New Zealand - Training Schools and Job Prospects

[Mac32]

Multi Engine Jobs

Hi all, sorry to change the subject slightly. I am a Kiwi currently flying helos in the Royal Navy and am looking at my options for the future. I want to come back home to start flying commercially and bring up my young family in NZ. I should have around 2000 hrs (all single and multi turbine time) when I finish in a few years, and will have a JAA CPL(H) with frozen ATPL(H) theory credits.

I am (as everyone seems to be) trying to get a feeling for the state of the NZ industry at the moment and how people think things will go over the coming years. Reading some earlier posts it doesn’t seem to encouraging.

Jobs wise I would love to get into the rescue helicopter scene. Are these difficult jobs to get into for someone of my hours/ experience? I saw a job ad for the Auckland rescue unit recently that had 2000 hrs as a minimum so I’m guessing this is fairly standard. Other than this and offshore flying what other work is out there on multi’s?

My other questions are (and please excuse any naivety!):

• Would I need a type rating before applying for a certain job or do these get done “on the job”?

• How easy will it be to convert my UK licence to a Kiwi one?

• I was planning to do an instrument rating once in NZ as I assume this would be much cheaper. Is this the case or should I do it here?

• The one I’m sure you’re sick of hearing! What sort of salary/ pay am I looking at with my level of experience?

I realise that’s a lot of questions so I would appreciate any answers/ advice that anyone can give me.

Cheers,

Mac.