Reality check for Australian newbie
Good evening ladies & gents,
I'm a 35 year old Australian enrolled to start CPL (Diploma Aviation) and MECIR in 2017 in QLD.
The course includes 190 hours flight time. When researching the job market it seems a common starting point for airlines is the 1500 hour mark. What I am struggling to find is clear pathways to reaching those hours, which I suspect is because there are various ways to achieve this. I therefore hold the current assumption that the first 2-5 years will be pretty tough and that being open to living anywhere in Australia during that period may be an advantage but not a guarantee.
I'm interested to hear comments and suggestions from those further down the track in this regard please. Thankyou in advance.
Also, I see that ATPL is the next phase after CPL. Is this an exam or another course or both? Am I correct to think that this is a requirement for all major airlines and I should therefore be incorporating this in my initial 5 year stage?