USA to Africa Career Advice
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 4
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From: USA
USA to Africa Career Advice
I'm an American and a new FAA Commercial Pilot (250hrs). Due to personal connections, I was informally offered a FO position in an A320 for an African airline on the condition I go through an Airline Pilot Preparation Program. (43airschool.com).
Could I reasonably expect be hired by a US major after a few years of A320 FO? How about if I upgraded to Captain?
What am I not considering here?
Could I reasonably expect be hired by a US major after a few years of A320 FO? How about if I upgraded to Captain?
What am I not considering here?
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 94
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From: $1 motel
Sounds like your "personal connections" airline is 'SPRINGBOK' i will be very cautious if it is 'SPRINGBOK' in spending more money on the "Airline Pilot Preparation Program" yet the airline is flying in red! Why not invest on becoming a CFI and you can easily book 1k hours a year and move to regional airlines then flow to legacy airlines in 4-5 years or even after 3 years with regional airlines move to middle east carriers. That's a safe investment.
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 4
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From: USA
Not Springbok. Much smaller airline. The CFI to Regional to Major route is probably the plan, but I had this opportunity pop up and it sounds fun to me while I'm young and single. I just don't want to **** over my career in the long-run in the States.
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 621
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From: KGRB, but on the road about 1/2 the time.
You could lose all the money you spend on your type rating. And, typically in Africa, getting paid is not so easy.
If you're OK with losing the money you spent on your type rating, and not being paid in a timely fashion, Africa could be a very interesting experience. Once you have your ATP mins, it should be easy to get hired in the US (or anywhere else)...
Namaste...
PS-What country?
If you're OK with losing the money you spent on your type rating, and not being paid in a timely fashion, Africa could be a very interesting experience. Once you have your ATP mins, it should be easy to get hired in the US (or anywhere else)...
Namaste...
PS-What country?
Joined: Dec 2001
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 3,761
Likes: 424
From: GA, USA
I'll be the last one to stop you from an adventure.
However, this is aviation and if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.
You may be getting waaaay over your head here by mixing ingredients into a dangerous combination which are:
- inexperience
- jets
-Africa
However, this is aviation and if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.
You may be getting waaaay over your head here by mixing ingredients into a dangerous combination which are:
- inexperience
- jets
-Africa
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 565
Likes: 0
From: N/A
My first paid job was in Africa.
I laugh when I say paid, because we never got any.
I answered an advert in Flight International looking for HS125 crews in Nigeria.
I had little more than you do for experience.
They replied to my letter and invited me to meet them in London.
They told me, that if I could get to Lagos, then I could start right away.
So with my fathers staff travel tickets I got on a plane and went.
I met up with the Captain who had no experience on type.
We flew for about three weeks together.
It was hell.
No seriously, it was actual hell.
One day a Swedish mechanic came up to us and said.
"You know you think your so damn cleaver, but nobody has ever been paid, they just replace you when you quit."
To which we both did.
Thank you British Caledonian for getting us out of there.
Then I got a job in the Middle East, and things really took off for me.
I laugh when I say paid, because we never got any.
I answered an advert in Flight International looking for HS125 crews in Nigeria.
I had little more than you do for experience.
They replied to my letter and invited me to meet them in London.
They told me, that if I could get to Lagos, then I could start right away.
So with my fathers staff travel tickets I got on a plane and went.
I met up with the Captain who had no experience on type.
We flew for about three weeks together.
It was hell.
No seriously, it was actual hell.
One day a Swedish mechanic came up to us and said.
"You know you think your so damn cleaver, but nobody has ever been paid, they just replace you when you quit."
To which we both did.
Thank you British Caledonian for getting us out of there.
Then I got a job in the Middle East, and things really took off for me.
Last edited by button push ignored; 28th August 2017 at 00:27.
Joined: Dec 2001
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 3,761
Likes: 424
From: GA, USA
I'm assuming you've had a read here:
http://www.pprune.org/african-aviati...b-namibia.html
May be a safer option for you.
http://www.pprune.org/african-aviati...b-namibia.html
May be a safer option for you.
