I have been following this thread for sometime and as a former Maun pilot I feel that Kash has indeed done everything possible to get a job and whilst many people on here are offering advice, a few seem to have little idea of how Maun works.
"The pilots who were hired from Maun were here for a minimum of 2 months."
- So wait it out another month?
If there were still jobs going I would say the same thing but come Feb. with the operators themselves telling you the hiring is done, why waste time on a losing battle?
"I can’t take any other kind of work to tie me over here, because I will never be given a work permit as there are local people who can do the same job. May that be bar work, ramp or any other?"
- I'm sure you could find work in a bar where the owner is willing to overlook the absence of a work permit!
Maun: 49,800 Black locals and about 200 Ex pats. A strange new white face in a bar would arouse a fair bit of attention and the Botswana government actively looks for illegal workers...not good to get on the wrong side of them if you want them to one day issue you a work permit.
I'm not wishing to burst anybody's bubble here, but you'll find it extremely difficult, if not impossible to get hired in Africa with any less than 500 hrs TT.
No matter how clearly motivated you are.
I'll bet anything that's why you're hearing/seeing all these other guys from outside Maun jumping the queue, so to speak.
I'm a little surprised nobody's brought this up sooner...
I think you'll find there are hundreds of pilot's out there who showed up in Maun with 200-300 hours and successfully found work and now have 10 times those hours.
People who have been invited from outside are friends of pilots or chief pilots with 200-300 hours TT
It's the old story of it not being what you know but who you know. Such is life I guess.
The only words of advice I can offer is keep looking for that first job even if you now have to look in a different place. There has been more than one person in Maun turn up one year looking for work that never materialised only to return a year later and try again, usually with success (funds permiting of course). I'm certain you will find something one day, persevernce is the key and you seem to have that in droves.