Getting that first job!

[G-HALE]

Hey all,

In todays heli industry in the UK and Ireland,

What are the chances of a 21 year old getting hired with only 400hrs total time and typed on R22/R44/SC300Cbi holding a JAA and FAA CPL<H> & JAA FI<H> ?

Cheers for the replys. :ok:
Keep it safe in the sky

[tu154]

As an FI you should have your choice of schools to work at.

Updated to say: that is in Ireland. Schools in Dublin have been consistently looking for FIs, as have two in Northern Ireland.

[G-HALE]

Ya, I called up a few of the schools around Ireland and they all seem to need instructors :)
I dont know, if I should just invest in a MEIR and go for the private charter market insted. I hear there is better money there and plenty of jobs in that caliber in Ireland....

[norunway]

Not with four hundred hours there isn't.You will get a job instructing however.The only option you have if you do a SPIR is to look at offshore co-pilot work.

[G-HALE]

I taught you need a multi-engine IR to do co-pilot work in off shore?
Is what your saying that a person with a JAA CPL and just a single IR could get employed in off shore??? Thats good news to me if thats true.

Is it best to do the JAA IR in engalnd and spend like 35-45K or should I just go to the likes of Italy or Poland and get a cheap JAA IR done there?

Cheers for replys guys

[norunway]

In JAA land you can only get an IR on a multi-engine aircraft unless you do it on Bristow's 206 which is the only aircraft that is single engine Ir certified.SPIR stands for single pilot instrument rating your other option is MPIR wich is multi pilot instrument rating.To work offshore you need one or the other.The price of the Bristow's single engine IR is not that much cheaper then any of the other schools Multi engine single pilot IR's usually done on a twin squirell or Agusta 109 as with the Bristow option you still have to do a multi engine upgrade.You are looking at spending £40,000 Stg to get a Multi engine single pilot instrument rating which would then attract the attention of the north sea operators if you were looking for a job.With 400 hours and no turbine time you have absolutely no chance of getting a corporate job at home.

[manfromuncle]

G-HALE

May I suggest this

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=253856

Your query has been covered many many many many many times before here.

[G-HALE]

Cheers for clearing that up. Makes sence now to me.
Sounds to me im better of instructing and mabey some charter work on single turbines for 2 years first! Then do the IR before my ATPL exams expire. Still be only 23, so should have no problem with my age or anything getting a job and hopefully have clost to 2000hrs under my belt by then ;)

[dcfc]

Bite the bullet dude and shell out for the SEIR is my advice. The offshore companies are crying out for pilots at the moment so strike while the iron is hot. I did the same a couple of years ago, only had 250hrs and dropped lucky with co jo slot..but the odds are far better now!

Dont forget you have 3 years max to pass the IR starting from the date you passed all the ATPL exams...****e rule if you ask me!

Happy xmas and new year! :ok:

[Senior Pilot]

G-HALE,

As manfromuncle mentioned, there is a thread "So you want to be a helicopter pilot" (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=253856) stuck at the top of this Forum, which Heliport spent a lot of time putting together with links to threads dealing with questions such as yours.

Rather than have (another) thread develop, this one is now closed. You can always use the link to use an existing thread to get further advice :ok: