Cathay contacts

[Mickey Video]

Hello PPrune peeps. This is my first post so excuse me if it's in the wrong place, just finding my way around.

I am fresh out of flight school in the UK and looking for work like everyone else. I wanted to try my luck and write a tailored letter to Cathay Singapore and Emirates. does anyone know names and addresses for the flight crew recruitment within these airlines?

Also I was hoping that they may be flexible with the hours they require if the rest of my CV was above par? for example if they ask for 1000 hours for a 2nd officer position would I stand any chance at all with only 150?

Thanks all :ok:

[skyhighbird]

I wanted to try my luck ...Cathay Singapore and Emirates....Also I was hoping that they may be flexible ... for example if they ask for 1000 hours ...would I stand any chance at all with only 150?


The worrying thing is that I don't think you are joking. And those airlines ask for circa 2500-3000 hours.

[bananaman2]

I was in a similar position myself (although with a few more hours) and thought i'd try my luck with Cathay also - got an email back in bold writing, stating the requirements for work as a pilot.
I know of a couple of other people who tried their luck both speculatively and also on the cadet scheme (they had a (f)ATPL fresh out of flight school and both had dual Nationality i.e Hong Kong ID card and British). They managed to get interviews/assessments for the cadet scheme but were told they were overqualified and that there were no cadet courses starting for some time anyway. This all happened sometime last year.

I sent my details through to a bucket address for pilot recruitment off the website. Think it was flightcrew recruitment.

[Chesty Morgan]

Finally, hahahahah 150 hours....

Now that is funny. I once had 20 hours, that's even funnier isn't it? I'll tell you what the funniest thing is, some people who have just started at a flight school have zero hours, my word that's hilarious. Who'd have thought.

Mickey, my advice would be to fire off as many C.V.'s as you can to as many airlines as you can and accept the first job offered to you, whatever it is. By all means send them to the likes of Cathay, Emirates and B.A. but don't hold your breath for you will surely suffocate. If your age is correct then you still have over 35 years to get into long haul flying if that's what you want to do (it is boring by the way, in my opinion) so there is no rush.

[skyhighbird]

Scooby79

write to them asking what realistic requirements are and if they know when recruitment will start again. Tell them a bit about yourself and why you really want a career with them.

What is with all this romantic mumbo-jumbo-write a letter BS? If there is one thing I have learnt on pprune, it is a CV should be kept to one page and anything else is thrown in the bin.

What airline will sit down and read a nicely crafted letter from a fATPL cadet saying how much he/she wants to be a pilot and blah blah..zzzzzzzzzzz

hey may start a file on you and if you send in an application when you do meet the mins it looks better as you have shown an interest and are not just trying your luck with anyone

You can't be serious?

[Mickey Video]

I know this is hilarious to some, not mentioning any names (but he's an antipodean male) but on seeing that Cathay are recruiting 2nd officers with 1000 hours and Hong Kong residents i didn't think it could hurt. I know it might be a long shot and i have of course tried all sorts of tacks to get employed but there is next to nothing out here for low hour guys like me. and after spending nigh on 80k and 2 years of hard work, I for one am not laughing.
The only thing that comes close to a career in aviation that i am seriously considering is flying UAV's in Afganistan.
so keep the laughter coming, you were here once. and if you have never been in a similar position then you have absolutley no idea how lucky you are.
Back to the origional question though. does anyone actually know who and where to address applications to. i believe the contact in Cathay is a lady called Claire Delaney

[scooby79]

I got a reply to a letter and CV I sent in 2004 when I had 1000 hours saying thanks for the interest but we require 3000 hours please write back then. When I interviewed with them in 2007 they brought that up. I think Cathay keep files and reply to any enquiry. What do you think? I now have a job, it can't have hurt. I agree most airlines throw stuff in the bin but some have long memories.

[guybrush]

Hello Mickey and welcome to Pprune!

Try the following website: PILOT CAREER CENTRE.com - Latest Pilot Jobs, Pilot Resume / Pilot CV Design, Interview Preps and more... (http://www.pilotcareercentre.com/)

You'll find the necessary e-mails for SOOOO many airlines.

You'll also find some background bits and pieces.

Hope this helps

Cheers :ok:
guybrush

[Captain-Random]

Maybe he's taking the mickey?

[Andy_20]

It’s amazing, how when someone who is genuinely asking questions can get receive such responses in such a negative way!

Mickey don’t listen to all this negative BS critism you’ve received from these narrow minded people! If you want to send a letter, albeit send one, if you don’t try you don’t get! I don’t see the harm in actually showing interest in proactively looking for work. All these negative comments are probably from people who think everything should land on their laps!

Australian guy, I find it amazing how you think having 150hrs is laughable, I take it you never had such low hours and somehow miraculously just started with 6000hrs under your belt! Your wasted being a pilot if you can perform that trick!

Take it easy:ok:

[Mickey Video]

Well Thank you those of you who have been constructive. and i'm glad i could bring a bit of laughter into the lives of those a little more bitter and cynical.

[betpump5]

I think there has been a degree of cynicism here which in this day and age is probably not so bad compared to when I wrote a letter some years back.

After 2 years on 732, I wrote a letter to a lot of airlines. I didn't expect anyone to reply but I went by the logic of "if you don't ask, you'll never know".

Being in SE Asia at the time, I mostly wrote off to the likes of Cathay, MAS, Singapore, Thai and got nothing. Same was with BA and Virgin. The only response I did get was from a Cargo Operator in the MIddle East. I recieved a letter of acknowledgement - which I threw in the bin. 6 months later, I was called asking me whether I could be in Dubai anytime soon for an interview.

Now this is slighty different granted. By then I was unfrozen.

I guess the point is that sure send the letter. But perhaps focus on airlines that aren't legacy carriers. Try the cargo operators first aswell.

But to all 250hr cadets out there, get Emirates, Cathay, Singapore out of your heads. Especially the last 2 I mentioned. Even with 4000 hours, if you are not a citizen of those countries then you have very little chance.

[ShirleyNot]

get Emirates, Cathay, Singapore out of your heads. Especially the last 2 I mentioned. Even with 4000 hours, if you are not a citizen of those countries then you have very little chance.

Rubbish!! Cathay and Singapore Airlines are full of expats, at CX the expats by far out number the locals.

For Cathay you'll need around 2500 hours + to enter as a Second Officer. If you have some sort of Hong Kong residency you could get in earlier. I have friend who got in with around 200 hours AS A CADET WITH HK RESIDENCY.

From what i hear most of the expats at Singapore come in as Direct Entry Captains, not all on permanent contracts, not many expat F/Os. So you may need more than 150 hours for that one...

Emirates require a set in stone, solid as rock 4000 hours total including 2000 hours Jet and not an hour less....even if you're an aeronautics professor at Cambridge. I went to one of their road shows and they did say that they dont mind an expression of interest, but all their recruitment is done through their careers website, so letters may not be acknowledged.

Have you looked at Etihad? I thought they had some sort of international cadetship scheme going on. Best thing get some regional airline experience then hit the big boys in a couple of years. If BA hire again they have lower hours requirements than some of the overseas airlines + they pay better and will look after you as an employee long term better than some of the previously mentioned.........check out fragrant harbour forum for further evidence..
cheers.

[A340Crazy]

As far as i'm concerned (being in the middle of my CPL training, so my views won't count as much). There was a guy who trained at my FTO who applied to Cathay only once he had reached the minimum requirements as a second officer, the first question they asked him was why was he only interested in them now? The obvious point being that it won't hurt to express interest even if your hours are well below the requirements. Some of them do have long memories.
I'v been told by countless pilots to send off as many CV's as possible when i finish training. So it cant hurt, but also not to hold my breath...

Good luck anyway!!

[kmagyoyo]

Mickie Video, Cathay are NOT repeat NOT hiring direct entry Pilots. I believe the Cadet scheme may be unaffected but you need to be a permanent resident of HKG to do this (details are on the website I am sure).

We are in the middle of a major economic crisis resulting in CX parking jets and getting 99% of its staff to take leave without pay as we cut capacity.

Last year when things were booming the MINIMUM requirements to be COMPETITIVE were, as previously stated, 2000 hours+ with most new hires either ex Military or T.P. Captains/RJ Co's.

I don't mean to offend, but do you really think there is any point in writing a letter to recruitment when we are not hiring, and even if we were, your nowhere and I mean nowhere near qualified? BTW to answer your question its not C.D. anymore.

[betpump5]

Shirley,

please calm down before you rubbish other's threads. With regards to Cathay and Singapore, I was pertaining to the current climate of economic uncertainty and trying to align my reply in the context of this 250hr cadet asking about those legacy carriers.

In Singapore, ex-pat contracts are not being renewed - also couple this with the fact that Singapore Airlines have their own ab-initio scheme. At Cathay, yes there are ex-pats. But they are not hiring.

The point I was making is that in 4-5 years time, the pilots in those respective countries who have managed to survive this crisis and have been flying domestic/medium haul airlines will be ahead of any UK Flybe/easyJet pilot hoping to move on to Singapore's/Cathay's 744s with 2-3000 hours.

Write the letter. You would have lost nothing.

[potkettleblack]

Mickey,

Check out the Fragrant Harbour forums and in particular the wannabe section as there is lots of information on getting into Cathay. Generally what you find with most of the big carriers is that although they have a set minimum number of hours in reality you won't get a look in unless you far exceed those due to the strength of the other candidates putting their CV's forward.

The Dunnunda forums will give you insight into work in Oz and NZ and Terms and Endearment is good for getting a feel for what is going on in the market.

Unfortunately most of the info relating to jobs etc in these sub forums is half truths and rumours spouted from overhead conversations at a flying school. Unfortunately most wannabes appear poorly read in the vagaries of the industry to which they are trying to get a job resulting in much rubbish being spouted.

[Mickey Video]

Australian guy. I don't recall saying that anything is beneath me. I have applied to all sorts of jobs, some jet jobs most turbo props. I have also been researching UAV work in Afganistan just so I can earn enough money and have enough time to hour build.
Your assumption that I feel I should be handed a jet job on a plate is founded in nothing but your own cynicism, and why not show interest in a dream airline. what ever happened to what if?
I'm not asking to be humoured, I did infact ask if it was at all realistic to apply with 150hours because "I didn't know" and I thought "laughably" apparently, that I should ask a forum full of people who probably do know. I will work hard for what I want as I always have done and I resent your accusation and derision. You have no idea who I am or what I am about

[DaFly]

Depending on how desperate & willing to work you are, you might find a job in Namibia or Botswana. It will be on C210 or C206 for the first few 100 hours.

[markieboy1234]

I think you lot should give this guy a break. At least he is trying to realise his dreams and you lot haere have just shot him down. Yes, these airlines do ask for thousands of hours but why should he not try, don't ask, don't get!

If you don't have anything positive to say you should keep it to yourself!

[flying_hamster]

Hey there mickey_video;

I am not sure if this helps, but there are a number of African Airlines that you might want to consider in order to build your hours. That, and a few Asian Carriers too, especially in India, as the airline industry there is growing tremendously! (try Jet Airways, Kingfisher, SpiceJet)

I do understand that feeling of, "there's no harm in trying", and frankly, i'd say, drop an application regardless, because you never know the demands of these airlines..

As for Africa, you could possibly try OneJetOne, which is a new operator in Kenya flying A320s, if i'm not mistaken. I have a number of friends who started flying for the UN for relief aid around the region too, but you're dealing with turbo-props for that case.

Then, you could also try a few of the schemes in and around Europe, with companies such as CityJet, BMI etc..all you need is to drop an application, and keep your fingers crossed for now isn't it?

All the best! and, dont worry, you too will get to the 1000++ hours mark pretty soon, as long as you love what you're doing!:ok: