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Old 1st March 2011 | 06:51
  #10 (permalink)  
myskyheli
 
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
From: Australia
Hey TTBB,

Good question, well asked! Funny though how very little responses actually answer your question!

It doesn't matter a damn who has a great "bunch of guys" etc, or what fancy promises are made to you in the flight lounge, or how pretty the website and glossy brochures are. The only single thing that matters is which training organisation will give you the best chance of your first job!

Forget the great list of "previous students" who are now flying in some brilliant role somewhere, all that is their own doing after they have got their critical first few hundreds of hours in the log book. You are about to spend a fortune on one of these operators. Demand to know exactly where they have, and do, employ the lucky graduates straight out of the licence. Then ask for the phone number of these people, and ring them and talk to them. DO NOT BELIEVE THE S**T FED TO YOU AT SIGN UP. If they cannot, or will not give you actual peoples names and numbers, then heed the signs, and go elsewhere. It is the single most critical thing you can do for your career.

Please don't get me wrong though. I am not saying this is the only way to approach your training. I am just answereing your exact question. And I do know that at least one of the crews you mentioned in your heading, can do exactly what you are looking for. Having said that, I know of some brilliant instructors (and schools) that just are not in the position to give guys jobs after they graduate, it's just not their game to have a charter operation on top of their training role. But, again, the all important first job is so imperative that this point alone should help you choose where to spend those $$$.

And just for the record, I didn't do it that way. It just wasn't an option back when I did it all. What I did do though, was take a very long time to select the single operator-instructor who had the best reputation in the country and sweated through his torture knowing his reputation of "scrubbing" people who he didn't think were up to the task. I got through and landed my first job with one of his ex-students just on the reputation of his quality of graduates.

Choose well.
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