hhoowwwwwwwwww do i get a job?

[georgeaero]

I've just finished two years at college studying for an A license, but have ended up doing air legislation in an office. How do i ever get to work with a real aircraft again?!

any ideas/vacancies/advice appreciated.

:ok:

[jpoth06]

Send a written letter to as many companies as you can.

[Alber Ratman]

Yeph, apply for as many companies and hope.:ok: Somebody might like you..

[MungoP]

Get on your bike and visit as many FBOs and part 135 operations as you have access to... get to know people/names... find out who the decision makers are make sure they know you...cultivate some contacts... in addition.. All the Above.

[ProfEng]

Just for interest, could you let us know exactly what you got for your 2 years studying? Is it the full EASA Cat A Licence, in your hand, or is it a bit short of that, with perhaps some work experience or Practical training still to be accomplished before the CAA will consider your application?

Was the course part of a BTEC, or City & Guilds, or whatever? Was there any FE or HE funding for it, Or did you pay the whole tuition fee yourself? Were you offered any work experience ("OJT") during the course?

Which College were you with?

I would greatly appreciate all this information as I am looking at the way the system works, or doesn't work as the case may be. A PM would be fine if you prefer not to be too public. I'll keep it confidential, of course.

I can't promise any effective assistance with finding a job, but I can try.

[Dodo56]

As you will be aware the A licence comprises more than a college course. You need to pass the CAA exams at the required grades and have the required practical experience. In my company we get many requests for placements from people in your position and we have to turn them down because if we took them all we'd have more apprentices than engineers.

If you are set on the spanners as a career talk to some agencies and see if any of them can get you work as a connie. A lot of people do that to get the experience in, and if you provide your own logbook and speak nicely to the crew chief you should be able to get the right task coverage signed off.

On a wider note what's the problem with sitting in an office? You say you're just doing air leg but that could describe a wide variety of tasks from QA to Part M. Either way perfectly viable career paths for somebody with a relevant engineering background who doesn't have to spend the day lying in a pool of kerosene to get job satisfaction ;)

[Bus429]

Good points Dodo but you can't beat the hands-on/blistering heat/perishing cold/muck-up-to-the-ears/yelling pilots/satisfaction of curing a defect/raiding the galley/chatting up the girls/days/nights/ghosters/wire-locking through the finger/oil-diluted blood/blood-diluted oil/Skydrol-on-your-knackers/Skydrol-in-your-eyes/buzz down the arm 'cos you've forgotten to pull the CB/who's nicked my Snap-On screwdriver experience of working on aircraft because it is fantastic grounding for Quality and/or Continued Airworthiness work.

[Dodo56]

Fair comment, well made :D How could I forget....

[georgeaero]

Ok thanks for replies. For more info I did 5 weeks work experience with VintageAero, which was a mix of WW2 fighter planes and general light aircraft. Time went quickly. I now work in a technical services department looking after the paperwork that comes back from airlines, so i get the joys of doing filing, scanning, answering the telephone, computer stuff all for 18k a year. Time does not go quickly and I don't think I'll get many promotions as the best jobs go to anyone who turns up with 5 + years experience on the line.
I'd like to go back to fixing aircraft, been thinking NDT work is worth a look in too. I've sent cv's off to local companies in last month. I promise to try harder to look for something better after all your responses.
More opinions are welcome..
cheers

[Dodo56]

If what you're doing is Tech Records I'd have to agree it's not a career path with too many options - though it does get you a peep at the internal vacancies first when they occur. A part time degree with somebody like www.part66.com (http://www.part66.com) could open some doors, would the company help?

Some words on NDT as well as I was involved in a past life. The qualification requirements are quite rigorous requiring both fairly expensive courses and months of hands-on logged hours. Per discipline. You would never get the hours even if you wanted to pay for the courses, unless you were working for somebody who was in efect sponsoring you through it and was prepared to supervise you while you were learning. Many people come up through the oil and gas industry as they do a lot of inspection of pipes etc. Some component overhaul firms may be able to help as NDT of various housings can be part of their standard process. The most valued technique is eddy current and predictably this is also the hardest one to qualify in.

More info here: http://www.bindt.org/downloads/PCNGEN.pdf