Brazilian lifestyle for pilots
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Brazilian lifestyle for pilots
Im seeking some advice from pilots who are currently working and living in Brazil. I am hearing some horror stories about crime and kidnapping etc. I am a citizen and go back to Brazil several times, but its always for vacation and short periods of time. I am going through the process of converting to ANAC and I plan on making Brazil my next flying destination. However, I have two small children and I am concerned for their safety. Obviously, there are millions of children in Brazil who are living just fine and why would I think any different of mine? Well, although my kids are very young, they are very Americanized and used to the only life they have ever known. I am sure they will adapt as do all young children. My main focus is all the other stuff. How the day to day life is, schools, general safety etc. If you are there and especially if you are raising children while flying in Brazil, please respond and let me know the truth about the Brazilian lifestyle. I am tired of hearing all the crap from people who haven't lived in Brazil for over 10 years!!!
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That very much depends on where you will be living, some cities are better than others, but as I live in the sprawling megalopolis that is Sao Paulo and most airlines have bases here, I'll base my answers on experience.
Day to day life here is hectic, driving at almost any time of the day means traffic jams, which are worse when it floods. Public transport isn't up to the task, neither buses nor metro have the capacity necessary and are consequently overcrowded and late. Cars are relatively expensive, fuel isn't that cheap, and vehicle maintenance is often prohibitively expensive.
Schools are as good as your wallet can stand, there are several American/British/International bilingual schools in SP, but none of them are cheap. I don't know your financial situation, but on a typical first officer's salary you might find them beyond your reach. Forget public schools completely.
Where to live is another issue, property prices and rents are crazy in SP, and you need to consider moving around. The nicer regions of the city are generally further out and so you might face mobility problems. Quite a few crews live outside SP and commute for duty, often sharing temporary accommodation near to the airports. Life in smaller cities is more relaxed, but then again your choice of schools is more limited.
Contrary to the horror stories, crime doesn't affect most people here, but there are some areas to avoid at certain times. The current crimes of fashion are robbing drivers stuck in traffic jams or hitting upmarket restaurants. Sensible precautions can reduce the risks, but DO NOT REACT. The bandits have no problem shooting you or your family if you do react, so give them what they want. Saying that, in ten years here I've never been robbed once.
SP is really no worse than any other big city, and you could probably say the same about other cities here. Don't flash your wealth and there are no problems. Big cars (unless you have a bulletproof one) and big watches (we are talking about pilots
) are a bandit magnet, but a little discretion avoids these problems.
Hope that helps
Day to day life here is hectic, driving at almost any time of the day means traffic jams, which are worse when it floods. Public transport isn't up to the task, neither buses nor metro have the capacity necessary and are consequently overcrowded and late. Cars are relatively expensive, fuel isn't that cheap, and vehicle maintenance is often prohibitively expensive.
Schools are as good as your wallet can stand, there are several American/British/International bilingual schools in SP, but none of them are cheap. I don't know your financial situation, but on a typical first officer's salary you might find them beyond your reach. Forget public schools completely.
Where to live is another issue, property prices and rents are crazy in SP, and you need to consider moving around. The nicer regions of the city are generally further out and so you might face mobility problems. Quite a few crews live outside SP and commute for duty, often sharing temporary accommodation near to the airports. Life in smaller cities is more relaxed, but then again your choice of schools is more limited.
Contrary to the horror stories, crime doesn't affect most people here, but there are some areas to avoid at certain times. The current crimes of fashion are robbing drivers stuck in traffic jams or hitting upmarket restaurants. Sensible precautions can reduce the risks, but DO NOT REACT. The bandits have no problem shooting you or your family if you do react, so give them what they want. Saying that, in ten years here I've never been robbed once.
SP is really no worse than any other big city, and you could probably say the same about other cities here. Don't flash your wealth and there are no problems. Big cars (unless you have a bulletproof one) and big watches (we are talking about pilots
) are a bandit magnet, but a little discretion avoids these problems.Hope that helps
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That really helps alot! It's great to get some perspective from someone who actually lives currently in SP. Im glad you used SP as an example because it is most likely where I will be initially. I have heard that schools are very expensive. If I can get an FO position with one of the bigger carriers like TAM, GOL or Avianca, do you think raising two kids in a good school is reachable?? My wife will eventually work after we settle in but I need to hold things down on my own for at least the first 6 months. I just want my children to be safe and have a good education. I do not know where this is going to take me in my career but it is a much better opportunity than what I will have in the U.S. I currently have a great job with benifits and security but its not what I really want to do and its wearing on me day by day. I love flying the Astar (esquilo) and the experience is great! But being in Law Enforcement, all your flying is local, in circles and always looking for some sh*t bag! There is plenty of satisfaction in putting a bad guy away, but in terms of flying, its just not the type of flying I see myself doing for the rest of my career. I might even be interested in the Helicopter market in SP if there is one. I understand there is alot of chopper flying but I dont know much about local companies and their hiring status. Like I said, I love flying Helos too and I could fly them as a career given the right position. Right now I am lucky to have both fixed wing and chopper time and I am just working on broadining my options when I settle down in Brasil. Thanks again for all the advice, it really helps! If you have anything else, do not hesitate to thread or PM me. Thanks!!
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As your concerns could be of interest to others, I'll put them in the thread.
The helicopter business in SP is booming, a twin-turbine IR captain is making around R$20k per month and goes home every night. You need to be an international captain to get that in the airlines. Nice work if you can get it, and there's the problem....at the other end of the scale there are a lot of pilots working "freelance" which basically means waiting for the phone to ring and pay-per-hour flown only. If you have the experience and ratings it would be a good move, if not, it would be a very hard life.
On a typical airline FO's salary you could just about put the children into a bilingual school but that wouldn't leave much left for over things. These schools are typically around R$2000-3000 per month, per child, plus materials. If your children are fluent there are some good private Portuguese-only schools for less than half that. Don't forget to add transport costs too, either by car or school bus.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me.
The helicopter business in SP is booming, a twin-turbine IR captain is making around R$20k per month and goes home every night. You need to be an international captain to get that in the airlines. Nice work if you can get it, and there's the problem....at the other end of the scale there are a lot of pilots working "freelance" which basically means waiting for the phone to ring and pay-per-hour flown only. If you have the experience and ratings it would be a good move, if not, it would be a very hard life.
On a typical airline FO's salary you could just about put the children into a bilingual school but that wouldn't leave much left for over things. These schools are typically around R$2000-3000 per month, per child, plus materials. If your children are fluent there are some good private Portuguese-only schools for less than half that. Don't forget to add transport costs too, either by car or school bus.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me.
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If I had children there is no way I'd raise them in Brasil but that is just me. I was in your shoes 5 years ago and made the move but I am single and no attachments. If I had to do it all over again, would I do it? No way.
I used to live in SP but moved recently. Couldn't take it anymore. Life is a little better now but still far off from a decent life.
I used to live in SP but moved recently. Couldn't take it anymore. Life is a little better now but still far off from a decent life.
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Wow! That was alot to take in. It's crazy how different it is for different people. Varig, it really opens my eyes when I hear things like that. I know your situation is a little different than mine but I value your experiences and hope to take from it. I know AB is a little more optamistic and I appreciate that too. Its a scary move for me and I am just trying to make the right choice for myself and my family. I dont want to look back 5-10 years from now and wonder how thing would have been had I moved to Brasil. On the flip side, I dont want to make a big mistake and regret it either. I guess i am the only person who make that decision and the only one who has to live with it. I think I will continue with the conversion process just to have a plan B in case of any major changes. I want to keep that option open for the future. Thanks again for the info, I will not take it lightly.
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Thanks varigflyer, we are all different and it's good to have another point of view, which I think is what our friend was looking for.
The difference might be down to how and why we all arrived here, starting a new life could be difficult. I came to Brazil on the "wrong" side of 40, following 20 years of working around the world, well established professionally (I don't fly commercially BTW, just for fun), and with a structure already in place as my wife still had property here, so it wasn't a big deal for us. I expect it would have been different if one of those elements was missing.
I don't regret the decision to move here, even if it was forced on me by circumstances, but I have to say that I don't intend to stay in SP after retirement.
The difference might be down to how and why we all arrived here, starting a new life could be difficult. I came to Brazil on the "wrong" side of 40, following 20 years of working around the world, well established professionally (I don't fly commercially BTW, just for fun), and with a structure already in place as my wife still had property here, so it wasn't a big deal for us. I expect it would have been different if one of those elements was missing.
I don't regret the decision to move here, even if it was forced on me by circumstances, but I have to say that I don't intend to stay in SP after retirement.
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I remember being in his shoes and having the same questions but i had little to loose at that time and if it didn't work out I could always go back.
One thing is for sure, there will always be a "what if" question going on in his mind if he doesn't make the move. I had it and it only went away after I made the move. Many people told me not to do it and now I know why and unfortunately they were all right. If I had a little more patience, I would've been better than I am now.
One thing is for sure, there will always be a "what if" question going on in his mind if he doesn't make the move. I had it and it only went away after I made the move. Many people told me not to do it and now I know why and unfortunately they were all right. If I had a little more patience, I would've been better than I am now.
