful in the ME such as a Excel/800XP.

The exams/flight tests are a little more straightforward than JAA and you will be employable slightly sooner, you will also have a ICAO license that counts.

The truth be told if you are seeking work outside the EU then the FAA license is just as accepted as the JAA one you may seek.

I was once considered for a job flying a G3 out of a fijian island, absolutely not intersted in my EU license

If you present yourself in the ME with some jet time, there is a good possibility that you will be typed properly and be earning a fairly good salary out there fairly quickly.

I know all this sounds fairly simplistic however its a fairly well worn path, anything can happen! a freind of mine has aquired a 737 and a 757 rating within 24months, he has just left the sim having done a 76 diff course