Originally Posted by
UpAndDownAndUpAndDow
On paper initially, the integrated route certainly has its advantages. What doesn't make sense to me is whether Oil & Gas companies actually want to take those that have rolled straight off an integrated course and immediately done an ME/IR? I'm told that this is a good option but I can't see it - surely the operators would much rather take those that have got 500-1500 hours instead!
And it's a lot of money to cough up for an ME/IR, is there any chance that the operators may fully or partially pay for an ideal candidate to get their ME/IR?
From my understanding, the 2 main options are to get a CPL, fork out for an ME/IR and hope to get into a co-pilot seat offshore with <250 hours, or get a CPL and then an FI rating and gain experience that way before hoping to pick up other work like VFR charter/tours/survey etc? Both seem to have their advantages and disadvantages!
The unfortunate and uncontrollable side of all of this is timing. If the North Sea is in a slump or just not hiring then there’s no jobs, not for the 5000hr North Sea pilot, and not for the 250 hour CPLH holder fishing for work, regardless of which school you went to.
If the North Sea need people, jobs aplenty, especially if you’re in good books with a school that has the connections to get you in a Copilot position with low hours. I’ve even see them pay for your whole MEIR so long as you take a 3yr pay cut from the standard FO salary.
This is the risk any new commercial pilot takes, when it comes to whether or not helicentre is a good place to work? I’m sure it’s fine, you’ll find that there will be people that will complain about any job and employer in the industry. Absolutely nowhere is perfect, you won’t find it.
Will you work for them for the rest of your career? By the sounds of it you’d prefer to use them as a stepping stone, like many do to progress into other sectors, fly bigger things, have a bigger wallet. So if it’s a temporary post anyway, you’re just getting what you want out of it, a low time job that gives you the hours and they’re getting the same, a cheap pilot that will probably leave within 2 years which is good, because they want to hire the next FI student to keep the factory churning and advertise that you could be hired at the end of your course.
They are a school with a solid success record, a proven network into the wider industry and have a history of safe operation. I wouldn’t recommend you delve into the archives of pprune to see what has been said about some of the big companies in the North Sea, otherwise you may be put off of this career before it’s even started!