Had 2 offers last year-2009.

First flying Kingairs, pay for type rating and salary of £18,000.

Second, on a scheme with a certain operator that uses jetstreams. Work 2 years in operations with accomodation provided and a yearly salary of £12,000. After the two years, a bonded type rating on their aircraft and a salary of £22,000.

As I'm still paying off a student loan, I declined both offers. At the end of the day, you have to be practical. You need to be able to put food on your table and a roof over your head.

Since then, I've been promoted in my current job earning 55K and if I play my cards right, I could have a chance to move up the ladder within the next year or two.

I'm sure there's a few of you out there who regard me foolish for not taking up one of the offers I got. But since then, the kingair operator have cut their fleet to two aircraft and the other crowd have cut some routes and are imposing pay cuts on their pilots. Hindsight is all very well, isn't it? I decided to play it safe and as luck would have it, made the right decision.

It was a great boost for my confidence to get job offers in an inclement job market. I don't regret my decisions. I'm confident I will get a better offer when the market picks up, which I will be in a position to accept. Meanwhile I'm making the best of a bad situation. I'm keeping current. I've bought a flat in an upmarket area, which will be a good future investment. Also, I'm clearing off any debts and living my life as best as I can.

And my usual two cents worth...
-Believe in yourself and your abilities. If you don't, nobody else will.
-STAY CURRENT!!!
-Don't put your life on hold. Life is for living.
-Never sell yourself short.
-Look after your health. No class 1, you know what that means.
-If life hands you a bag of lemons, make lemonade.

So.... critics...
Go right ahead. You're entitled to your opinions.

Trolls...
Get back under your bridge.

Regards, CG

1 interview after my cpl, and I got the job 3 weeks later...I was so happy...ok I am good...
what do you except when you come from Oxford?a job of course when modular won't get anything for years.

(i am talking about a job at mac do!!!)

flyprototype, to quote cessnagirl:

i think he is talking about his job under the golden arches called McDonalds!

absolutely nothing
 

sorry to say, but absolutely nothing is out there for a beginner.

I am: an aeroplane engineer with ICAO/JAA CPL-IR+ME, frozen ATPL, ICAO level 5, 280 hours total, etc..

I am willing to pay for type rating and even line training IF there is a signed job contract at the end. But there is no such thing.

hundreds of CVs sent, not one reply.

and very, very sorry to see that airlines do hire people:
-if they are buddies of the insiders
-if they pay about 30-50000 euros

and of course they do not get paid and of course they are back on the streets unemployed after 6 months.

this is tragic. aviation stinks.

I was hired august 2008, and after med a know a few guys hired also. A few by Widerøe, a few by AirBaltic and recently a few by Norwegian. Another chap got hired on a Navajo to fly aerial photography etc, and one by Thomas Cook. So the jobs are out there...

i paid easyjet 100k and i got a gr8 job, don't know how long it will last though

Finished training March 2009 got lucky and landed full time para dropping role in April 2009... right place right time like so many of these things.

Have been looking to move onto Air Taxi / Biz Jet now since December but very little response from anyone to date.

After finished in August 08, I got office job in businessjet company in Oct 08, and they sent me type rating course in may 09. Had another option also, to start as a FI in January 09. In this time between had got also 2 other flying job offers - last year as a FO in turboprops and in this January start fly similar type jet as I fly now.
Maybe I'am lucky but I think that lot of socializing and beer afterhours and hard work in the office has finally paid off - almost as important as to know people who know people who might like you to fly for them.

job
 

flyprototype at least your honest :ok:

I was modular mid 2007, (GS only @ OAT), flight training completed, April 2008, probably paid half the amount you did and get a job rather quickly might I add. Though had to travel, pardon the pun.

Good luck to youall, hang in there..... :D

Forget flyprototype,

He's so illiterate I would not even let him fly my 'wii sports resort dogfight'

Just heard about another guy today, being taken on by Danish Air Transport. I also know one guy who will start flying for a startup with D328s; and a few guys hired by Norwegian lately, too. So it seems things are starting to normalize.

:eek: lol sorry, couldn't help it...

bfisk,
could you share a little more info on how some of your friends are getting jobs at Norwegian, etc, please? What were their times, experience, etc if you don't mind. Tack!

Finished my ATPL back in may 2009... :) Done MCC at OAA in Stockholm aiming for Ryanair... :) Got the interview 6 months later (that was Dec. 2009)... :) Paied £260 for my assessment... :*, but didn'g get through...:{ Still here. :sad: The only aircraft sound I hear is the one from those landing at Stansted Airport... As I work there for a car rental company.
Looking everywhere, but looks like all the airlines recruiting need 1000+ hours!!!
I think we'll all have to wait another couple of years, unless you try your chances in bush flying in Africa...
Good luck to all of us... :rolleyes:

We had to take on around 120 FOs during the winter, however training is quite stretched so we have to take another couple lufthansa studends who get their typerating from lufthansa so it is easier on our own training plus a few experienced tui FOs for the same reason. However we probably have to continue to hire more in all probability as much as training allows. Only caveat, you have to be fluent in german...

Re Norwegian:

I personally know 3 that will start there. Two of them have no commercial operating experience but some FAA flight instructor experience (don't know total time, guess 1000-1500 hours?), but have worked in the cabin for a while. Third one is quite experienced smaller single- and multi turboprops and has worked with handling for DY before.

I've also heard that one other guy where I work is starting with DY, I don't know his experience level. Rumour also has it that there's quite a lot of the laid off SAS guys starting, although I would not be able to confirm that.

So it seems there are two ways in; a ****load of 737 time, or a foot on the inside.

Finished in the late 2008's. Still living on hope. Tried in every continent but not even a single interview call. Was willing to do SSTR and work for free, still no good. So its not just you mate, around 40-50 chaps from a premier school in NZ are still jobless. But don't loose hope. Try try again until you succeed.:ok:
The coast is not far away. All The Best..!!

You might want to do SSTR and stay home as it's going to be exactly the same... :ugh:

In a commercial setting, the employer conceives of a productive activity, generally with the intention of generating a profit, and the employee contributes labour to the enterprise, usually in return for payment of wages.

CRJ200/700 Capatins
 

Dear all, I could not read all your stories and not reply, may be i can help one or two of you only if you have CRJ200/700 PIC time.