Job prospects tell us like it is

[Lee Harris]

I am currently trying to decide which country to do my (CPL (H)) in. The two main candidates are USA and Australia. One of my main concerns is how easy or should I say difficult it will be to get a job after completing my CPL.

As most schools that I contact paint a buoyant picture of the job market for newly qualified pilots I thought that the pilots here could tell all us wannabes how it really is.

Please tell us, as people who have had to find the jobs yourselves, what are the prospects for us newly qualified pilots. If you could include what you currently do and how you got there that would make intresting reading for all us hopefulls.

If pilots from around the globe could do this It could really help me decide a country to train in. My personal intrest is in rotary jobs but I am sure that all the wannabes would like to know what were getting ourselves into.

many thanks
Lee

[yowie]

Lee,
You will get your first job no matter where you do your training,it really comes down to how hard YOU are going to push and how long YOU are going to push for.There are plenty of jobs down here in oz,IF YOU GO AND GET IT,fixed or rotary,but it is a sellers market at the moment(probably always will be for guys/gals starting out,opinions?)You are only one of hundreds(THOUSANDS)looking.The only way you will find out is by having a go and putting yourself into the market.Just like the rest of us.

------------------
the force,it really sucks

[Capt737AA]

Lee..

The US market is a great place to be for a pilot right now...but for how long, I don't know. All the majors are hiring right up to the max they can and are limited only by their flight academy/simulator capacity constraints. Here at American Airlines, we are hiring 108 pilots per month for the rest of this year. We are also contracting out to 7 other training companies/airlines to help ease our flt academy's full schedule.

The beginner pilot here has a great chance to get on with a commuter to one of the big airlines, ie, Eagle, Skywest, United Express etc...as their requirements are now at, I believe around 250 hours to start.

NOW is the time to get hired. Don't wait any longer than you have to....the seniority thing reigns supreme!!

Yowie talked about how hard YOU want to work at it......take that as the gospel. Do research on each company you want to work for...talk to some of their pilots. Become knowledgable of their operations, fleet, bases, chief pilot names, CEO's etc.

Hope this helps.

Patrick Lane
Captain 737-800
American Airlines

[in need of help]

Capt 737 AA

It sounds good in America, but with a JAR ATPL (frozen) would commuter airlines hire you or do you need to pay for your own conversion?

What do you think the situtation would be regarding getting a visa ? Would commuter lines sponsor you ?

Cheers

[Roadtrip]

As has been said many times in this forum, you've got to have the "right to work" in the US before any reputable US company will hire you. There is no need for US companies to sponsor foriegn pilots when there are adequate numbers of experience US pilots to choose from. There is no pilot shortage, just a decrease in the experienced pilot pool. Some regionals are hiring inexperienced pilots with only 1000 hours total time and perhaps as few as 200 multi-eng hours, but probably not the ones you'd like to work for.

[Lee Harris]

Many thanks to everyone that has replied, I still haven't made up my mind where to undertake my training so any further advice would be appreciated.

Regards
Lee