Qualifications for Africa Jobs
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Qualifications for Africa Jobs
I'd appreciate very much if you could give me your estimates on the chances of landing a job in Africa, in the format of the minimum qualifications it would take to be a) have companies falling over themselves to hire you, b) be guaranteed of some kind of work with a livable wage, c) having strong competition for anything.
I realize it varies by company but from I've read it seems 500 TT with 200 ME puts you in category c.
I realize it varies by company but from I've read it seems 500 TT with 200 ME puts you in category c.
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Pacific North West.....a very beautiful region of the world.
Yep, people struggling to find work again here and yeah I'd say category c. However you should be able to find some sort of hour building job in the bush because they're better starting hours than many have when they begin.
You might find it pays no better than instructing in your own region though.
Yep, people struggling to find work again here and yeah I'd say category c. However you should be able to find some sort of hour building job in the bush because they're better starting hours than many have when they begin.
You might find it pays no better than instructing in your own region though.
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Or if you have a criminal record, a propensity for barbaric violence, rape and looting, there are thousands of jobs - just apply at any Govt building.
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You will need to be more qualified than indigenes for hiring you to make any sense so that you will probably find much higher minimums than what you have now.
You might be better off staying home to do flight instruction and air taxi flying to build hours and experience before trying your hand overseas.
Nowadays many countries have plenty of qualified but low-hour locals when this was not the case 20 or so years ago so that they just don't need expats as much.
Just think about some outsider coming to work where you live to get an idea of what you are up against in the job market. Would a low-time foreigner get a job? Why?
Another thing is that working in many places just is not that well paid compared to staying home especially when you look at the levels of risk. Check out the "advice to travellers" section of your government's website to see what we are talking about.
Anyway, good luck in your job search.
You might be better off staying home to do flight instruction and air taxi flying to build hours and experience before trying your hand overseas.
Nowadays many countries have plenty of qualified but low-hour locals when this was not the case 20 or so years ago so that they just don't need expats as much.
Just think about some outsider coming to work where you live to get an idea of what you are up against in the job market. Would a low-time foreigner get a job? Why?
Another thing is that working in many places just is not that well paid compared to staying home especially when you look at the levels of risk. Check out the "advice to travellers" section of your government's website to see what we are talking about.
Anyway, good luck in your job search.
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Pirate and Sawaya?!!? 
You guyz sound so brilliant to the rest of the world. I guess where you come from, looking at history, your bureaucracy has always been solid crispy clean!! Like Mwafrika, Please stick to the topic!!
You guyz sound so brilliant to the rest of the world. I guess where you come from, looking at history, your bureaucracy has always been solid crispy clean!! Like Mwafrika, Please stick to the topic!!
Last edited by bond7; 12th Nov 2008 at 21:29.
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bond7..you sound inept..sorry about that.
chrismas86
very hard question..so many parameters.
In north and south africa....perhaps as a guideline.
a) >3,000hrs.
1,000hrs command Gulfstream, Challenger etc.
b) Very grey area..anything from 1,000hrs and 500 command on upwards.
Turbine time probably most necessary. B200 B1900 command are the lollies of the month.
c) You maybe correct.
You also need as minimum qualification..work permit...licence validation.
In Botswana Kenyans have been hired as pilots.
At Eskom in SA they only want black women pilots.
In SA Nigerian pilots have flown for SA jet company on validations.
So maybe you should see Michael Jacksons plastic surgeon for some reverse operations?
chrismas86
very hard question..so many parameters.
In north and south africa....perhaps as a guideline.
a) >3,000hrs.
1,000hrs command Gulfstream, Challenger etc.
b) Very grey area..anything from 1,000hrs and 500 command on upwards.
Turbine time probably most necessary. B200 B1900 command are the lollies of the month.
c) You maybe correct.
You also need as minimum qualification..work permit...licence validation.
In Botswana Kenyans have been hired as pilots.
At Eskom in SA they only want black women pilots.
In SA Nigerian pilots have flown for SA jet company on validations.
So maybe you should see Michael Jacksons plastic surgeon for some reverse operations?
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I was 28 when I landed a “job” with a mission organization that sent me to Africa, prior to that I had spent 1/3 of my life overseas, moving to Africa was not my first international experience. I’m not sure what your background is. However if you don’t have a job contact, have never lived outside of the USA and choose to buy a ticket in the hopes of landing a flying job to gain flight experience-your chances are very slim for success for all the reasons others have mentioned. Living in Africa, or any developing region, is N O T H I N G like your typical life experience in the USA. In fact many U.S. citizens are poorly equipped for success in cross cultural settings. Living overseas can be absolutely wonderful. It’s best for your sanity and chance for success to have some sort of organized introduction into Africa (some sort of sponsorship) rather than just showing up at the airport by yourself. It’s great to be 21-anything is possible-just don’t get killed in the process.
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HAMMER?!!?
Hammer...you say i sound "inept"...you don't have to be sorry, you made yourself sound inept and by the way, you sound INEBRIATED...and am not sorry to say so unlike you!!!!
Or do you want to start you own name calling forum?!! I can lend you some help!
Please lets stick to the topic, and leave the smartypants to spongebob!!!
Hammer...you say i sound "inept"...you don't have to be sorry, you made yourself sound inept and by the way, you sound INEBRIATED...and am not sorry to say so unlike you!!!!
Or do you want to start you own name calling forum?!! I can lend you some help!
Please lets stick to the topic, and leave the smartypants to spongebob!!!
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Don't stress Sawaya, some just cannot handle the truth. They will deny deny deny until the day they die, as the truth once more confirms what so many know.
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Wish I could say otherwise, but I.R. Pilot unfortunately has it right. For a recent update read here 
It's high time all the politically correct idiots out there take off their blinkers and stop propping up (however indirectly) murderous governments that ruin a great continent.
Now back to the topic.......
It's high time all the politically correct idiots out there take off their blinkers and stop propping up (however indirectly) murderous governments that ruin a great continent.
Now back to the topic.......
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Pirate,
I didn't sense any denial, but i do sense you two are less informed, probably biased by the media or whatever other sources. When you and you buddy Sawaya say Africa has raped, murdered and what not her own people. I guess the rest of the world leaves in Utopia and Africa is still stuck in caveman era!!! Isn't that right Pirate and Sawaya?!?
Most of us can read and do watch the media. I do understand that a billion Zim dollars, nowadays can't get you much!!!!!!! And all that is going on in DRC. Do you even know what led or started what we all thought was a recovering DRC?!!!?
172, talking 'bout "blinkers" Why don't you OPEN YOUR EYES!!!!! coz obviously you have no clue of what is going on or why things are the way they are!
Now please back to the aviation forum and please don't make me deconstruct you!!!!
I didn't sense any denial, but i do sense you two are less informed, probably biased by the media or whatever other sources. When you and you buddy Sawaya say Africa has raped, murdered and what not her own people. I guess the rest of the world leaves in Utopia and Africa is still stuck in caveman era!!! Isn't that right Pirate and Sawaya?!?
Most of us can read and do watch the media. I do understand that a billion Zim dollars, nowadays can't get you much!!!!!!! And all that is going on in DRC. Do you even know what led or started what we all thought was a recovering DRC?!!!?
172, talking 'bout "blinkers" Why don't you OPEN YOUR EYES!!!!! coz obviously you have no clue of what is going on or why things are the way they are!
Now please back to the aviation forum and please don't make me deconstruct you!!!!
Last edited by bond7; 15th Nov 2008 at 22:57.
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Thank you very much everyone for the helpful responses. I do have overseas experience, spending a year during university living in India and Thailand and traveling extensively. What you should be warning me about is the fact that I have 0 flight hours, I'm going to be working teaching English for a couple years to save enough to start flight school and my goal is to get to Africa as soon as possible, so this thread has helped me realize how much money I will need to put together to get enough hours to do that.
I would just take out a big fat loan now if I could but with the economy how it is I suspect the APR would be horrible if any bank was dumb enough to give me $30k, so I'm going to wait it out.
I would just take out a big fat loan now if I could but with the economy how it is I suspect the APR would be horrible if any bank was dumb enough to give me $30k, so I'm going to wait it out.
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Chrisms86, thank God you're not one of those folks who think Africa is a vast plateau littered with grass thatched houses and half naked men feeding cows. Anyways, back to your topic, if you can find someone to lend you $30k to go to flight school by all means go for it. If this helps check out riversideflightcenter.com. Talk to a lady named Sayla, she'll give you advise on finance options. But on the real, do it while you're young. Good luck bro.
Qualifications for Africa Jobs
A good sense of humour, A big set of balls, i don't mean flying wise either but the balls to get your a$$ over and look for a job and a good sense of survival. The desire to fly is probably the biggest thing you need to get a job in Africa.
Alot of people here who won't face the fact that alot of things go on in Africa that are undesireable elsewhere but have a read of the 'you know when your in africa forum' and that will give you a good idea of what you will face.
Seen plenty of that as well and didn't have to look too hard.
When you see and experience some of the stuff that alot of guys who speak the truth here have seen, there is no denying the facts.
Alot of people here who won't face the fact that alot of things go on in Africa that are undesireable elsewhere but have a read of the 'you know when your in africa forum' and that will give you a good idea of what you will face.
thank God you're not one of those folks who think Africa is a vast plateau littered with grass thatched houses and half naked men feeding cows.
When you see and experience some of the stuff that alot of guys who speak the truth here have seen, there is no denying the facts.
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Sao Tome and Principe, isn't that in the armpit? 
The bare minimum here seems to be 400 hours. Most companies with small pistons start from that mark with their insurance, then the next mark is about 1000-1500 for turbines.
As for the state of living, the half naked farmer feeding his cows likely has a mobile tucked into his loin cloth. In the cities you can have a nice pleasant life, I just went to see James Bond in a cinema not unlike any other western nation would have. But on the way home we drove back along a three lane road, direction of traffic in center lane is decided by who has the biggest veachle and who has the biggest balls.
You can find it all on this great wide continent, sometimes for a hefty price. I hear Nigeria and Angola are becoming far too expensive and the traffic makes walking seem a viable option. And then you got a place were people think your loaded because you own more than one t-shirt and places where kids under 20 have never seen a motorised veachle.
That's the nice thing about here, you can find it all.
The bare minimum here seems to be 400 hours. Most companies with small pistons start from that mark with their insurance, then the next mark is about 1000-1500 for turbines.
As for the state of living, the half naked farmer feeding his cows likely has a mobile tucked into his loin cloth. In the cities you can have a nice pleasant life, I just went to see James Bond in a cinema not unlike any other western nation would have. But on the way home we drove back along a three lane road, direction of traffic in center lane is decided by who has the biggest veachle and who has the biggest balls.
You can find it all on this great wide continent, sometimes for a hefty price. I hear Nigeria and Angola are becoming far too expensive and the traffic makes walking seem a viable option. And then you got a place were people think your loaded because you own more than one t-shirt and places where kids under 20 have never seen a motorised veachle.
That's the nice thing about here, you can find it all.