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New Zealand - Training Schools and Job Prospects

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New Zealand - Training Schools and Job Prospects

Old 27th Apr 2009, 15:52
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Don't do it. Save yourself a life of stress and misery and the loss of your partner!
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Old 28th Apr 2009, 04:56
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I currently work on the expat touring circuit and am considering emigrating with New Zealand and Canada as front runners.
My reasons for moving are the currently declining situation at home in South Africa and a wish to give my kids the best chance I can and for a comfortable place to live in relative safety for my family, which brings me to my questions:
1) What is the schooling situation in NZ with regard to standards, cost, class density etc?
2) What is housing going to cost me to buy a decent house in the 'burbs?
3) What will my tax obligation be as a touring worker?
4) what "bad" aspects or negatives aside from remoteness?

I know lots of you here have lived in/travelled through NZ or worked with Kiwi's so even anecdotal info is welcome. I am not asking for definitive answers, rather an idea whether I should give it some serious looking into or stay away at all costs.

Thanks,

UL.
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Old 28th Apr 2009, 05:11
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NZ - truly one of the best places in the world! OK climate, good quality of life, relatively cheap access to high quality schooling and all that goes with it and of course the great outdoors.

However the travel to work will give you sts eventually and if you have to rely on work in NZ to supplement your income ... forget it ... go somewhere else.

I'm sure I speak for a number of touring Kiwis who no longer live there, that we'd love to be home but the conditions of work are positively 'third world'

Good luck
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Old 28th Apr 2009, 09:25
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Thanks, guys!
I have been doing this touring lark since 1993 and while it does have it's moments I generally find it an OK thing. There are bitter few (none) places where I can earn what I am and live at home and as for relying on work in NZ to supplement me, it is the same in SA for me so no surprise there.
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Old 20th Jun 2009, 14:34
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coming in NZ....a dream or a possibility??

Hi, I am a 20 years old boy from Italy.

In this moment I am finishing my JAA CPL, but I always considered the Idea of escape from here and have an exeperience abroad, that for me is essential.

I always be fascinating in New Zeland, so I began to serch on the web Heli Schools where to convert my CPL and maybe do an Instructor Rating.

I am not a rich young boy that want to throw out of the window his $$$$, but fortunately I have a family that helped me during my studies here in Italy, and I had always work hard.

So now that I am finishing my CPL, and I have some money I was seriously thinking to transform my dream in reality.

After some research I find some Schools (North Shore helicopter at the beginning of the list) that can help me to convert my JAA license, and get an Instructor rating, at an accettable price.

The originally Idea was to get a work holiday visa, so that I can also work legally and mantain myself, while converting the license, and after start to search a job.

Sadly few days ago I found this Thread, and now I am a bit confused.

All that I can read is that in this moment NZ is not one of the most suitable place for young pilot, and if kiwi's have to go abroad to find a work probably a foreing pilot has not possibilities to found one.

In the past I considered also AU (you write that is more suitable place for young pistons pilots) but then I leave that Idea because there the minimun hour standar are higher than NZ. If I am not wrong to become an instructor I need 400TT hours O.O how it can be that place good for a newbies??

Now can anyone of you, that sure have more exeperience than me, give me some suggestions?

Thank you very much

Matteo
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Old 24th Jun 2009, 18:18
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But can I issue an other type of visa after the Working Holiday has espired?

Can someone give me any advice about good flight schools?

Thanks
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Old 24th Jun 2009, 20:19
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email me on [email protected] and I will point you in the right direction regarding schools and which one would best suit your needs. Dave
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Old 26th Jun 2009, 06:39
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Ya simondlh I will be very gratefull to you if you can send me, the spreadsheet.
I send to you a pm whit my e-mail!

But you had work in NZ?

Thank you
Matteo
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Old 26th Jun 2009, 23:39
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work in NZ

There is absolutely no opportunities in NZ. I have 56 resumes that come on over the last 6 months. Guys with over 1000hrs. I cant keep enough work up to my own pilots. The student load system in NZ has stuffed the industry. There is NO demand for helicopter pilots. It needs to stop before things get any better. The only ones benefiting out of it are the training organisations that are student load approved. Theres thousands of NZ guys out there trying to find work. With the downturn theres not even anything overseas for the experienced guys and no ones interested in taking on low time pilots. Too risky at this time.
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Old 27th Jun 2009, 10:08
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I think that it also depend about what type of job a pilot is searching, how much money he wants to earn....and other things like that.

Also here in Italy there are many Pilots that have 1000 h and no work because they don't want to move from their home, they want to earn lots money, they don't want to work during sunday....................

I can't belive there in NZ AU...there are no job.....
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Old 27th Jun 2009, 10:59
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Believe it or not, there are no jobs for new pilots in NZ. We can barely keep the existing pilots employed. The situation is worsening. Is NOT FAIR on the guys that are planning on or in the process of becoming a heli pilot. They have no idea. Its a waist of government money. It all goes no where.
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Old 27th Jun 2009, 21:13
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The student loan system is the biggest scam we have running over here, in some cases individuals that couldnt qualify to deliver milk in the morning are being convinced to become pilots by some of the schools just so the school gets the income.

Have been told by one school owner that had students had to sit an aptitude test before getting loan approved half of them wouldnt have been accepted. Would also love to know many of those who "passed" their courses actually ended up becoming involved in the industry. I do know that some of those who got the loan funding ended up with a nice certificate on the wall but thats about it.

Thoughts from anyone else on this topic.

NZ and OZ have traditionally turned out some very good pilots, many of whom find their way into areas outside NZ and OZ because of job availability. Some of them are now making their ways back home again and would be great to see some of them pass on their skills to the newbies of the industry. People like Bruce Harvey are an example.
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Old 27th Jun 2009, 21:29
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Here we go again. Ye goode olde student loan debate. We can argue this one until the cows come home.....

There are users and abusers, walkers and talkers. Why wouldn't you take an intrest free loan and get on with starting a career. People aren't paying peanuts for R22/300s anymore. They're expensive. Paying cash for a licence is simply not an option for many people. Hang on, I'm beginning to sound like a stuck record.

Goodnight all,

DM
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Old 28th Jun 2009, 02:44
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Dragman, the problem is THERE ARE NO JOBS ANYWHERE!. how did everybody get on before??? The student loan system is way out of control. Its stuffing the industry and bringing the professionalism down. Its treated like a way out for those who dont know what to do with their lives. Remember the loan size is that similar to becoming a dentist. We do need more dentists dont we? The whole thing is ridiculous. I am sick and tired of resumes coming in and filling up my filling draws. I feel really sorry for these guys. I dont have any jobs for them and dont ever envisage taking any of them on in the future. There is far too many qualified pilots out there now WITH EXPERIENCE little lone the ones without it. Its about time the student loan system be put to bed and left untill a time when we do actually need pilots. That will solve alot of problems for alot of people out there.
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Old 28th Jun 2009, 03:47
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What a load of croc Turkey. Open your eyes and your mind, look around you, ask around.

I know of a lot of pilots (from 180hrs through to 3000hrs+) currently flying in NZ who have been trained using money funded through the student loan scheme. Sure some have gone overseas to get their first break in the industry because typically NZ has been a hard place to get a start, but there are also quite a few who have only worked in NZ.

Just because someone has funded their training through the student loan scheme does not mean that they are not passionate or professional.

By the way, even though I funded my licence through hard earned cash, if the student loan scheme had been around when I started flying I would have used it rather than spending the 8 years that I did to to get my licence. It wouldn't have made me any less passionate.

I think it would be beneficial if every training establishment (student loan funded or not) had to publish results for what percentage of their trainees are gainfully employed in the industry. Though probably hard to track for those who go overseas to get jobs and hard to tell if the percentages were doctored or not.
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Old 28th Jun 2009, 04:07
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Why would it be beneficial for training organisations to publish results relating to their students being gainfully employed in the industry?

I own a training facility (not student-loan approved) and whilst I do my very best to make sure students are well-prepared for the industry with the relevant flying skills, changing the attitude that will get the first job is often much harder - why measure the school when low hour pilots tend to be employed on attitude, presentation and perseverance!
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Old 28th Jun 2009, 04:42
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Surely we train commercial pilots to be gainfully employed in the industry.

The percentage of good attitude Vs bad attitude shouldn't be appreciably different from school to school, unless your entry criteria is raised or lowered compared to another school or the students change their attitude whilst training with you (for better or for worse).
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Old 28th Jun 2009, 10:36
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Rotornut took the words out of my mouth. There are 747 captains that came through the student loan scheme. It's not a new scheme, and it's not a bad scheme. I agree that it has been abused by some, and relied upon by others, but it's not fair to say it has wrecked the industry.

What's more, you simply can't retire the loan scheme until demand increases otherwise the day will come when you've got a helicopter on the pad with no pilot to fly it. And to say that you wouldn't consider a loan funded pilot, well that's your choice, but it's pretty ignorant to assume that a loan funded pilot is of lower caliber than a privately funded pilot.

As for the statement that there are no jobs in NZ, then once again I agree with rotornut. Of course there are jobs. Maybe they are a little tricky to find at times, but they always have been. You can't compare a regional cross section of vacancies with a Nation-wide of the same. It's not just Italian pilots that don't look further than their back-yard for jobs.
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Old 28th Jun 2009, 19:19
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I think it would be beneficial if every training establishment (student loan funded or not) had to publish results for what percentage of their trainees are gainfully employed in the industry
Rotornut, I have mo problem with schools being measured and I believe that the proposed new part 141 rule change will at the very least put better measures in place. That said, I was initially responding to your comment which you have not answered - why would it be benificial?
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Old 29th Jun 2009, 00:14
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NO, I think student loans are to be shut down completely. We got on perfectly fine before and will get on perfectly fine without it. No one has answered my question before, WHERE ARE ALL THESE PILOTS GOING????? Let me know and Il hand over the 50 odd resumes I have sitting in my draw to them. It is unfair to the industry and to the individual concerned to train them up and send them onto the industry realising there are no jobs for them. Its too much tax payers money being waisted.
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