Hi FG,
I have seen both "worlds", airline, grew up with them, got my command with them(thanks god), decide to have a look at the other side and have been in biz aviation for 9 years as well(3 different companies, one claiming to be the so called market leader of the pack, whatever that means).
Your questions:
- corporate is JUST about the word of mouth. If you cannot network you are dead meat in this business, one of the things I hated about it. Not good pilots get the best jobs, the pilots with the best connections get the jobs. Some might deny that, I assume that are the guys with the right connections.
- most biz operators fancy already TR pilots. Simply because they do not have the capacity and organisation to train a pilot, do his linetraing and release him. Just my last company could do that, but we are talking of 50 aircraft plus here. So no big deal. Small outfits prefer to have a typed guy OR he is the son of the boss ^^.
- pay varies a lot. Have seen by myself owner jobs on 1 aircraft ops and very good pay (but there was always a "hook") and then you fly with the big outfits and you get paid "meh". Especially if you consider what extra jobs a corporate pilot has to do(training on off days, do a lot of different Visa applications on your off days, run at least 3 different passports to house all that visas, loading, unloading aircraft, picking up pax, organize everything around the aircraft, be the shopping mate of the FA, be the donkey of the FA if you have to carry that bloody Evian back to the hotel on your only off day in a week, clean the aircraft together with the FA, download Nav Data for that FMS, upload everything in the FMS(x2), download FDM, send it, do bloody hand over and take over checklists on every rotation, be responsible for everything, even if the marshaller in F*****g Nigeria is guiding you in the wall of the hangar, it is always YOU who is responsible. I could go on for much longer, but I think you got my draft) compared to an airline jockey. Absolutely not worth the stress, my opinion(and experience).
Normally you get paid monthly, fixed salary. Plus normally paid per diem for every day of work which is usually very good with owner jobs(80-90 Euros a day) and very bad paid with big jets operators where you end up with 30-40 Euros per day.
After 20 years of airline and 9 years of business aviation I am very glad to be back in airline business. I decided that I have to leave corporate before I am to old to get an airline job again.
The good side of corporate is that you operate in many different airfields(which might be not an advantage if you are unexperienced because many of them are VERY demanding and even sometimes dangerous.), and you might end up with nice collegues. At least that was the case in my worst paid corporate job as it was already a bit airline style organzied. If you end up in an "owner outfit" the pay might be generous, in 2 cases the pilots involved where bad, hated each other and bitched around each others back like young , inmature kids. I do not make it bigger as it was, it was simply horrible. Never have seen mature men being so stupid. From my observations this was not an isolated issue, many ownerjets are flown by guys like this. Steer clear.
If it has to be really(really?) corporate, then go for companies that own their jets and just rent them out(Netjets, Vista(brr), etc.). Much better to work for them and word of mouth is not necessary(ok, still need to be friend to someone to make a nice career there).
For the long run I can just suggest to go airline. Right, the flying is not that much fun anymore nowadays(but even the above mentioned operators in corporate use already FDR, so no fun there either, it is even worse as you have to file a safety report for simply EVERYTHING - try to go into Sion, avoiding the hospital on short final by flying direction mountains for a bit without triggering EGPWS - next report to be filed).
Last word of advice: Word of mouth just works if you have something to offer(working already in biz aviation, might be able to provide a future job, give good "word-of-mouth" by yourself - that's how networking runs and that's why it is so disgusting(imho).
Vista is hiring, even NTR, as many pilots are running away from there to return to the airlines(know a few guys that left this year). Maybe worth a shot. OR check airline Cadet offers, might be the much better option in the long run.
Last edited by tomuchwork; 8th Jul 2016 at 23:38.