My eyebrows are often slightly raised in threads such as these.
What I find surprising is the questions that are put sometimes forward and the 'support' and also the 'derision' that they invoke.
First off, Simon,
Hang in there. If you just keep presenting well at your interviews
Are you kidding me ? keep presenting yourself well at interviews!
Anybody, even an experienced line pilot with time on type will be damn lucky to even get a call in for an interview right now.
The point that you are missing by 'a country mile' simon is that there are more pilots with time on type, line experience, in hold pools, instructing when they can get the work etc etc than there is demand right now.
You will be lucky to have your C.V. stay out of the bin, let alone get the chance to attend an interview. Note, that is interview, singular not plural.
dudeatstarwars...
Fair enough, you are new into this industry. We all were once upon a time, so you have questions and have a degree of uncertainty about certain aspects of the industry.
However,
You are on a 'first officer course' with cabair. As such, to ask the question on what it means to stay current is an 'eye-opener'. As a CPL you should have an understanding of the regulations that govern your license. Not only is it part of the CPL exams, you should have an understanding what, not only the currency requirements are, but what it means.
This is where some of us who have been in this industry for some years take a blunt response.
Often we see questions asked on simple applicability. The answers are not national secrets. In fact, the answers are often available on the websites for the the appropriate aviation authority. If someone who either purports to be a commercial pilot, or is working toward becoming a commercial pilot doesn't know where to look then that says something.
The experienced people on this have no problem in trading and sharing information and knowledge with those who are less experienced, however when a question arises such as "what is currency" or "what are the requirements to convert an ICAO CPL" or "I have a JAA CPL is this an ICAO CPL?" the general thought process that follows is "Oh come on!"
These are not questions that someone who has a professional license should be asking.
First off, if you hold or are working toward a professional license then you should be thinking like a professional.
If you hold a professional license then you are, for all intents and purposes a professional.
What must be considered is that some people post responses and advice with the understanding that we were all new to this industry once and are happy to share thoughts so when there is advice that this industry is facing to coin a political quote "unprecidented times of difficulty and instability" and that this is not a good time to be starting, or indeed in an integrated course, or looking for a job fresh out of one; LISTEN!
For those who are in that position, or are considering one right now, do not take it as a personal attack on you. The integrated training facilities have sold you on fiction and projections that are as unrealistic as those of Alistair Darling / Gordon Brown.
Personally, I think that the integrated training facilities are drifting very close to Advertising Standards. It's interesting to note how the benefits will be expressed verbally but in writing is it more, well lets say 'ambiguous'.
The resultant factor is that people that have been in this industry for a period of time see questions asked that are frankly questions that an ab-intio would be asking, not a professional license holder and the responses therefore are brutal.
Going back to the title of this thread, people like WWW have given apt advice.
Yes, he is often classed as being negative. Being, factual of the situation is not negative. It is fact. It may not be what you want to hear, but as a professional do you want to work with fact or fantasy?