Stating out

[ABFLYER]

I hold a Canadian CPL with a multi engine and IFR Rating and 250hrs. I am having trouble finding work here and I have the right to work in the EU. Can anybody tell me what a license conversion might cost and what's involved and what my chances of getting a job would be?

[Chuffer Chadley]

ABflyer

I don't know about cost- it's usually training as required to pass the tests, but some licence converters find themselves having to complete more or less the full JAR courses to get up to standard. Give the CAA a ring.

Prospects of the like of you and I low-hours chaps getting jobs in the immediate future are not certain by any means. There is still hope for an outbreak of recruitment this winter, but it's not quite happening yet. Consider saving your money, or spending it on crisps instead.

Ciao for now
CC

[Pilot Pete]

ABFLYER

I think you will find you have to do most of the JAR course with little dispensation for your current licencing. As CC says, call the CAA here in the UK or perhaps email them which might me cheaper.

As for prospects upon qualification it's the same as it has always been for low-houred pilots......difficult. I am not sure on the opportunities in Canada, but here in the UK there are certainly plenty of employers who may employ you with low-hours, but the competition is particularly fierce, especially as any EU national has the right to work here. My thoughts are that you would stand as good a chance as anyone else, the problem being a back-up plan for if the airlines don't employ you immediately upon qualification (quite likely). You need to keep building hours whilst applying, otherwise you are just treading water with more and more newly qualified pilots joining you in the job market each day. It's those few who get a job with low hours and those who enhance their experience that are leaving you trailing otherwise.

Chuffer, you surprise me with the comment There is still hope for an outbreak of recruitment this winter, but it's not quite happening yet From where I am sitting there has been a lot of recruitment since the summer, with the distinct possibility of more. It is certainly much better than it has been for a few years. I could list the airlines that are or have been, or look likely to recruit but I'll leave that to you to research.;)

It all comes down to how much you want it. Spend half an hour each day researching an airline instead of watching Coronation Street and within a month you will have a vast database of info. Make two phone calls a day which will take only 10mins and you will be well on your way. Add to that 20mins of networking via places like this and friends of friends and all of a sudden you are making opportunities for your luck to change.

Send 5 CVs a week and wait for the phone to ring and you will probably still be doing the same in 12 months time. Don't fly because it's too expensive, you can't find the time or because you really think that an airline should be picking up the bill now and you will be one of the many pilots who the dedicated Wannabe yearns to hear of - no competition for the determined character when it comes to selection.

Good (self made) luck.

PP

[Chuffer Chadley]

Pilot pete!

Believe it or not, I've been making quite a few phone calls. I have placed myself ideally to catch the next bit of luck (which, by definition, cannot be self-made) that may come my way. I do not watch Coronation Street. I put my best telephone voice on, speak nicely to the right people and find out what the state of play is. I have contacted around 70 operators in the last 3 weeks.

Now, I'm not doomy and gloomy at all. But the fact remains that there are still a lot of unemployed, qualified pilots around. There is optimism, and I don't expect to be unemployed too long, there isn't the aviation gold-rush that was hinted at a while ago.

Soon enough, tho, soon enough.

Ciao for now
CC

[Pilot Pete]

Chuffer

The comments about Coronation Street et al were not directed at you personally! They were meant for 'you' generally (the Wannabes). The only comment pointed at you was about the lack of a 'recruitment outbreak' which you alluded to. I would say there has been a sharp rise in recruitment since the summer. The problem being the large competition for every post.

As regards self made luck, the point I am making is quite a bit of recruitment in this industry, especially for first-timers comes down to right place, right time. That was certainly true for many who I know, including me. The point being that all those who I know who had this element to getting their first job were working very hard on finding that opening and did not just send CV after CV to every airline in this country in the hope that the phone would ring. Again, I am not suggesting that you personally do or do not do enough, it is a general comment aimed at all Wannabes. There are plenty out there who do not do enough and for some strange reason think a job is just going to land at their feet. Hopefully it is these people who may read this thread and get the hint that more effort is required.

I would like to use your comment about contacting 70 operators in the last three weeks as an example if I may. It is this kind of groundwork that is needed to secure that first job (I am just guessing that that is what you are searching for at the moment). You are right that your determination will bring results at some point. I also don't think that any increase in recruitment in the next few years is going to look like a 'goldrush', there are simply so many guys out there looking that it will take some considerable time (if at all) for the market to switch to a 'sellers' market.

I wish you well with your jobsearch and rest assured you are way ahead of many with the determination you are showing. ;)

PP

[dorosenco]

ABFLYER

Check my website www.passion2fly.com link JAA Conversions. You will find quit a lot of info...

good luck