Pointless doing an Upgrade course!

[Speedjeans]

Well they tell you that if you do an upgrade course it will save you having to build up 700 hrs and therefore you will get a job quicker!
Yer that's what MOST schools will tell you...
However the fact of the matter is it seems to me and please my dear friends correct me if I'm wrong, is that very few people get jobs coming out of the schools with 250hrs etc, and most of the airlines that have replyed to me have said come back when you have 1000-1500hrs! Crazy that is why I paid to do an upgrade course, cos it UPGRADES you to the 700hr mark in theory.
Now if I did not do an upgrade course then I would have taken the flying instructor route blarr blarr blarr... I hear you say, so where am I going wrong or am I not going wrong in the first place, I would be interested to hear from other fellow ppruners to see if they are in the same boat as I am, i.e. finished training a year ago and can't get a job for love nor money, even though I have spent 8 years as an despatcher before leaving to do my licence etc.
I still get told by people who seem to have no idea about what us lot go through to get a licence "Come back when you have more experience" as they sat behind there desk chewing gum and arranging another Friday night out! Oh a bit bitchie I hear you say, but sometimes the truth. And yes I am getting a bit bitter not being able to get a job, sorry but that's the way I feel at the mo, we all need a bit a of a brake and I'm sure one day we'll all get that brake, but when is the big question?
Anyways love to hear your views on the job market and what not...
Cheers
Bitter & Twisted
SJ's

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Catch you on the flip side!

[RVR800]

It is all a matter of supply and demand

CV sifting - It's a numbers game

If you had 200 cvs for 4 posts how would
you do it? It cant be easy

Its pay fly pay fly pay fly wait pay fly
test pay fly wait in the mean time

[FalconJock]

I too did an upgrade last year.

I chose this route because, although I very much wanted to be an instructor and gain experience and hours, I couldn't support my children, new wife and house on an instructor salary for a couple of years. Also the IR would then cost approx £6-£7K. Also the cost of an instructors rating £5K the difference in cost is now only about £6K.
My loss of earnings would be tremendous for these two years hence financially better.

Also I believed that as I wasn't particulary current I may need the 80 Hours for the course. Good decision. I found the workload very high.

All told I found the course very good and duly qualified for a Frozen ATPL with 300 Hours and masses of confidence at getting a job. Thats where the bubble burst. I too got lots of rejection letters saying that without MCC and 1000 hours (100 Multi) I am not suitable. Very dejected and began to accept that unless I got very lucky I would have to give up the dream as I couldn't build hours quickly enough just at weekends.

Well I didn't give up and did get lucky. After persistant phone calls I managed to get an interview. This wasn't for 6 weeks, 6 long tortuous weeks with little sleep reading every pprune article I could find about interview questions and re-reading all of my ATPL Nav, Tech and Performance A books.

The day came and went. Sim ride 4 weeks later. Another long 4 weeks with little sleep.

Finally the call came that I am now in the pool. Now just a long tortuous 4 months with only a little more sleep.

I don't think I'll sleep properly until I start my course.

Anyway the point is don't give up. Ask around and find airlines that have or will take low hour people and be politely persistant.

... and keep everything crossed.

In hindsight The upgrade course worked for me.

Good luck.

[ronchonner]

sorry to hear that, but we are all in the same boat.
the big tendency actually is to send you in a school, and surprisely, it s never enough, a course for that, a course for this, an mcc, an upgrade couse, a refresher course,...
but no job.
yes, it s very frustrating!particulary when you spent so much energy and money and you see that a guy with 200h get a job in an ailine cuz he know the manager!
so, why do nt you buy a block of hours(or do your cfi ) in the USA or else and start to fly?.I mean to fly really and stop to believe in all these european schools waiting only for your money.
with hours and experience, you will open the doors of the market.you will fly small planes, then with connection and experience , you will fly biger and biger.
the other guys staying in england are just good to pay.noone is going to give a flying job to a guy staying with mom!
i think it s a choice, you stay in the jarland and you are a number on a LONG waiting list (but during the time you are on top of the list, you are too old for the company)or you go somewhere else to fly and start your career as a commercial pilot.
it's your choice, I did mine...

[eezypilot]

speedjeans you hairy little bear, you little emporer. When I am chief pilot you will be the first to get a job!!

Seriously buddy, dont get too down hearted, you ve only been back a short time, give it a chance

and stay off the macdonalds

catch you on the flip side

[Kiltie]

There is too much bull***t talked about 509'ers compared with self improvers. Each employing company has their own idea about self-improvers/509'ers; IMHO 509ers don't have enough real-time experience/bad habits to argue with their new employment regime; therefore they are attractive as they can be "moulded" to a company's way of practice (doesn't mean they have any better/less skill than others).

States hours are worthless. Off we go then with the red-faced symbol arguments! I for one work for a prominent company who (including me) sifle through CV's not rating USA hours as they are pure hour building excercises; we'd rather have the albeit low time twin guys that have wormed their ways in to company that gives them useful A to B routes in the UK - ie real time experience. Anyone can hire a 4 seat 4 cyl twin in the USA and bumble round the skies VFR akin to that of a 152.

The real "jump-out" sign that appears on a CV is someone that is making the effort to stay CURRENT. You passed your upgrade 4 years ago, you're bitter about not getting a job but you don't show that on your application, because you're still 152 instructing to stay current. You're not sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring just because you sent out 100 CV's first class every 6 weeks for the last two years.

By the way Speedjeans, friendly albeit sarcastic advice but if you asked for a job "'cos you needed a brake" I'd be turned off by your inability to spell. I know we're all not Masters in English degrees but make sure that CV is sterile of any errors or you will be viewed as lazy - human nature.

Crack on with the arguments/disagreements chaps, but this opinion is coming from the horse's mouth.