What are the chances of a return to North Sea IR Sponsorship ??

[RotorsRunning]

Hi All,

Soon to be (hopefully) completing my CPL(H), and faced with the decision of then going for the IR in the hope of an FO position in the North Sea, or going down the FI route.

My question is: given the current economic climate and the constant talk of recession, Im guessing less and less people will be willing / able to stump up £42+k on an IR with no guarantee of a position with one of the big 3 at the end of it.

Is it possible / likely if there is a considerable downturn in the number of guys & girls paying for their IR’s over the next 12 – 18 months the big 3 may decide or be forced to consider sponsoring IR’s and bonding people again.

I know this is a real crystal ball question which no one will have a definitive answer to but I am very interested to hear others opinions on the subject, perhaps from people who have been around the industry a lot longer then me and seen an economic downturn or two and how it may or may not have affected these things, as I am thinking at the moment I may be better off getting the FI for now and seeing how things pan out in the NS over the next 12 – 24 months rather than take the very expensive plunge now.

Any responses / PM’s much appreciated.

Cheers

RR.

[tu154]

RR, an IR is no guarantee of a job in the North Sea, so even if there is a return to sponsorship, you have the struggle of getting hired in the first place. There is no substitute for grafting the hard hours required to get hired. From what I've seen, there is still a steady stream of ex mil people coming out of the service and they are getting snapped up pretty quickly. Other than that, the rest of us are waiting in line.
Companies like Bristow are also increasingly using their own school to fill their requirements. The question has been asked, 'do you feel lucky'? Well do you?

[awolEC135]

RR

I recently finished my IR on the EC135 with BAS, and since then i've been applying for co-jo's positions with all the offshore companies out there...but the main pain in the b*ll*cks is to get shortlisted out of the big pile of cover letters/cv's they all receive.

I've worked/paid very hard (like most of you out there) to get where i am now, and i'll keep sending in my cv's untill they get annoyed with me...well saying that, i've now got a couple of interviews lined up...

It's frustrating lots of companies (not all) don't want co-jo's with less than 500+ 1000+ hours! ...But don't i need a job to get those hours??

So: RR it's up to you which way you want to go, But there are enough opportunities out there in the offshore, you just gotta be at the right place at the right time!!

And yes I feel lucky, It's my time to shine!!!!

haha, cheers!

[Horror box]

An IR will certainly help your chances of finding employment, but don't count on a 'walk in' position with the offshore companies. The pilot shortage we had 12 months ago has largely been filled, so there is certainly no real incentive for CHC/Bristow/Bond etc to be paying for IR's at the moment, and I don't really see it changing much in the near future. I am sure there is still plenty of work around if you are prepared to look, so just don't put all your eggs in one basket, and hold out for an offshore sponsorship.

[helimutt]

A certain offshore operator won't be sponsoring anyone soon. From the horses mouth, they will need more pilots to replace retirees, but now that the previous main shortfall has generally been filled, they can afford to be more picky and choosy over who they employ. An IR is no longer the ticket into the industry that it has been for the past two years or so.
Spend your money wisely.

[MyTarget]

Which operator is that then?

[awolEC135]

I did not get my IR just for the sake of it, If i wanted to become an instructor i wouldn't put in the hard work/£

Yes maybe the easy way to get u'r hours up is to work as a instructor, But what i ment was:

Someone who has put a lot of work/£ into their IR, does not want to become an instructor (atleast not me), they want a offshore job/experience and get the hours and make some ££

Maybe i wasn't clear enough in my previous reply, ..... don't blame me, i'm just a simple dutchman...:rolleyes:

[HillerBee]

The FI route isn't the easy way! It's bloody hard work. Getting an IR straight after the CPL that's the easy way. And you have to remember that 'you can want something' but that's not how the employers see it.

Just the fact you where able to fork out the money for some licenses doesn't give you the right on a job.

[Bravo73]

I did not get my IR just for the sake of it, If i wanted to become an instructor i wouldn't put in the hard work/£


Oooh, with an attitude like that, you'll go far... :rolleyes:

[awolEC135]

ooh come on guys, what's all this about? I just shared my opinion, it doesn't mean this counts for everyone!!!!

Why doesn't it give me the right on a job?....I'm not the rich kid on the block, i worked/scraped bloody hard to get where i am now!!!

If someone wants to work offshore or become an instructor you'll do anything to get there, that's just what i did, So i don't understand why you say i do not have the right on a job!!!

Just lighten up a bit! it's just a bit of a misunderstanding i guess!

[helimutt]

you're 30, have low hours and an IR, freshly minted by the sounds of it, well, join the queue i'm afraid.

The big 3 north sea companies do hire but you need to pass tests with some of them. One of them has Psychometric tests interviews and sim rides to get through. I know one guy had 2000hrs+, multi-time experience, was an instructor and examiner, very bright chap, but he failed the sim ride, twice. Not because he couldn't fly by the way.

We're just saying that because you have the qualifications doesn't automatically give you a right to work offshore.
It just shows you had the money and time to get those qualifications, nothing else to someone who doesn't know you.


Fast Reverse? Hmmm.:hmm:

[Whirlygig]

Sorry but holding a particular qualfication does not give you a right to a job. In any field.

AWOL, you've obviously not come across Camp Freddie's mantra; to paraphrase:-

CPL only - high risk/low reward
CPL/IR - high risk, high reward
CPL/FI - low risk, low reward.

Quite a few people who are prepared to do anything to work offshore get their FI rating first!

Cheers

Whirls

[darrenphughes]

I think Awol is just a little frustrated with the fact that the operators have changed their minimums in the past 2 years while he was working his ass off to pay for and studying for the IR. Which when he started was probably more than enough to get his foot in the door.

Keep battling on Awol and you'll get there, maybe not soon but eventually.

[chcoffshore]

AWOL,

IR ticket is a must for a Northsea job.....If you have one then don't loose hope. Its a matter of timing and how good your cv is, plus do you know anybody in the company's that can help you out?

There are other places in the world too work which will give you valuable offshore time. And Britows and CHC global are always on the look out, more so if you want to go to Nigeria!:uhoh:

Sim rides and company tests are there for a reason. Lots of potential pilots with a lot more experience than 2000 hours fail the sim ride but on the other hand a R22 pilot can pass! Its not only your skills but how you can operate in a multi crew enviorment.

Hand in there and don't give up.:ok:

[handbag]

this would bother me though

ASPO the Association for the Study of Peak Oil (http://www.peakoil.net/OilGasUK.html)

[GoodGrief]

There is no "peak oil".

Read Abiogenic petroleum origin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenic_petroleum_origin)

And study further.

[TiPwEiGhT]

It took me 4 years of instructing and 1500hrs before I got the opportunity of a North Sea position. Instructing was great fun (although I didn't think it would be at first), it's a good way of building the time that some companies require, experience and earning some money.

Unfortunately, as mentioned, the shortage of NS pilots is reducing, but perhaps look further afield, there is still opportunities in places like the Norwegien sector, but with a minimum of 1000hrs, alot of there pilots were FI's prior.

Just some thoughts,

TiP

[MartinCh]

RR, look at the US.
No fresh heli CPL goes to offshore job in GOM straight away.
Yes, there may be more chances with 700ish hours rather than usual 1000.

Not counting some Asian/L American cadets. I mean, guys wanting a break in the US aren't 'spoilt for choice' like some rich kids in Europe.

It almost feels to me like doing JAA IR(H) on one's own becomes similar to self-sponsored type rating in FW realm in the principle. Either instructing or IR/SSTR. Rotary equivalent of jet jockey wannabes.

Most pilots and wannabes understand the desire to get 'proper job', but saying instructing won't do, ehm.. I can see why in FW instructing with crap weather in the UK and the hourly wages (not counting CPL instructors for big schools on salary) sometimes really 'can't do' for decent living, not to mention repaying huge loan. Heli instructing is more livable on.
I'm not sure how it's in the Netherlands, but if you're more than happy to get a job flying from Scotland/Norway, you should be fine instructing elsewhere in the UK.

Surely, we all work hard. Some of us more of a training and theory, some also scraping enough cash over many years (no house, no well paid job, no option of big loan). Had I enough hours and all ratings required, I'd go for FI rating ASAFP. Actually, I wouldn't go for JAA IR even if I won lottery.

Tipweight's 4 years. Hmm. I'm counting on some faster instructing in the US even post-J1 on another visa class and instructing in Europe after US. Hour requirements for JAA FI won't let me otherwise on tight money..

Feels to me you've answered your doubts anyway and given the changes in hiring of fresh CPL with IR you must be aware of anyway.

[S76driver]

Dont just keep posting your CV.....make an appointment to visit the companies and go and chat with the horses mouth......worked for me!