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Old 6th Apr 2010, 15:22
  #40 (permalink)  
Otterman
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: EU
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Soullimbo, LOL.
I realize this comes from extreme frustration, but welcome to the real world! My son is currently going through the KLS (his mother is a tall stunning Dutch woman), and his outlook is far from certain, luckily he has his age going for him. There are no guarantees for a job at KLM or anywhere for him, anymore.

I think it is close to folly to train as a pilot in the Netherlands (the only reason my son is doing it, is because he was accepted into the KLS). This is especially true if you come outside of the scope of the big training centers. At the end of this year there will be over 300 ex-KLS students sitting at home, add to this the other training programs (I have heard numbers in excess of 400 from those), and I can guarantee you that these pilots will never, ever be absorbed into the Dutch aviation scene. Regardless of the numbers of hated foreigners like myself. The prognosis at KLM is that we won’t need anybody for the next three years. Martinair won’t ever be hiring any new pilots (all new pilots will be sourced through KLM), Transavia is only allowed to grow at the behest of Air France/KLM’s needs. This leaves Arke fly and I am not sure what their ultimate size will be. This is the Dutch market.

If people bought into the glossy brochures at all these training institutes, and the smooth talk from the commissioned salesman at the schools, I feel for you. It is near criminal that these schools are allowed to keep pumping people into this market. All it gets you is a debt as big as buying a house (without the tax write-off and the roof over your head).

Currently I fly for a French airline, not one of KLM’s share is in the hands of any Dutchman. The lot of my airline is in the hands of these “foreigners”. They have been great to me, and I still have over 10 years left as a wide-body captain with KLM.

I wish you the best. Maybe voting for Wilders will solve your issues. In the meantime send out your resume to all these foreign airlines, in the hope that they are willing to employ an economic refugee from the Netherlands.

And if you ever make it to the interview board at KLM I will enjoy our conversation! Personality is something that weighs very heavily these days, I think it is time for you to do some work in that area.

O.
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