The sands of time
 

In a completely un-scientific straw poll, for all those lucky people who are employed pilots, how long did it take you from finishing training to landing some work? Does this seem a fair assessment?

0 - 3 months: "how the :mad: did you do it that quickly? You should write a book"
3 - 6 months: "pretty good going and certainly better than average"
6 - 9 months: "quite normal and nothing to worry about"
9 - 12 months: "still not quite pacemaker material but a bit worrying"
12+ months: "are you in the right job?"

thankfully I'm a 2 weeks kind of guy at the moment and not yet an old hand job hunter.

Rgs

Al

is that from completed type rating or?
got my first job on the 737 5 months after the rating

737.pilot

I wondered about even before that.

I'm JAR FATPL & MCC / FAA CPL/IR with no type rating and writing to airlines trying to get work. I have a potential engineering job in the offing to pay the bills for the short term, but they'd like to know if I'm going to be off to a carrier after 6 weeks, 6 months or 6 years and in truth, I don't really know what is realistic. 6 - 9 months sounded fair to me, but the guys who have done it are better placed to tell me.

A:ok:

2 months from finishing FI course to first instructing position. 3 years to first airline position, starting in a couple of weeks :D :cool:

FF - is that with Flybe? Did your online application come good in the end?

:ok:

Craggs

1 day from finishing FI to working as FI, corporate position 3 months later, 6 figure salary 7 months later( in various countries around the world). Because I never went to the airlines or wasted my money on type ratings and was prepared to travel. Now I can afford to do a type rating on the Biz-jet of my choice without being in debt and will do it when I get the right offer.
I just took it one step at a time, and knocked on doors in person.

six figure sallary my arse! Unless ur talking south african rand of course.

Hedge81
Why is it that DICKS like you always think they know everything, I know what I was earning, I have the pay slips, it was in USD (I was working in the US) not ZAR and at the time was very close by a couple of grand the a UK pound 6 figure. If you dont know the facts just shut up!!!! You have no idea who I was flying for or what I was flying, so how could you make such an uninformed dumbarse statement. ******!

Hi Craggenmore

Nope wasn't with Flybe, they rejected me at interview last May, don't think DD likes us older fellas, from what I hear I haven't missed much.

Will be flying for a regional turbo prop operator, happy to say more when the inks dry on the contract!

6 months from finishing IR to first job, 3 months from finishing MCC. Turbo-prop for well-known UK regional. No type-rating. Bonded for 3 years. In my experience 6 months to a year is usual to find a first job.

The replies are useful folks. Thanks. Any one else who would like to offer an experience is greatly appreciated.

A

Amazingly it took two months down under and one year in the UK! Both jobs on (or is it in?) C172's. However, the UK job gave me some really good beer money untill a more poorly paid airline job came up. I can't help but think...

Got offered 2 instructing jobs 10 days into the FI course... started teaching 2 days after doing the test. Its great getting paid to fly!

Actually, Ally, I think a book written by any of the 12+ Months guys/gals would be much more instructive. Not to say entertaining.

Flying farmer, pleased to hear it, that's one up for the old gits then!

well done

MJR

From finishing training to 'landing some work' ... a few weeks.

From that so-called job, which paid $NZ10 (approx £4) per flying hour, through two more piecemeal-instructor-hourly-rate-sub-minimum-wage bogus kind of jobs where I was also working in other non-aviation jobs to pay the bills, to my first salaried flying position on piston twins = 5 years, 8 months.

From finishing CPL/IR to my first "airline" job (UK turboprop) - 7 years, 1 month.

:ok:

thanks to all who contributed here. Some top notch info, and some interetsing (and sobering) reading.

ATB

Ally:E