flyer75

Hi there all,

I have recently had a reply from Wideroe airline in Norway asking me for more details such as pictures of my pretty face(Whats that all about??)and one of the requirements being to SPEAK AND UNDERSTAND a Scandinavian language.

Now I start to understand why i never get any answers from countries like Spain,Italy ,Portugal....maybe they couldnt even understand my cover letter in English....

But Scandinavians..I have a high esteem for them...they speak english since they are 6 years all and pretty well too.

Cant English be the language once and for all???Couldnt I communicate to ATC in English even if im flying a Widereo Aircraft???

Is one having to know each EU language the new way to protectionnism???At least Air Fance says it loud and clear:WE DONT ACCEPT ANYTHING ELSE than a DGAC CPL/IR...

Comments welcomed,


Flyer75

olholh

I am a retired Wideroe captain. Done 20 years there, and 10 years eslewhere.

One of the first things I learned was the need to communicate in order to understand what was said, and often, what was not said.

People was kind to me at first. Then as time went on, it became more and more clear that I had to succumbe to the culture I was in at the time, and learn the language the best way I could, and as fast as I possibly could. Once that was decided, things went pretty easily, and I learned a lot. And how much richer life became!

This happened in the US, Guyana, England, Sudan, Gabon and in Norway.

I can just see you at the ground school in BOO, trying to decipher what the instructors are saying; you're in a group with 15 other guy's and gal's, all Norwegian, and you not being able to utter one word in the language.

Do not try to make this into anything political, or anything other than the mere fact that their native language is Norwegian. If you decide to go down that route, so be it. You're the one loosing out. If you decide to try to learn some, and get in, you'll find a whole new world opening up to you. You'll be a winner!

There are several courses in Norwegian available, check the net. Give yourself six weeks and you'll be able to communicate, at least........with the girls!

Good Luck!

flyer75

Dear Olhol..

Thank you for your post.
I did not intend to make anything political about it but merely trying to understand the reason behind ,if there is one.

6 weeks on the net to follow ground school classes for things like a new type rating?I am sorry but im not that good.
My knowledge in Swedish is not bad ,i understand most of casual conversations-for the girls-and can be somehow understood...
But is that enough?

And what about the pictures they ask for?whats that all about?should i wear a black or blue/yellow tie?

Flyer 75

olholh

In those positions I have held over the years, a photo has always been required. One is for internal use, if not for anything else than letting everyone know who our new friend is, and naturally you will have to have an ID Card made up, and for that you need a photo. Kapish?

As for tie.........it's Norway. Which colour should it be then? ;-)

As for language. Maybe your swedish would suffice. And it's not the technical jargong or terms you should worry about, more all the other things.

Evidently you've never been through speed language learning, have you. You'll be surprised. But......keep throwing up why's and but's, and you'll never get there.

What language is your native tounge anyway?

An2

flyer75,

Based on the fact that you can utter at least a couple of phrases in Swedish, I'd say you'll get the hang of norwegian pretty quickly! Basically all you have to do, is to end every sentence on a high note! (Had it been danish, however…….well, let's not even go there! …..'ey, olholh?)

You will most likely have no problem with the typerating course (since most of the manuals and stuff will be in english anyway), but…..if you are going to be able to interact with your hopefully soon-to-be collegues, you will have to learn the language. As mentioned before by "olholh", there will a new world opening up to you and I'm pretty sure you'll get to like the place.
Norwegians are a nice bunch of people, when treated with respect. Disrespect them (as in; not caring to learn their language for example),….and you will be put out to sea for whaling-target-practising.
Only one bad thing about Norway, really; It's pricy,…especially the Oslo area.

In short;
If you want the job and get to do what you love (in one of the worlds most scenic areas), and make money in the process? You 'd better suck it up…..Buster!!

You will not regret it!!!


Kind regards,

An2

flyer75

Dear Olhol,

Thanks again for your post..
No I never did fast learning for a foreign language,maybe because i spend too much time around swiss people..eheh
I am both french and swedish,but I lived most of my life in france,except a few years in Cape Town,USA and yes Stockholm,my favourite city so far with Boston.
I am quite willing to learn but I was kind of sceptic about my chances to go through training-if they ever select me(just got an application form,doesnt mean anything)-but I reckon Ian is right when he said all types(ie manuals)are in english...
i am aware of the high cost of life in Oslo-was the world most expensive city only a few years ago.

I have no doubt if selected to enjoy flying in those areas as I already enjoyed flying through the US midwest including the Dakotas during winter time..

As for the picture,I sent them my best one and the tie ..Ill buy one if given an interview ..lets see..red and blue???i always mix them up...

Hows the airline anyways?Im sure theyre a bunch of nice people..but what sort of experience are they looking for?their paper stated 800 hoursTT which im sure is the minimum to load their bags...Will they mind if I have a lot of time in single pilot ops and not multi in a so called "MPA"?above 5t7?

Tailwinds,

Flyer75

dexter256

You ought to find that Norwegian is perhaps the easiest dialect in Europe to learn, at least for a native English speaker IMHO. Either that or Italian.

Skal vi har et glass øl til i norge? =)

pilot dude

Just out of curiousity, Is wideroe selecting pilots at this time.

(Jeg snakker bare Norsk hva kone min har laert meg, er det nok Norsk?)

olholh

I would think WF will be hiring more or less continuously in the years to come, although not in any great numbers. The reason lies partly in some expansion, partly in the fact that many og my old colleagues will be retiring, those borne in 1943-44 and onwards. Particularly 1945-46-47 are a fairly large percentage of the corps.

What kind of company? Started in 1934. All kinds of aircraft over the years, DC3's, some old bomber at one time, then the DHC-2 came along, then into the 60's, the DHC-6, the "kortbaneoperations" the 7, 8, moving south and out, Q400. A long, exciting and varied history. An inseparable part of Norwegian, Arctic and Antarctic aviation history.

I started in 1977, and my Ops. Manager helge, at the time, said I was lucky to get in. Not likely they'd hire anymore for many, many years. I think I was number 97 at the time of hiring. 18 months later there was at least 80 guys behins me on the list. 'Cause things are run as per seniority list.

A strong collective agreement environment was developed over the years. Wages are "diversified" in the sense that it is built up by different elements, providing an environment for improvement in stages and within different job-related, sectionalised description.

The work schedule has always been one of the best in the industry, working strictly to a 7 on/7 off routine, with six weeks paid holiday by those over 40 ( turning into 8 effectively ). IATA ticket agrement, with an efficient office to deal with your request for tickets. A host of other "deals", from which you are free to select.

A good pension scheme. An excellent Loss-of-License arrangement, a superb what they call Personnel-Casco arrangement of the same size as the L-of-L. All of this I have had the privilege of being covered by, when an eye failed. Life-insurances for your and your family is in force.

I could name a host of other things in this realm, but better not, in case someone should think I am being too liberal.

As for the professional side of things. You'll be flying with captains with an immense amount of experience. Over the years, and after having been given a few very effective reminders of what one really is responsible for, a well developed, and finetuned SOP is in force, one that should simplify and secure a very demanding operation. Your FOM is detailed and descriptive, and a very supportive tool for you to use. Your training regime is more demanding than the average industry standard, and so it should be, since you will be operating in one of the worlds most notoriuous regins, weatherwise. A comprhensive Training Department looks after you, every inch of the way.

I can go on ond on.

The only difficult thing About Wideroe, is that once you're in, it's impossible to get out! And that is definately what you'll hear from your spouce when you bring home your first paycheck!

Good Luck.

flyer75

Olhol,

I have nearly finished filling in their form but a few words I cant seem to understand,my swedish native mother who came to the rescue couldnt either...might be too specific...

Tjeneste?
Linktid?
Tillits-el.andre verv?

Got also a reply from a german airline telling me that I had to be fluent in German for my application to be accepted..Flight Crew Safety and interviews lead problems were advanced as the reason....oh well...Id rather eat fil mjolk and a banan rather than sausage and "choucroute" for breakfast anyways;-)

Thank you for your help.

Flyer75

olholh

- sausage & sauerkraut :-)

- tjeneste:
a service you have rendered, like 9 months of military service, did 7 months with a flying club unit in the UK and so on. Kapish?

- linktid:
how much simulator time have you got?. Remember the old link? I have time in that, back in the mid-60's. The term has stuck.

- have you ever been a secretary in a youth club, student-organisation, local community committee or any other such thing? It's interesting to see if you have other interests or talents besides flying.

Hey, use my e-mail address instead ( [email protected] ), and I'll be able to answer you more quickly.

Harald

Hårek den Hardbalne

Flyer75,

I do not know were yo`re coming from, but reading your posts makes me wonder if you should not stay where you are (as in: outside of Norway). May be Mr. olholh can take care of your problems I certainly can`t help you if you do not understand that you have to master the local language to the point where you can order a Mack beer on a night stop. We, the Norwegians do not have any problems mastering the SOP language, but it does not make much sence to us using another language than Norwegian when we bull**** in a local bar. I`m sure you understand

Flap Sup

Hårek,

If Flyer75 can't order Mack beer in Norwegian, mabye he is better of, not speaking Norwegian Norwegian or not, no one should be forced to drink Mack. Try another. ANY other (OK I'll go hide under my rock now)
fs

An2

Hey there "Olholh"!!

Whatever happened to that son of yours?
Is he flying in the US?

pilot dude

Hårek den Hardbalne

from which country do you fly that you have EU as your location since Norway is clearly not an EU country?

PD

flyer75

Dear all,

Im sure I could handle to order a beer in a pub in Norway as Im as sure my index finger could do the job at first.
I understand most of swedish and can communicate somehow,I believe to know enough to enjoy an easy night out with drunk colleagues..thats where my Southern european Hand Linguo comes into action;-)

Flyer75

Pointer

Hi there ya'll,

I just want this off my chest:

The new protectionisme is indeed the language skill/level. I do understand the need to 'speak' the local language as to interact as a human but to make it a requirment is not the way. However there is a growing trend in this practice. Look at the french and now increasing use of this measure in the scandinavian country's.

One country that is more or less positive trend is Holland, most they ask is "willing to learn".

I am always trying to learn the language of the host country. If only a courtesy to colleagues. If i would be hired by lets say a scandanavian company i most certainly would learn the language.

Is this not arranged in Brussels?

pilot dude

Correct, KLM hires loads of experienced foreign pilots with experience, The then offer (and pay for) a course in dutch

Of course Im learning norwegian, but anybody that ever lerned a language know's that you don't "learn" a language until you mingle with the locals aka live in the country.

And by the way it is: "to Mack øl, Takk." you bunch of tosker.

PD

flapsforty

The thing with only asking for "willing to learn" is that it sounds very good, but isn't really foolproof in practice.
In KLM we have a fair number of foreign pilots. Most of whom have gone through the trouble of learning Dutch, but some of them who haven't.
Thinking of the Norwegians we have in the cockpit... The 3 blokes I know who have learnt the lingo enjoy their life with the comp. They of course still have their Norwegian perspective on things, which makes for some very interesting situations.

.......... FA: Errrrmmm, Jude... does the FO have a tumour on his upper lip? Me: No dear, he's sucking tobacco, it's a Scandinavian custom. It's perfectly harmless, just don't kiss him.

The guys who have not bothered to learn the lingo (I know one Norwegian, a Swiss and an Aussie who can't be arsed) to a man greatly dislike their job environment.
They moan about everything and everybody, the company sucks, the country sucks and the people they work with suck.

That it might be their own attitude, examplified in their unwillingness to learn a new language, which makes their life so miserable is something that never occurs to them.
And they don't wanna hear it either.


flyer75, a pointer from a forreigner living in Norway long-time on speaking the language. Learn it and speak it whenever you can. It's fun.
But when dealing with policemen and shop assistants, I have found that speaking English works much better.
Speak Norwegian with an accent and get treated like a profiteering asylum seeker. (Østlendinger can be particularly arrogant when you get an inflection wrong)
Speak English and get treated like a respected foreign visitor!
Foolproof!

olholh

WHO SAID AN ØSTLENDING WAS ARROGANT? :-)

Apart from the above, I'll follow you all the way. If one decides to go and work in another country, have the common sense to learn at least a little bit of their language. Adding a bit of cultural study wouldn't go amiss either.

Whenever I have gone to another country, I have always made an effort both towards language and culture. A trip to thebookshop for some light reading material on culture and history, has always paid off handsomely.

And now? near 60 and retired? Friends all over the place, and a rich, fulfilling retirement to boot.

Skip the jabber, get out there and learn!