Pilot Career Job Prospects Internationally
 

Hello guys, i'm 20s from brazil and i would like to ask about the pilot career job prospects internacionally.
I have been seeing aviation schools options around many countries and i guess i wouldn't take high col countries as first choices for career attempt.
unfortunately it seems like the situation in other latam aren't so great to ensure a job (pls tell me if i'm wrong).
would someone give me some toughts on if it would be absurd to plan on getting license in south africa, latam or brazil (and maybe later try to convert somewhere abroad)
i heared that many sa are being able to get entry jobs to build hours in other countries despite the immigration question (in fact there is no shortage of countries in europe where you can get work permits without job offer), i still didn't check for africa and asia but i think that would be possible by some stories i heared.
is the pilot career attempt really all of that unfair? i have been hearing about completely failure histories and it really have been making me think twice or three times and really be carefull about this.
would the fact of the license being from south africa, latam or brazil be a big problem to try to build a career internacionally?
eu citizenship could make any significant different on it?
please any countribution or tought gonna be appreciated.
thank you guys very much

Hi Nyre,

You have a lot of different questions, some of which I cannot answer - specifically the South Africa to EU question and the EU citizenship question. It's been almost a month since you posted, so I'll answer what I can, and hopefully we can get the conversation started for you.

Aviation is about the worst industry for job security as it is tied to a lot of different factors well outside of your control. Where one airline or country is having a problem, another country or company is buying up airplanes and hiring hundreds of pilots. But if you let the cycle play out for 5 to 7 years, that same company may be laying off pilots and selling airplanes, whereas the company or country that was having issues is suddenly swooping in and buying up airplanes at a cheap price. Things can look very bleak or very prosperous depending on what point in the cycle you're starting your aviation journey. Don't worry about the cycles though unless you are actively applying for jobs right now. It doesn't matter if you're still 2 or more years away from having all your qualifications as things can change dramatically in that time. Sometimes the best time to start your flight training is when things are looking bleak, as you'll often be legal to work just as things are start picking up.

It's not unfair, but our industry does not suffer fools. The risks in aviation are high, and it requires everyone to be working at the highest levels of their abilities. Failures occur for many different reasons, but almost all failures come down to a lack of preparation. One student may not study or ask the questions needed to prepare for an exam. Another student might not take a critical look at their abilities or heed the advice of their instructors during flight training. Yet another student doesn't properly investigate the flight school they want to attend. As long as you study hard, listen well, and complete your own due diligence through all facets of your career, you'll do fine. Yes, some people are just not suited to be pilots, just as some people are just not suited to be brain surgeons. That doesn't mean that with hard work and determination you can't make it happen, just that you might have to work harder at it.

Remember too that people will often post their greatest successes and greatest failures, but very rarely will they post their normal day-to-day issues. This can give you the idea that the industry is either perfect or a nightmare, when in reality it is somewhere in between. Furthermore, we all want to paint ourselves in the best light possible, so a post will often read as though the world is with or against the original poster. Sometimes it is, but it does mean that you have a skewed view of how any one individual is progressing. Take any post that claims the industry is fair or unfair with a big grain of salt. There is often more to the story that the poster does not want to publish.

In general, no. Being from one country and having one licence does not, on its own, create an issue or problem when attempting to build an international career in aviation. The biggest obstacle is having the right to live and work in another country. Having a licence from another country is often the least of your concerns, although there are some licences that are recognized more easily than others. That is to say, there may be less hoops to jump through with one licence over another or from one country to another. This is where hopefully someone who has gone from SA to the EU can chime in.

My own experience was immigrating from Canada to New Zealand and then back to Canada. I had immigration and right to work aspect to deal with going to NZ, and a licence aspect to deal with coming back to Canada. I just followed the rules and all was well inside of a month in both directions. The best money you can spend in this context is on an immigration lawyer, as they can help you with both the immigration and right to work concerns rather than you trying to do it yourself. Missing one important piece of information that when missing throws your entire application out the window, and can cause you delays counted in months or years. Yes, it might be cheaper in the short term to do it all yourself, but the costs increase almost exponentially if you forget or miss something.

I hope you get more posts and keep us up-to-date on your progress!

People usually get their licenses from other countries as it is much cheaper in the long run and can easily log more hours. South Africa, Jordan etc…