What Air Turks and Caicos don’t want you to know!!
Do not quit a job to come here!
The only reason you should consider joining air T & C is if you have no job, no hours, no life, no wife or partner and get everything in writing before you come.
You will have to pay for everything yourself
1. Return airfare here annually
2. Air law exam US$50 once
3. Validation Check flight US$200 once
4. TCI Validation US$88 annually
5. 1/2 of Work Permit US$750 annually
6. Blood test US$80 annually
7. Police check (from local country) annually
8. Airport ID US$20 annually
9. Uniforms
10. Medicals
11. License renewals
This has been the experience of all the crews once they arrived.
* you will not be paid during training. They claim training is 2 weeks. The average is 5 weeks, some have been longer. So bank on no salary for 5 weeks.
* you will have to find your own place on your own during training and have to come up with a rental bond of usually 2 months rent. And you are not getting paid yet.
* The cost of living here is high. Gas is US$5.15/gallon.
* Utilities are expensive. If you run A/C nightly expect to pay USD$250/month, no A/C should run about $130
* Rent in Provo for an apartment in good condition will cost US$1000-$1900 / month. There is nothing for less that any westerner should consider living in. You will have no help at all to find a place to live. Its hard to find apartments and its expensive.
* Internet cost $50 / months for 128kb ADSL, Phone line is $40 / month. Calls to the USA/Canada are US$0.45/min, Asia/NZ US$7.50/min.
* Crime is a problem in Provo.
* The aircraft are running on the MEL most of the time. Things take a long time to get fixed Maintenance department are good but hands are tied from above.
* Roistering is a nightmare. Expect to come here and just work. 7 on 2 off, or 5 on 1 off then 6 on 2 off. You only ever get the minimum 7 days off a month.
* Duty days are long, right on the max, and they try not to count dead heading as duty.
* You are on call 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
* You never know when you will be off. you cant organize anything so expect to have no social life at all. You exist here only to work.
* You need permission to leave the country on days off
* You won't get staff travel or jumpseat with any other airlines, if they tell you they do....they don't, and probably never will. They have been saying that for years.
* If you are flying on any license other than FAA you will have to pay to return home and renew your license at your own cost, during your holiday time. There is no local TCI license just a validation.
* The salary is not good. If you have a partner then it is impossible to live on your salary alone. You can not save money here if you have a life.
* There are no benefits such as Medical or retirement plans.
* All levels of management tell you what they think you want to hear.
* There have been 5 pilots leave recently, why???? Its not good here.