Better not to fly in Iran - Where should I start my aviation training?
 

Hi everybody,
I'm Aria. Male 26 y/o from Iran.
I got a BS degree in software engineering. I always wanted to become a commercial pilot and fly big planes.:8

For some unknown reasons I studied software engineering instead of aviation at university.

Now, after finishing my software engineering course, I want to start flight training.

But I have some problems and questions that I hope I find their answers here.

I have now reached a point of confusion where I think I have to give up the dream of being a pilot, which is very difficult and heavy for me.:(







As you know, my country, Iran, has been subjected to brutal international sanctions that have no effect on the Iranian islamic regime and all of its pressure is on the Iranian people.

As a result of these sanctions, no Iranian airline company can buy a new passenger plane, so Iranian airlines use 30 - 40 y/o aircrafts.

On the other hand, the salary of airline pilots in Iran is about ⅛ of the usual salary of pilots in other countries, which is sad.

If you have heard, a few years ago, a Ukrainian flight was hit by 2 missiles near Tehran in Iran, in which a large number of Iranian citizens who were students in Canada and a number of Ukrainian citizens and all flight crews had died. The people in Iran are complaining about this act and blaming the government but they are not able to do anything. (I can not post links here yet so for more information about this incident you can search wikipedia for Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752.)

These are some of the reasons that flying in Iran is not a good idea.

If you check Iran's air traffic, you will see that planes approaching Iran's air border change their flight path so as not to enter Iran's sky, which is a wise thing to do.







I want to start flight training to get an ATPL certificate and after finishing it, I want to find a pilot job (airline, cargo, charter,...) that is not an easy work anywhere in the world.

If I could participate in a cadet program, my path to a pilot job would be much easier, but unfortunately all airline cadet programs have nationality or passport restrictions, so I can not participate in these programs. And I have to get an ATPL certificate myself and find a job.

Since no airline hires an inexperienced foreign pilot, I need to find a pilot job or flight instructor job to gain the necessary flight hours and experience.

I thought that after finishing my flight training in Europe and getting an EASA fATPL, I could find a pilot job offer or a flight instructor job, and after getting a permanent residence in one of the European countries I will be hired by a European airline. But finding a job offer after completing the flight training in Europe as a foreigner is not so easy, and I might remain unemployed with an EASA ATPL in my hand, which is not my ultimate goal. :O






For me, Asia, Europe, Africa or the Americas do not matter, as long as I do not have a visa problem, the only important thing for me is to have a pilot job at the end.

If the situation in Iran was better, I would have done it in Iran, but doing it in Iran is a big risk at the moment.

Does anyone know what path I have to take to reach my goal? In which country should I train? And in which country can I find a job and gain experience? And where can I find an airline job? PlEaSe HeLp! Recently I became very sensitive because I could not find a solution and I planned to cry regularly because I could not find any other way.

I'm sorry that I cannot give you better news.

I'm an FI in the EU myself and from my point of view, obtaining a visa to work as an FI or pilot in an EU country is close to impossible at the moment. If a flight school tells you otherwise, it is likely that they are not telling you the truth.

There are more pilots than jobs in Europe right now and becoming a pilot, in financial terms, is not to be recommended in Europe (my personal opinion, I have a second career besides flying).

However, you, like me, love airplanes and want to fly, no matter what. If I were you (disclaimer: I've never been to Iran and don't know your reality), I would try to become a pilot and fly in your country. Once you have experience and are typed on a heavy jet, you can always apply for other jobs abroad. By then, you'd be a more interesting candidate for the market.

Try to find out how you can maximize your chances of professionally flying in Iran. Despite the situation, it is likely that local airlines appreciate students of certain local flight schools.

Going to Europe at this stage might be a waste of money and time. I would not recommend that.

Thats the best description!!
There will be some schools that will help you get a visa and tell you a beautiful story like “if you do your FI course with us and PASS ALL CHECK RIDES, you will get a job with us at the end” etc; Don’t fall for this. You are almost guaranteed to fail something so that you don’t end up employed with them. (Mostly Eastern European schools)
The second problem will be your nationality: You don’t have an EU working permit. If by some miracle you get an interview, they will tell you to get a work permit first. If you go to the immigration and apply for a work permit, they will first ask you for a work contract. So, you will go around the circle until you give up.
Third: The Aviation market is barely picking up and recovering from Corona. There are literally thousands of unemployed pilots with thousands of hours and type ratings. If an employee advertises for a job, there are hundreds applying for it. If your dad, uncle, cousin etc isn’t already working at that company, your CV has literally no chance for consideration.
Currently, even the big name flight schools like Lufthansa flight academy is advising people not to apply to their school and choose another career path. L3Harris has already closed its basis in NZ, Portugal and Bournemouth UK due to lack of interests.
My advice, at least for now, stick to your branch and forget about EU and aviation for now

Becoming a pilot in Europe today is the same as shooting your leg with an assault rifle... Not worth it. Unless you're rich af or get it sponsored by the government.

Easy answer - fly in Iran, gain experience and move out. Otherwise it isnt worth the investment.

It's possible to do your training in Canada, obtain a 3-year postgraduate work visa, and immigrate fully as a permanent resident afterward. Take a look.
You can expect to pay about 80k CAD in tuition from 0-FI here

Hope you're doing alright in Iran...

Good day Aria,
Your best option could be Canada as an immigrant friendly country, you may follow the following steps:

1- Apply for a flight school and get a letter of acceptance of 2 years flight training program.
2- After finishing your training you can obtain a 3-years post graduate work permit (PGWP).
3- you have 3 years to find an instructor job in any flight school all over Canada to develop Canadian work experience (immigration wise), and flight hours (pilot career wise).
4- After working for a year or two as an instructor in Canada besides having a Canadian certificate level of education (Pilot license) you will be eligible to apply for Canadian permanent residence (PR) under the "Canadian experience class" or "Express entry" (Those are 2 of many Canadian immigration paths).
5- After obtaining Canadian PR you are now eligible to work for the majority of the Canadian Airlines. ( at this point you are supposed to have an ATPL1500+ flight hours accumulated from your instructor job).
6- You can proceed your immigration process to obtain a Canadian passport an become a citizen of Canada after 3 years of having a PR.

The only challenging part about this plan is getting your Canadian study visa approved. It is really hard for some countries specially if your previous educational background is not related to Aviation or the targeted field of study. but if you got this Student visa and you made it into Canada, this will be your first step towards a successful pilot career.

I hope this could help you to follow your dream. All the best.