Belize

[spm]

Anyone have any info on what's going on in Belize these days at Tropic and Maya? I heard a rumor that they might be needing people in the summer. Any truth to it and if not approximately when would they be needing someone.

Any information on other countries in Central or South America that hire expats would be great too.

Thanks

SPM

[mkeelan]

not much going on for jobs in belize. tropic air is over staffed right now, and there is already a couple locals waiting to fill the next positions that come available. maya might be hiring this year as they are getting another caravan or two and possibly a B1900D. i know that both companies get tonnes of resumes, so if your serious about working here i would suggest taking a little trip here. pretty much all the expats working in belize took a trip here before they were hired. if you're in saint maarten, then you can get here with air jamaica now, they fly here 4 times a week via montego bay. don't know maya's email address off hand, but they have a website: www.mayaislandair.com
hope this helps
cheers

[lizzard]

hello helllo!

Am planning a trip to central America around end May-June to look around a bit.
I know from experience in Africa that timing is often the secret to success, .... is this a good time to be doing the rounds? do they have an open attitude towards female pilots? and is 2000 TT 1000 on Caravans a fair chance? Cheapest way to get there?

Any info will be most appreciated..and will be rewarded by a drink of your choice if I bump into you

[mkeelan]

lizzard

i would say that your timming would be fairly good around that time, as that is when Maya Island Air is getting another caravan and possibly a B1900D. your time is definately good, and the fact that you flew in africa would probably help too for the bush experience. being a female i don't think would be a problem, Tropic Air has a female pilot already and has had others in the past.
cheapest way to get here from africa? i would say going through london and then getting a ticket on Air Jamaica, connecting in montego bay, they seem to have the best rates to belize right now.
oh ya, and i'll take a rum & coke when i see ya.:cool:

[Panama Jack]

Travel plans like this is where a good travel agent really earns his keep. Don't forget that KLM flies worldwide (maybe even to your part of the world in Africa) and I believe they still serve Guatemala City. From Guatemala, there are numerous ways to get to Belize.

[JoeCo]

Hey mkeelan,

You back down there?? From your other posts, you were back in Canada looking for work. No luck I presume? I tried to contact you before but I never got a reply? Anyhow, no stress, but if you are back there, all the best to you!! You have always provide good accurate info so keep posting!! What is you take on a situation where doing the trip to Belize in search of employment is not financially possible?? Should I just give up now or will persistance through sending resumes eventually pay off?

Anyone who has anything to offer will be appreciated.

Thanks,

Joe

[lizzard]

Mkeelan,

Thanks for the info...will make that a double..

One more question...visa requirements? The states are very sticky about South Africans entering their teritory without 10 boxes of red tape and paperwork.. Is central America the same?

[Wireless]

Hey there Lizzard. Where and who were you flying for in Africa?

Cheers Bill.

[mkeelan]

JoCoe - i won't tell you to give up, but unless you show your face here your chances are slim. sad, but true.

lizzard, don't know for sure about any visa requirements but i think they are pretty easy going here. belize is a commonwealth nation and i believe you would only need a passport to enter. you could probably find that out from a travel agent though. if you were to get hired, the company that hires you would have to apply for a work permit. so long as there are no qualified local pilots to fill the positions, it's not hard to get. usually takes about a month to get and will cost you $750US.

cheers

i think it better be a triple now...
:}

[lizzard]

Hey Mkeelan!

Thanks for all the help.. I think i better stop asking questions otherwise you'll end up legless and me broke! hehe

wireless... if you want info about africa...check out the african forum..there's a good thread going about jobs in africa...or drop me a mail.

:} L

[lizzard]

hello hello

Has anyone got any information on where to stay in Belize and the costs involved. I browsed the net, but only some very expensive options came up.

thanks a mil

:cool:

[mkeelan]

lizzard

once in belize you will want to get on a flight to a town called San Pedro, on an island called Ambergris Caye. this is where tropic air is based, and maya also bases some pilots and aircraft here.

on the island there are a few cheaper hotels not advertised on the internet. most you don't need to book, just show up and as k for a room.
Ruby's hotel is right on the beach and has single rooms from $20US +
Hotel Del Rio is also on the beach and i think runs for $35US
Martha's hotel is not on the beach, but has rooms for $20US
there are a couple more cheap ones, but can't think of them off the top of my head.

food is reasonable, you can get a nice meal for under $10US at a restaurant. or you could eat off the food vendors for like $2US. booze is cheap, you can buy a litre of rum for $7US, and beers are about $2US at the bar.

hope this helps. drop me a PM if you decide to come down for sure and i can give you more info about the island and where to go for fun.:ok:

[rbaron]

mkeelan - $750US for the work permit "cost's you????" Doesn't the company pay for the work permit?
Cheers,
rbaron

[crack up]

rbaron:
They've been burned in the past by Canadians. Paid their permits, trained them, then they split after a couple of months when a better deal came up. The deals were made with a verble agreement and a hand shake. There is no reason for them to invest in work papers for an entry level ex-pat that probably won't stay around. They do provide training with out asking for anything in writing.

They use to get alot of qualified 208 pilots that had no objection or problem paying for their own papers, I'm sure it's the same now considering the current supply and demand climate.

[flyingman]

Hi lizzard

I have been reading your postings with interest and would appreciate being pointed in the right direction for working in africa. I have FAA ATPL 2600 hrs most of which is instructing, 35 hrs multi and 5 hrs on a falcon 10. If you prefer to you can email me on pprune flyingman@pilotpprune.
Any advice would be appreciated as I plan to go a wandering out there at the end of April and dont know where to start.

Good luck with your own job hunting.


Thanks in advance.



Flyingman