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Old 19th Mar 2009, 14:59
  #19 (permalink)  
KrisRamJ
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Gloucestershire, UK
Age: 56
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Hey jjiimmbboo, I was in a similar situation to yourself back in April 2006, I'm from the UK and I did my training at the aforementioned school in Florida, I figured out upon completing my CFII that I wasn't going to get hired on so I started calling/emailing schools and ex-CFIs and friends, trying to get work, it took 2 weeks to find a job but I managed it in the end & got hired at a school in Colorado. It was horrible to not get a job after working so hard on training but in the long run it worked out a lot better for my flight experience.

I managed to get a job flying an AS355 in the Caribbean after my J-1 ran out but that company closed last October due to the downturn and I'm now back in the UK studying the JAA, not that there's any work over here . I do have 1100hrs and 100hrs of twin time though, so all is not lost. It's a tough business this, for sure. But I'm guessing you didn't choose to be a pilot because it seemed like an easy option.

Bottom line - start using that J-1 visa ASAP. Right now start emailing and calling schools until you get a job as a flight instructor over there, then do that job to the very best of your abilities because the better impression you make the more chance that a golden opportunity may appear.

Worry about what to do after that later. At the moment the job situation is screwed, but once the economy starts recovering (next year please? ) we should be in better circumstances. From now until your J-1 runs out, remember: "it's all about the flight time."
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