Is being a contract-pilot bad for your CV?

[cupoftea]

Thinking about starting to fly as a contract pilot...the benefits are good pay, downside no job security.Mostly 6 months contracts to help the companies involved upgrade own people.What worries me most, is how e.g. having 4 different operators in 2 years will show up on your cv if you want to go back to "regular" flying.Is that seen as me being a "unreliable" person, or fully understood as that being the nature of the job, that is short term contracts?or are "contract pilots" seen as a different breed all together and not seen as a serious candidate for any self called "decent" airline.could anyone share some light on that, especially those folks working in the hiring/selection departments. thx. COT

[chimbu warrior]

Flipside is that it can provide you with some interesting and varied experience. That in itself can be very helpful when it comes to landing the next gig.

[LanFranc]

FWIW, I am with my 15th airline. In 27 years I haven't spend one day in forced unemployment. Yes there have been a few periods of 'down time' but it was of my own choosing. Yes, some contracts were not as good as others but I moved on. I've made a good living, had a lot fun, been and done a lot of interesting things and wouldn't trade it for a one or two airline carreer if I had it to do all over again.

Bottom line is, contracting is what you make of it. If you'd be happy moving to different locales, if you don't mind not knowing where you'll be or what you'll be flying 2 years from now, if you can be fiscally responsible and have a good financial plan and most importantly, if you can stay open minded, you can be very happy.

If, on the other hand, you want 'stability', long term certainty and the ability to plan your vactions and serious life events down to the day or week, if you can't plan your finances, save and invest, contracting might not be for you.

There have been plenty of contractors I have known that have moved around a lot and then found a place they really liked and settled there for many years. Others, like me, just keep moving around. Like most carreer decisions for pilots, you need to to think hard about where you want to be and how you're going to get there. My advice: Don't go off on tangents unless you are very sure of what you're doing. You'll end up very unhappy.

Cheers

[GlueBall]

It's not about where you've been; it's about whether you can fly instruments; it's about your attitude and whether or not your personality fits into the company's culture. It's about whether you are trainable, because for some very experienced folks the most difficult part is unlearning the old ways of doing things at the previous carrier(s).

[nuclear weapon]

I think in addition to all this it also shows you are flexible. Although some companies might pull you up on this during interviews and see it as a sign of unwillingness to commit long term to any company.

[Knee Trembler]

Having spent a bit of time contracting, I would suggest caution if you are planning to return to airline flying.

At a recent (successful) interview, the interviewer cast a glance at my CV and commented that he hoped to have someone stay for more than 2 years. Luckily I was able to persuade him that I do indeed intend to stay for longer (the truth!) and all was well. It was clearly a mark against me though.

My time contracting was not by choice and I wouldn't choose to do that again. Others, as you have seen, have a different (and completely legitimate) view.

Bear in mind, though, that interviewers will generally be long serving members of the company and are (love it or loathe it) likely to be quite conservative in nature.

Also, and I don't mean this in any was as a generalisation, there are SOME contractors who leave an impression way beyond their statistical relevance. I've known a few and I guess most readers here have too. If you are unlucky, you are possibly going to be tarred with the same brush, especially if the company has recently had a bad experience.

Best of luck whichever route you choose to go:-)

KT

[The Real Slim Shady]

It's a marvellous experience because you get to experience "other ways" of skinning the cat.

In my opinion the varied experience of someone who has been contracting is invaluable when you compare it to someone who has had exposure to only 1 company.

Having said that, I went to TUI ( Thomson) for an interview, as a TUI ( not UK Trng Cptn on a contract) and they treated me like sh1t.

I left the interview ready to lay out the clown who was interviewing me, and the much beloved Gronya, the trick cyclist - "Did you think about renting the simulator?" "No because I'm doing 110hrs month teaching your pilots!" - God / Allah bless her.

Contract, get the experience, enjoy.

[Metro man]

Just remember, the phrase "That's not how we did things at .............." doesn't tend to go down too well.

A GOOD record with a small number of reputable airlines could be a plus for a training captain, especially for a job with a start up.

Too many less reputable companies with no good reason for changing jobs ie bankrupcy, would put a big question mark over you.


We have a relatively high turn over and I've seen some 'colourful characters' come and go. Some have been through six airlines in seven years and I can well understand why. :E

[Airbus_a321]

@metroman YOU dont understand anything :hmm:

[space pig]

Having done contract flying myself for several years now, I can see what metroman is talking about, however.....

I did not start to fly as a contracter at free will, I just did not have a choice at the time...the only jobs available then after I was layed off by a bankrupt company was a contract pilot for 6 months.

Now I must say the money was good, but the insecurity a bitt less.

Companies use you often for the summer season only, or until they upgrade some co-pilots, so being stopped a contract is not my fault , just a commercial decision.

I accept that but I also realize that it can be seen by a prospective employer as a higly unreliable pilot, who can't stay anywhere longer than 6 months to a year.

Having started to look for a "fixed" job myself, in return for less cash, but more security, I have started to worry about this as well.

I can only hope that my explanation will go well with the interviewer as I have always wanted the secure job, just could not find it so far.

[powerstall]

IMHO, it could go both ways.... some airlines would like to have that "Guarantee" that after training you and such, IOE's, RQ's, TR's... you would be a long term asset which will give them years of service..... but it could also show your flexibility in terms of operations, changing conditions etc.... :E

[space pig]

Well yes, powerstall that makes sense.

It does show that you are able to adapt quickly to new working conditions(SOP's,company culture) , so you are trainable.

Next to that you have seen many more airports and countries than most which surely adds to your experience and perhaps benefit.