Work Prospects in Fiji
 

Was just wondering if anybody could give me some information about working in Fiji. What are the job prospects like at the moment? What are the job prospects like for a junior CPL with 250hrs and a Grade 3 instructor rating? Any information would be helpful, including the contact details for companies willing to hire juniors such as myself:)

Thanks, max

Giday Max_Power747

Mate havn't been there for two years now but I stay in regular contact with guys still flying there.

Unfortunatly things there at the moment are a bit slow - if you have an instructor rating speak to Don Collingwood Owner of Sunflower Airlines / His off sider who runs the flying school is called Wayne Hinton.

This would be your best best and a leg in the door to start instructing and mabey move on to an Islander or somthing else down the track.

Air FIJI is quiet they've retired three of their turbine aircraft and closed their flying school - they also have alot of cadets waiting anxiously to try get any flying time what so ever. They've bought a few trilanders but captains off the old aircraft wil go on to fly them. Air Fiji pay nothing $7800 Australian for an Twin Otter FO Even the locals have to live with their parents to survive on this sought of money.

It used to be the best place around to fly but ever since the May 2000 George Speight Coup the economy droped , tourisim declined and flying reduced.

The whole system is very Nationalised and expats employment is a last resort.

But as they say throw your hat in the ring you never know your luck in a Big City!!!

Best of Luck - Bengwa!!!!!!!!

PS - the beer rules and after a few weeks there even the women start to look like Naomi Campbell .........well mabey after a few beers anyway!!

Bengwa,

Thanks so much for the info. to tell you the truth, i didnt really expect there to be any work in Fiji, but i thought i still should consider it anyway. I will try the guys at sunflower, just to see what they say.

Thanks again, max

G'day Max,

I have just returned from Fiji myself just a few weeks ago.......apparently a few years ago it used to be great place to work and it was only a matter off time before you ended up on a Twin Otter or Islander but these days it is a little tougher.

I was lucky enough to get a call from Wayne Hinton (the guy that runs Pacific Flying School) because he needed an instructor. I worked mainly as a theory instructor at first and then did some flying in a C172 for about 9 months.

Things were still looking good with Sun Air and I had been given 'word of mouth' guarantees that if I complete some training with the school that there was a very good chance of employment at the end of it. This training consisted of a Fiji IR and Islander endorsement. I pretty much finished all that training however there were a few changes in the company shortly thereafter which made even those expats already working for Sun Air a little worried.

There had been quiet a number of expats sitting around waiting for employment. Many of these had been promised employment from the old Director of Flight Ops (a promise easily obtained if you can get your hands on a goat or a bottle of Gin!). When I spoke to the new DFO, who I knew fairly well by this stage, I was told that it would be 9 months before they will employ again and even then there will be enough locals to fill the positions. The other expats were pretty much told the same thing. One of these had 500 hrs on the Twotter and also 300 hrs on the Islander which would have made him a fairly good choice for the company.

As someone else had also mentioned in his post, it would be a good idea to contact Wayne Hinton. He employed 2 new instructors recently both from Australia with Grade 3 instructor ratings. I do not think that he will employ anyone else in the near future but it would be worth sending a resume fo when he does. The good part of being an instructor in Fiji is that you will earn much more than the pilots working for the airline (approx $F20 000) which makes life very comfortable especially considering the low cost of living (maybe $250 pm rent). You will also have more girls than you can poke a stick at!

Air Fiji is even stricter on its policy of employing expats. Some pilots offer to pay the $F8000 for a Twotter endorsement but there is a long waiting list even for that! Although Air Fijis school has closed down one of the instructors has recently started his own school in Suva, when I spoke to him last he was still looking for an instructor. Pay was good and it could give you some great experiences!

If you do decide to go make sure you get an Islander endorsement before you go with at least 5 hours logged, otherwise they will not put the endorsement in your licence! Hire rate for an Islander is $900 for Air Fiji and $750 for Sun Air, in addition they are very hard to obtain! Expect to pay this for your Instrument conversion as it is the only piston Twin in Fiji that can be used for this purpose.



The contact details are below....


Shane Devery (flying School in Suva):

[email protected]

Wayne Hinton (Pacific Flying School / Sunflower) :

+679 720 681 (phone/fax)


Best of Luck!

DR

Ahhh...Fiji Girls!:D When I was there in '99, just after the election (those were the days) the place bubbled with 'em. And just to help out, it was also crawling with Koreanair hosties. Great stuff, as long as yer don't do what I did, mistake one for a Jap! (there's a long history of enslavement, colonisation, warfare and general bad **** between them. Bit like mistaking a Jewish chick for a Palestinian or vice versa.) And Fiji Beer is goood medicine!

max power ifyou want to see a real "Air Circus" find old uncle Don a Cessna 185 and get him fired up.
Well known as the "Collingwood Air Circus"
Make Bob Hoover look like a pussy.

Dont ask me ask him.:D

DirkRose,

Thanks for the reply. Some interesting info about Fiji (like the stuff about the women:p

I guess i will send off some resumes and make some calls. Thanks again, Max.

Dirk Diggler, were on earth did you come up with the name Dirkrose. Its been awhile since I rode your suicide machine to Rajvis to buy some Fiji Gold long necks for F2.60. We certainly had a good time in Fiji and I miss the place and the ppl and your jungle bunny love affairs. Oh well I guess aviation is full of shafting sometimes and I have learnt to expect nothing less. But dont let it get you down brother because theres only so much shafting that can be done, and im sure that you have had first hand experience with this with the local women in nail-biting Nadi. :p ;)

Hey Max, If all else fails you can ask Dirk how to go about applying for the Luftwaffe. ;)

Hey Dirk .... Howzit back in oz ... still the same here .. gettin a few more otter hours ...... keping away from jap chicks ???

you left a fair bit out in your speech ..... tell more ..

later

Dan

Well look what the cat dragged in. Bula vinaka Sir dangles. Howz it? Set Bro. I will never forget my tour of duty at club Fiji on NYE, until of course I declared myself K.I.A. Luckily for me, I was reincarnated like a 'Phoenix' from underneath a coconut tree on a deserted beach early N.Y morning. The cast away from club Fiji, Nadi didnt know what hit it. Anyway you aquatic celtic warrior, say hullo to everyone for me please, including Ang, Yaz, and not to mention Megan my child hood sweetheart. Maybe one day we shall meet again!!

Best Wishes,
:rolleyes: