FAA licence-waste of time?

[Lozza]

can anyone tell me if they've done the FAA licence and if so,is it worth doing?i'm desperate to get a "proper" job dispatch rather than just load control/weight+balance-neither of which i'm even doing at the moment(that's Virgin for you)although i have done it previously.also,any good employers who'll take you once you're FAA qualified?seems to be the most difficult job in the world to get into!

[fcit]

Depends where you want to work. If you want to get something like a 'base knowledge', you might want to consider getting your FAA ticket, though I'd recommend doing a 'proper' course (the license w/o it is nonsense - and there is schools out there that pretty much just issue that; type like get your license in a day).
I am little surprised that your mentioned crewing and mass & balance as something 'not important' to a dispatcher. Actually with smaller companies (which a more likely to give you a chance flight planning before you can start with the big one's) most of these tasks are included in the job or are sort of assistant duties to get into it. If your question refers to the issue whether a FAA license will buy you a greencard (and this is the only reason for you), forget about it.

Hope that answers some of your questions.
Cheers
fcit

[Lozza]

thanx for your reply fcit.certainly some food for thought.i'm maybe thinking of doing the faa at airline dispatch training centre in houston-do u know if it's any good?only reason i mentioned weight +balance is because that seems to be the main role for dispatchers working in the UK for UK airlines-which is what i'm doing now.
anyway,thannks for the advice and if anyone out there knows of any jobs going at LGW/LHR in dispatch let me know!!i'm bored s**tless in my current one.only need to save another £2500 till i can do the faa-greeeeaaaattt!!lgwt

[fcit]

Mmhhh,
Houston. Don't think I heard of that one just yet. Could be an affilate to AAL (but I think their's is based in DAL). You got the name of the school?

Cheers

[waco]

Found the FAA licence course quite hard work at times. Did mine in the States. Three week course followed by writtens (based on ATP),practical and oral. Don't think UK operators are that impressed with it but Foreign airlines are since many operate under FAA regs and require licence holders.

If you have the time and money, I would recommend it. Its a well recognised bit of paper.

[AWACS FE]

Lozza
Don't know of any reputable dispatch school in Houston. Check out ADF's website at www.dispatcher.org (http://www.dispatcher.org) for recommended schools. One that is not on there anymore is Sheffield School of Aeronautics in Fort Lauderdale. Although they have a paid up banner advertisement on ADF's website, they no longer support ADF because of the organizations alleged refusal to stop supporting schools that Sheffield views as "ticket mills", or schools that fork over licences in a few days. I just finished at Sheffield, and even with my 16 years of flying it was pretty intense. However, I learned a lot, particularly in the weather and flight planning areas, as well as ETOPS, Advanced International Flight Planning, & Enhanced Weather Information Systems course. They were tough, but well worth it. Check them out at www.sheffield.com. (http://www.sheffield.com.) Good luck.

"Stand 'em up, flaps & trim. Stable, push 'em up! Rotate!

[Lozza]

thanx AWACS.i made a mistake!the school i'm interested in is actually next to Dallas Fort Woth Intl.it's called the airline flight dispatcher training center inc.the sheffield school is gonna be my next choice so yr info very much appreciated!of course all this academic till i get my hands on the cash-show me the money!!would be interested in yr views on how easy it is to get a job in this country once you get the faa.what sort of jobs should i be aiming for?this place in Texas apparently has a 95% placement rate for its graduates,although i guess 90% of those jobs are US based which brings us back to the green card vicious circle type-thing!
cheers,
Lozza

[NIMBUS]

Try FlightSafety in New York. Excellent facilities and worldwide reputation (good!)

[fcit]

Lozza
be cautious about the placement rates the U.S. schools advertise. The quotas are mostly referring to U.S. graduates only (i.e. they are not accounting for international graduates). Some schools will try to utilize their international connections, in order to get you an OPS job, but I wouldn't count on it. Also, I rather doubt that you'll be granted a Green Card based on your dispatch certificate (if you have some side qualification, it's a different story). Basically, it comes down to the fact that you haven't any sort of 121 dispatch experience, yet. I have seen U.S. carriers looking for 121 freshies for USD 18000 p.a. (per annum!). So, if you are not extremly lucky, I'd rather try to negotiate something with your current employer or somewhere else in Europe.

Cheers
fcit

[AWACS FE]

Lozza
fcit hit it on the head with these schools. You simply can't trust a word they say...you have to talk to graduates and that means calling around or posting inquiries ont he ADF bulletin board. Remember, 95% placement my be accurate, but placement with who and doing what? AFDTC in Dallas has a fairly good rep in the industry....despite what Sheffield thinks about them.
As far as dispatching jobs go in the US, there is no standard industry start pay. Some, particularly the smaller turboprop commuters (ACA, ASA, etc) offer as low as $10 an hour up to the low $20k. This is the normal route for fresh off the street dispatchers with zero aviation experience. If you have some experience, a university degree, etc, you may be able to get on with a regional (SkyWest, United Express, Comair, etc) and get mid to high 20K. Most of the larger carriers will not hire from outside or from the street. Delta is a prime example of this, although they do have a European op in Frankfurt that hires on a different basis.
Now in order to get that far in the USA, one must be a green card holding resident alien. In order to get the green card, one must be sponsored by a US national/resident, or possess enough cash to get by/start your own business, or have an offer of employment. It really isn't that hard for an individual, but it does get difficult for families. Call the US Embassy in London for more info.
The other option is mainland Europe and the Middle East. In the absence of a JAR equivilant, several carriers prefer the FAA ticket over nothing at all. Check out Crossair (Switzerland). Good luck.