Practical aspects of looking for a job

[KayPam]

Hello

I am planning to begin my practical training in a few months, and since I am working for a (ground) company, I need to warn them well in advance of me wanting to stop working for at least 4 months.

This leads me to wonder whether I should ask for temporary leave or definitive resignation.
Also, since my job is quite unique and very relevant to the pilot job (I am an accident/incident investigator) I would be a tad reluctant to quit it without anything waiting.

Could working a job adversely affect me looking for a pilot job ?
More precise questions on this topic could be : how many days in advance are we typically informed of our selection date ? Is it typical to have to attend multiple selection days before getting a job, or do airlines tend to call a very limited part of the CVs they receive ?

Do airlines care about the school of origin and if so could we please sum up the list of "authorized" modular schools ? Apart from CAE Oxford, CTC and FTE which seem to be able to send their cadets everywhere (even in modular)

Is it practical to apply for each and every small medium or large airline that one finds, or would there be a risk of getting too many interview ?
Having only ever looked for a job in a quasi-monopolistic field, I really feel that there is almost an infinite number of potential employers for pilots.

Thanks

[KayPam]

So two days per job interview ? Separated or one after the other ?

My day job does not offer many days of vacation, and my employer might not be happy if I need to book one or two days here and there while looking for another job.. That may be a bad reason for quitting though.


Financing is not decided yet, I have not even decided between the cheap, cheapest or most expensive option.. That's why I asked if it really counted to come from CTC/FTE or if any good modular school was okay.
But it is guaranteed I will be able to fund the cheap option (cheap = english modular school, cheapest is Poland and most expensive i'm willing to go is FTE)

[FZRA]

Realistically, you may only get one airline interview and that could be anything from 2 weeks after qualifying to 2 years. Some may never get the call (or give up waiting), whilst a few may be lucky to have more than one interview.

Therefore, I would stick to the day job if you can and help to pay off those training debts. If and when it comes to an interview, worry about it at the time. Worst case, call in sick.

I should add, that I do not advocate calling in sick normally! However, if it's your one and only airline interview...

[cefey]

In my opinion, your best bet is to go with CTC. Yes, it´s more expensive. But it might help you to get a job.
The hardest part (for most people) is not the education itself but finding a job.

It´s different from company to company with the interviews. But you should account AT LEAST 2 days, sometimes 3. As well, you should show a good judgement and get there one day before, in case something goes wrong (you flight get cancelled or something).

[portsharbourflyer]

Kayparm,

I know French working culture is slightly different, but if you have the chance to work on a contract or freelance basis it will give you the flexibility to take time off for job interviews, renewals and such forth. I have had two or three interviews for which I only received less than a weeks notice.

[KayPam]

Hello,

A little update on this topic : I'm quite sure I'll go to a specific school which will train me in a very short time.
I'm still unsure whether to choose simtech (who claim to have excellent employment numbers) or CTC. If CTC were to ask for a selection day, etc.. that could lead to a huge loss of time, and since I will be not working during this time, money would be lost as well (in addition to the supplemental cost of CTC)

Let's assume I have my CPL MEIR + MCC/JOC exactly tomorrow.
I start to apply for every job out there, from C152 to A321, including ATR, CRJ, etc..
What are the chances I'll find a decent job ? (decent meaning I will enough money than what will be required for food/accomodation/TR loan repayment)

Does the difficulty to find a job come from the market itself, or does it come from the fact that people only want to fly a bus or boeing, and whine when they don't ?

[studentpil0t]

Ryanair will hire you with a frozen ATPL but from what I've seen/heard. They're absolute :mad: if you compare them to other airlines elsewhere. Foot in the door nevertheless

[KayPam]

They will hire people with a frozen ATPL but not just anyone :p

You wouldn't go work there ?
If no, then good : more chances for me :)

Maybe they're :mad:, when compared to major airlines, but 100x times better than my desk job (engineering)

[Iselbewohner]

It is actually not possible for anyone to tell you your chances of landing an airline-job, because airlines usually do not solely rely on your previous results on paper, but rather invite you to an assessment. Your chances therefore depend on your performance at that assessment.

If you want to know what your chances are on getting invited to an assessment you will find very different opinions with different persons. My opinion, but that is only my opinion, is as follows: If you have done an integrated training with proper results (first time passes on all your tests and an average in the ATPL exams above 85%, better 90%) and you know how to write a descend application, you should get invited to an assessment or an other. But keep in mind that this is on the premisses you stated, so you get your fATPL tomorrow and you don´t mind which aircraft you will fly. That is important to mind because from today till the day you finish a lot can change in the industry.
Also if you want to rise your chances you should not be picky on where (in terms of which countryside) you work. Further more it is of importance which languages you speak, as some airlines require you to speak the language of their country. E.g. if you don´t speak German, Germany is closed for you as an ab-initio candidate.

[Iselbewohner]

*"decent" application, not "descend"....

[KayPam]

Well, I'm actually doing modular training.
I will most probably finish my ATPL theory distance learning with 90-95% average on June 23rd, 7 months after starting it. 11 first passes for now, hopefully 3 other first passes in June.

I do reckon only me can help myself succeeding in an assessment day, I'm was basically wondering if I could at least get invited to assessment days.

I'll obviously prepare myself for these interviews.

I'm ready to fly little turboprop aircraft in remote countries, even if staying in Europe would be preferrable due to the administrative side.

[Iselbewohner]

Do you already have CPL, ME IFR and MCC?

[KayPam]

No, I will be getting these at DFAS in october.
I couldn't get them before the end of ATPL theory :p