Post PPL advice, hour building, CPL, etc

[kabukiman]

Hey. I suppose you would see quite a lot of these threads on this website but I thought I'd add to the tally, seeing as there appears to be a lot of experienced pilots here willing to give advice.

I am currently PPL with retrac/csu and going to do an NVFR rating soon, as well as start my first CPL exams.

I understand there is a stream of pilots finishing their CPL/MECIR all looking for their first job, and that this is no magical-happy-land full of opportunities for everyone.

In my case, if everything goes to plan I will achieve my CPL relatively soon, and then more than likely go straight onto a MECIR.

What happens next I have yet to decide! This is why I am here

I would love to find work in Vic. I have a healthy relationship here, my family is here etc. I initially thought an instructor rating may be a wise investment, but upon investigation it is clear to me that while the experience may be good, junior instructors really do not make enough money to live on.

I like the idea of working for a skydiving company. There are a few dotted along the coast and some inland in Vic. However the only experience I have with them and their pilots is being on the other end of CTAF radio calls.

Do these companies like you to have a MECIR? Do you need a turbine endorsement?

What sort of training should I look at for myself outside of CPL/MECIR?

Are there jobs around here, even just occasionally, for someone at the experience level I have stated through which you can support yourself financially and get a start on a career?

Any advice is appreciated, if you've recently been there/done that and are making your way through your first or second job I'd love to hear from you... same for people who did it a decade or more ago and have already made their way into the industry.

In the mean time, if anybody has suggestions for places to visit for my hour building, shoot away! I am on one of those 150hr compounded course things, so my instructor is making sure I will do some decent challenging trips, but I'd like to hear suggestions for places to go that will provide a decent experience. I don't want to just visit the same places a couple of times a week and build 'boring' hours, I'd like to have something to show for my command time in my logbook.

Much appreciated