SAA Technician Requirements

[Cable Tie]

I applied recently at SAA for the aircraft Technician post they advertised in the newspaper. My colleague recently received his telephone call from SAA. They said he must come for an interview which will last six hours, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR OVERHAUL AND SAFTEY BOOTS!! He went and they put him through the trade test sequence that he hade done many years ago when he did his trade qualifications. That was only phase one, he will have to go back for more phases to the interview. At this stage there has been no talk about the salary package. How much time must he waste till you know if you qualify. This is the first airline that I have seen that you must go and re-do your practical trade to qualify. I have been at numerous overseas and local airline interviews, and I have never been so downgraded like airways wants to treat you. I have also approved CAA licences and 20 years working on aircrafts, I should by now know how to do a locking or remove a component. In this time that SAA has lost over 100 Engineers, can they be so stupid to firstly degrade me and start me rock bottom of their pool. I don't think they can really be so choosey. There are alot of airlines looking for technicians with better pay and you don't have to re-do you practical trade, I would like to hear of what other technicians think about this.

Regards,
Cable Tie :ugh:

[bathtub200]

Agree with you 100% cable tie.
For God's sake , if the SA CAA have given you a licence that means that that
1) you have satisfied their requirements to work and sign out release to service documents.
2) You're competent enough.

I think JAR is the way to go

[DONT THINK]

Its quite simple. They have advertised the positions. They have determined the requirements. In this day and age with "fake" certification quite predominant in all sectors of industry, i believe the airline is quite within its rights to request proof of competance by whatever means necessary.

You have by choice applied for the postion, you have the choice not to accept based on what they require of you. Your choice !

Now before you go off on a tangent and try and shoot down my position. You say you applied , however state a colleague went through the process of assessment and now you are, as you state "downgraded" . Given that everyone loves to hate SAA and you are so highly qualified, why have you even bothered applying.

SAA technical as far as i know operates under its AMO license, so it doesnt need technicians licensed by the CAA , however uses an in house certification.

Its great that you are CAA certified, however im sure the job doesnt require that of you , merely competance of which the airline is fully within its rights to assess. After all shouldnt one maintain trade competance even if one did pass their trade test many years ago. I am required to maintain competance in my line of work, shouldnt you be ?

In mitigation maybe having to go through a full trade test again is a little over the top, but if the fundamentals are good, then it can be transposed to the real world and maybe thats what they are looking for.

Ps just playing devils advocate :}

[Cable Tie]

DT - I am just confused that SAA want to take this route in hiring technicians. I have spoken to a few SAA techs, and they said they are very short. Why would SAA still make an ex SAA tech do the trade test interview?

If the company did a profile background check, surely they can track down if his trade test is authentic or not.

Please don't get me wrong, I did not state that I am highly qualified, I merely stated I have a couple of years on aircrafts, as you do also. Anyway, when you join a new company, you are normally put on a probation for three months.

Did Air New Zealand ask all the SAA techs to first comply with a practical trade test. No, they didn't. They made them write a tech apptitude test and then they had an interview.

The last company I worked for in the middle East only did an interview with me, and then they did a background and security check on me.

I know I have the choice to turn it down, but when two or more of my colleages which are more expierienced than me, turn down SAA because of this trade test interview. I ask myself where are they going to get techs to fill in the empty gaps.

As for CAA licenses, Most outside companys want either B1, B2, A&P licenses or type certified. The SACAA wanted to implement that a tech has to have a CAA license before he can get a cert. And who blocked that? The one and only .... SAA.

Everybody normally maintains competency by doing refresher training.

Maybe everyone loves to hate SAA, because the way they operate.:rolleyes:

[skychick2]

Did the board of directors - goverment do a compentence-experience test on there current ceo?( and ...almost forgot that babelaas man in HR)
I don't think so if you look at the state the airline is in!!But that's ok.........let's not go there rather.Cable Tie take your experience and knowledge to an airline-aviation company that would appreciate you,but more so that can reconize whether your years of working in this field and your cv ties up??Alot of the pilots at SAA is doing exactly that !! SAA don't know what's about to hit them with all the experience that leaving........or maybe they just.......eish overlooked the whole experience exodus in all there departments? Big problem !!:}

[DONT THINK]

It is a crying shame, that the airline is in the situation it is in. There are still a lot of highly competant extremely experienced people working there, doing their bit to make a difference.

The fact that they have to advertise for technicians, does show there is a problem and this is a knee jerk reaction to it.

Who knows the underlying rational behind the specifics of the application process. It does smell like something cooked up by somebody not with the programme, be it a beancounter or HR wannabe. However that is the process they are applying and so be it.

Bottom line is, under the circumstances you still have the choice and it is only your choice to either proceed or seek an alternative option. Either way only you will know once you have made that decision if it was the right one. Good luck.

Skychick competance was never a prerequisit to become a manager in the airline, especially now that its buddy time .... lol

[Cable Tie]

Thanks skychick and DT for your input. I have already made up my mind. I am going to give this one a big MISS. Anyway the salary package they offered was really bad.

It is really a shame because I know a lot of good techs at SAA, but the system is failing them terribly. It looks like many are just using Airways as a stepping stone now, get the type rating or cert and leave.

Time too look elsewhere. You don't have a position open in mauritius, skychick --- HA HA :)

[hot 'n dusty]

Hi Guys
I worked for SAA a good while back as aTech before leaving for...greener pastures??..in UAE

The SAA Technician's Trade test Interview is over the top, and it's painful.
Only once you have gone thru this stage and "passed" will you be called back for a HR interview..at that stage you will be given your pay package and level.

Despite your experience level you will start at the"bottom" of the food chain because, as the other guys correctly stated, you do not have to be SACAA licenced to work for SAA as they work on an In House Certification Level...every one studies for Part Cert. then Full Cert. per A/C type and your pay increases per Cert.

If you have time on type then the Certifications will come easier.

It has been this way for such a LOOONG time that they're not likely to change until the last guy turns off the lights!!:ugh:

Good luck!!

[pac 1975]

I left SAA in 2000 and the trade test thing has been going on for a long time it’s just a pity they test you on Harvard AT6 and a radial engine.
Like a A340 uses a R1340.
Cable tie if I can give you advice all the private places is also looking for tec’s and the pay is way better than SAA.
Remember SAA prefer AA.
Advice from a retrenched tec.

[Cable Tie]

I know too well your situation at SAA, unfortunately the ones going to suffer are the workers. I see it as SAA is operating on borrowed time, there candle is almost out.

I just don't understand that SAA cannot have an interview like the rest of the world. If you had a proper interview you woud firstly has sufficient knowledge of the type of aircraft operated by the company and if they have an apptitude test they could see his tech background.

How come most companies can just do a verbal interview, are you saying that Qantas, Air New Zealand, Royal flight just take anybody because they don't make you do a trade test over.

You should see these SAA tech's battling to do all these aircrafts. They are four on a shift and have sometimes six aircrafts at a time. Welcome to the real world, no more sitting and drinking tea after doing only two aircrafts in a day.

Its time SAA management wake up - I suppose that is asking a bit to much. In the end their good personel they have left will be gone too.:hmm:

[Solid Rust Twotter]

Ah, but management will be getting big bonuses and pay increases and we all know that's what's really important.:E

Hey, if it works for Eksdom.....:rolleyes::hmm:

[Plore]

I think I know why air NZ didnt bother to do 'practical' tests at their interviews Cable tie. It comes down to the fact that they only took people from certain 'groups'. I rather call it that coz I dont know all the rules of this forum yet.

I think the tech's at SAA sitting around the whole day drinking coffee is also something of the past (mostly anyway). In CT for instance, due to manpower problems, 1 certified tech would release up to 30 aircraft per day from 4 diffirent operators. We all know how safe that could be.

Its true what Twotter said about the managers, only problem is they already received those bonusses, the ones in 'key positions' anyway. How they decided those key positions I dont know though coz theres a few useless buggers that got the bonus. Guys that couldnt cut it as techs so they were rather made managers before they cause havoc on the aircraft. Now they causing havoc with the company.:mad:

This all happened while we (the tech's) are still waiting to hear what increase we would get for 2007 not even mentioning 2008. Guess we will be getting that in 2010, probly after the world cup :ugh:

[Cable Tie]

Plore, what do you mean they only took from certain groups? I hope you are not saying that they only chose SAA techs, because I care to differ.

Spot on Twotter. :)

[Plore]

No Cable tie, deffinately not any specific company's techs. I dont know howmany guys you know that applied but the secret lies in comparing who did and who didn't get the positions.

[skyvan]

:D:D:D:D:D:DBrilliant response Plore!!! Definitely one of the best I've ever seen!!:D:D:D:D

[Cable Tie]

You are sharp Plore, brilliant response. I thought as much but was not sure. :D

So have SAA hired any new Techs yet?

[Plore]

Thanks, didnt quite know how to make that response and that was the best way I could come up with.

As far as I know they havent hired any new people yet Cable tie. Heard from one of the guys that he's expecting his contract this week. The salaries mentioned are poor though, even worse than what we are getting. What is cofusing though is that I've heard from a friend at another company that some of their guys had been offered better salaries than those we are getting.

How can they offer contractors already working for them, lower salaries (compared too our tip) and completely new guys much higher salaries? There is just too many rumours so we will have to see what happens.

If all goes well I'll be out of there soon anyway.:O

[Cable Tie]

Good luck Plore. Maybe its time for me to make an exodus again, this time permanent. :ok:

[Cable Tie]

I heard SAA technical had big discussions on Friday. They are very short and CAA has given them an ultimatum date to get the required technicians. They might also loose their foreign operaters licence (FAA, JAA) if they loose one more guy in NDT. SAA apperently employed 30 new techs, but lost 32 techs again. They are back where they started minus two. Tough times ahead for SAA if this is true. :oh: I think they must rather sort out their personel problems before trying to buy new birds.

[Plore]

We had a FAA inspection last week Cable tie. Manpower was one of their big concerns yes. Not only the requiring of new staff to replace the ones that has left but FAA has given SAA 30 days to give them feedback on how they are going to keep the people they have.

Tough times ahead indeed. If we loose our FAA licence we wont be able to fly to some of our destinations.

[Cable Tie]

Wow, SAA must be desperate. I heard they are going around the country doing interviews, starting with Cape Town. I guess the guys they didn't want the first time round are now good enough. It is amazing to see when SAA hits a speed wobble they change their system to accomodate themselfs out of the SH$T.

It's getting harder now, you cannot just shake the tree and hope some engineers will fall out. Most companies have passed or are with par to SAA's packages. The only thing that might lure them there is new aircrafts or nil time on pax aircrafts. :confused:

[Plore]

We are of the worst paid techs in the country and the packages offered is even worse than what we are getting (from what I've heard). The contractors already working at SAA that didnt make the practical test will now be sent on a two month course to teach them how to pass the test .... Need I say more.

If you fly for SAA .... start getting worried.

[Skippie]

:ugh::ugh::ugh:
Hi fellow Engineers,

Yes, been there for the test and the interview............:mad:

If you go and work for these fruitcakes, you will be eternally sorry.......for they have absolutely NO idea what the nett-worth of a 20 year plus qualified Engineer is........:rolleyes:
They would have a licensed Engineer (5 types) slot in just above a apprentice, and then have the odasity to pay him minimum wage......:=

Do these "spoorie" type think we all are their infurior's.......Wake up and smell the coffee you bunch of.........:eek:

[Cable Tie]

You hit nail right on the head, Skippie. This info you gave should put ease on the minds of my fellow engineers who are thinking of going for the interview.

I think things are going to get a lot worse, I just saw an add in the newspaper that Emirates is looking for LAE and Aircraft Technicians (Cabin, Avionics, A&C and Structures). I am sure they will regonise your expierience and the licences you hold.

I think when SAA do smell the coffee, it will be truly to LATE......:ouch:

[Skippie]

Hi Cable Tie,

I'd like to confirm that Emirates did offer me a GREAT possition with them.......:):):)
I'm now employed by them, and they are sending me on the B777 license course........does not get any better than that hey ??

South Africa is loosing out on all the experienced guys and girls......while the international company's are using their brain, and collecting on that.....:D

[Skippie]

Hi Plore,
Job,s in South Africa :)

[jb1191982]

hello skippy, I am an A and P mechanic with Continental Airlines and I am intrested in working for EK. Do I have a shot at it with my FAA lic. Thank you

[Auberspanky]

:ugh:Just too let you guys in the good old RSA know ,I emigrated to Aussie back in 1995 after spending 5 years in long range major maintenance,I have not looked back ,I have read most of your mail and I am shocked at the state of SAA ! My only piece of advice is to get all the qualifications you can get and apply for NZ or Aussie.. i remember the pathetic trade test and Saa tests just too get in.I am at the moment working on the most advanced composite chopper in the world ,along with 7 other south africans in Brisbane ,I have a house on the coast and life is great ,look after your selfs and your familys.ask yourself where do you want to be in ten years ! and go for it :ok::ok::ok::D

[pjvr99]

jb1191982, EK has adverts for jobs in San Francisco and another west coast city in the last few weeks. Check Yahoo! Jobs

[jb1191982]

Thanx pjvr99
I will look in to it. But I don't know if the pay will be similar to working in the U.A.E. Not even shure what they pay in the U.A.E. is. Do you know?

[pjvr99]

Not a clue, but it IS tax-free :ok: