Foreign Pilots, working in a non-home country.

[Effee]

Hi, I don't know if this is the right place to ask this, but here goes.

I've seen alot of people around here working overseas. Like for example, Americans/British etc working for japan airlines, cebu airlines..Or working in South Africa etc.

I ask because I am considering my options before I embark on privately funded flight training (very expensive i might add)

Should I not be able to get a job in my country of training, how likely would it be to be employed by a foreign based country when you do not have that country's passport.

How do you go about getting employed by the carrier when you do not have that countries passport? Will they sponsor you a work visa upon employment?

[Piltdown Man]

There is a shortage of experienced aircrew at the moment. By experienced I mean both years in the job and hours on type, usually in command. To fill their "skills" shortage, many carriers hire contract pilots from around the world often on short term contracts but sometimes on long term or permanent ones. The Western world is often the source of these contractors due to both the number of pilots and the fact that many "retire" in their early fifties.

To get a job as a "newby" in any country is difficult but it is almost impossible if you don't have the right to work or live in the "country" of your employer. It is also most unlikely that you will be sponsored by an employer as they are still too many wretched people who are not only prepared to pay for their type-ratings but also prepared to pay for their flying. It is these people (who are often paying more than the passengers to be in the plane) that you will be initially competing with. Sorry to piss on your chips but this is the way of the modern world.

PM

[Effee]

Its okay, since I've joined PPRUNE, i've read enough to make my chips soaking in piss. :ugh:
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=247182
What about the pilots applying for that airline? I doubt all of them have the right to live and work in Japan and some are from the US. Why do they still apply?
And I guess PARC is a contractor that supplies pilots to airlines looking. How do they go about immigration rules for those foreign nationals.

[redsnail]

Hi Effee,

For countries like Japan, Singapore and the like, traditionally there's been very few locals who've taken up flight training by themselves. Some of those airlines run cadetships/sponsorships and they are only open to locals.

However, they still need people to fly. Therefore they either advertise for experienced crews or use a contracting agency (ie several thousand hours jet or turboprop). Since there's a demand that local people cannot fill then you'll find the visa issues are taken care of.

If for some reason you cannot get work in your home country then you have to consider moving. Bare in mind you'll be a low houred pilot so you'll have to shift to where you can work as a low houred pilot. Africa is one such region.
Australian companies do hire low houred pilots but you'll need a visa to work there.