SunExpress
 

Hi guys !
I've found information that SunExpress needs F/Os. I tried to apply but their application form is only in Turkish. It's a bit weird because required minima are written in English ;)
Did somebody apply to them in English ? How can I do that ?
I'm also interested how recruitment looks like.
Thanks in advance !

Hi Bluk,

Sorry to say that the whole market changed here in Turkey...

Not sure what your situation is but unless you have a Turkish passport or you are a AI who is willing to pay for your type rating then you're out of luck.

roden737,

What qualifies you to make this statement?

unfortunately I don't have Turkish passport...
roden737, you mean that government forbids to recruit expats ?
so another question is why SunExpress puts information in English ?
I e-mailed to them but no answer yet..

Thank you for all answers !
londoncalling2009, German language is not my strongest point ;)

Superpilot,

I'm living in Turkey since 2008, so I'm pretty much in touch with what's happening here..

Right now it's mostly a attitude change here, they simply want Turkish pilots to fill their seats and it means that the Turkish DGCA leaves them at peace...

Is it really the Turkish DGCA's responsibility to decide what nationality of pilot they will allow in? Surely this is a matter for the Ministry of Labour. Regarding the latter, I know many FOs who have been granted a work visa within the last 2 months. I am just interested in hearing who makes what decision because it's not clear.

Thanks

Some lack of real information here, SXS have just hired 6 non Turkish FOs, 2 Istanbul, 4 Antalya. There are quite a few Dutch and German FOs in the company and a few more in the pipeline. The Turkish Authority have no say or influence over the recruitment process and with the advent of SXD there was a need for Germany based FOs, they have all been recruited now.
No one pays for the type rating, this is done by the company and the applicant is bonded. Quite a few of the Turkish FOs are just waiting for the 5 years since CPL to get evaluated for upgrade, for most Turkish FOs this is their first type (738) and they have about 2000-4000 hrs on type average, good guys, know their stuff. Some would like to go to the parent company THY but this is not allowed unless they migrate to another company like Pegasus first. Ex pat Captains are increasing but the rules are changing to avoid the older guys (59+) .Having said all this, it is true the pilots in general would like to see mainly Turkish pilots recruited,

Once the DGCA have issued the licence validation the criteria for releasing safety pilots are the responsibilty of the individual airline according to their training manuals. In most cases, new FOs need 100hrs on type, minimum prior to line check, if the training progresses normally, most safety pilots are released after approx 20 sectors. As many airfields in Turkey are challenging, this can be extended but this is not uncommon.

It seems that Sunexpress have their own TRTO now.
New hires have to pay about 30.000 hard earned euro's for the type rating.

But at the moment no new recruitment !

Kumbaya, Sun Express have had a TRTO for years but they used to use Stella for ratings but have stopped now, NO pilots do not have to pay for type rating, they are bonded.. that is, of course unless the policy has changed in the last 36 hrs
Recruitment is on-going.. Fact not fiction

Here's a link:

Kariyer.net - SunExpress - II.PILOT iþ ilaný detayý

In that case, i was misinformed !

You are correct Avenger however currently only for Turkish FO's....

What is the take home pay for an FO.

Thanks :ok:

Dont know the current hiring status at SunExpress but have the following info on costs of TQ's in Turkey.

Only Turkish pilots are generally bonded unless you are already rated and have experience when you get in and you get a lower bond.

Cost of TR for the main 3 that hire foreigners (when they hire that is ;) )
SunExpress 30/32K
Onur Air 35K
Pegasus 38K

Pegasus is the worst because they generally throw you out after one summer and it does not include housing during training etc. which the other do to some extend.

No RVR, I am afraid your information is not correct.

All pilots at Sun Express are bonded, even if type rated and irrespective of nationality. Normally type rated pilots get a 2 year contract and non-typed a 3 year contract, there are other penalty clauses in the contracts as well, but this is not an issue as crew migration is very very small as Sun Express is considered thye best low cost in Turkey to work for, maybe not the best wages, but overall the best company. The Turkish pilots that did the whole ATPL training through the cadet scheme pay back monthly, this scheme has now stopped and all new pilots are on a reducing bond. The bond is 15K euro, not 30/32K.

Recruitment is on-going, some more non Turkish FOs will join soon and maybe more will be needed to replace 4 non Turkish FOs are in the upgrade process,

The company intends to stop using DLR at some point, it will be replaced with another internal testing system. Obviously, at the moment, those that were interviewed some time ago and passed DLR will be considered.

Update: Company now requires new pilots to sign a 5 year contract with Type rating costs deducted at 250 Euro a month from basic salary of 4000 euro, equates to 15000 Euro for the course

Well you better check because DLR has already stopped a few months ago and the figures quoted come from your HR when I called them. :rolleyes:

No RVR, see you PMs please.

Well B737mate,

Consider yourself lucky.... I send 10 emails to the HR department and got 1 reply a couple of months ago asking me to return the completed form you were talking about..

But I assume you have a Turkish passport, if so then try THY or Pegasus they are both hiring as long as you're Turkish that is..

The last news about SXS I know of is that the stopped recruitment of experienced foreign FO's completely, could be a completely different story if you hold a Turkish passport..


Best of luck!

Whats the recommended way of applying into THY? Does Contacts work with THY? :sad:

The problem with that is.. U need to be type rated and also have some dog hours! I've only recently finished trainning but it seems to be very hard getting into THY even tho I'm a Turkish Citizen :{

See the link below. They are looking for Captains pay seems not too exciting but it is the pay after tax.

Type rated and non typerated 737-800 Captains at SunExpress in Istanbul, Turkey - Job | LinkedIn

The last group of foriegn FOs, all very low hours, came from another TRTO.

Regarding salaries, as you say, net, but also flight pay on top adds, 1000- 1500 euro extra.

Correct Stella are being used for CAPTAINS for various bases.

Well... it would appear that with the massive expansion of SXD, many of the German based NTR guys were putting the money up front or getting a letter from the bank by way of Guarantee, which, lets face it, isn't easy today.. So I guess there is no definative answer,,, but many have paid up front and there is no shortage of applicants willing to do so. Quite how it works for guys moving from SXS to SXD that are still bonded under the " old system" I can't say. It would seem that most commercial low costs now require payment in advance, perhaps only the legacy carriers don't, having said that Korean ask for a SSTR as well to change fleets.. the fact is at the end of it at least there is a job guarantee... so it's not PTF or anything such like. Simply supply and demand. 10 more new FOs coming soon, mostly out of flight schools( or so we are told!) guess the Turkish Airforce is one damn fine flight school!

Thanks for your bringing of some clarity to the matter Avenger.

I did the DLR this spring and failed there (as did all the others I attended it with and I think everyone the group before), recently I was contacted where I was asked to update my CV, the others I attended DLR with got the same, two of them were invited to do the new psycho assessment and the rest of us has not heard anything since. Have they already got the people needed? since some got the assessment and the rest of us not even any replies since then :E

These guys are turkish nationals aswell but if they are to be based in Germany, won't they need to posses an EU passport?

The Management roadshow the other week said they are still recruiting. I was told some guys that failed DLR had been asked back, I don't know what part of the DLR they failed.. if it was the interview at the end I think it can be a problem. Some Turkish guys have the right to live in Germany as they were born there or have German parent, but it is mainly Dutch , Belgian and German guys that will go to SXD. Pegasus kicked out all the non- Turkish FOs so there are some guys with maybe 3000/4000 hrs on type available as well.
Good luck, most of the FOs are flying 1000 hrs a year so they need more for sure.

My friends that will do the psycho assessment tomorrow failed at the DLR interview so I don't know if they care too much about the DLR results since the gentlemen in Hamburg were quite picky, to say the very very least :}

Has anyone heard anything about the fleet in sunexpress? have the three A/C arrived already?

Apparently, the recent new starters pay 30K Euro for the type rating AND the line training, during training only a small salary is paid until final line check. It's not PTF as there is a job at the end( subject to performance). Hundreds of applicants for about 60 FO jobs. 3 more A/c in Germany arrived

How long is the linetraining usually at SXS?

It is reasonable to assume from joining day 1 until final line check would be 4/5 months, allowing for work permissions and the required sectors. Line training itself takes about 2 months if all goes according to plan. As there are no vacation entitlement in the first 12 months of employment it can be seemless with min days off of 7 per month. Most FOs flying 100 plus hrs a month in summer. During line training expect minimum 80 sectors for new FOs

Thanks for the information, how is the rostering during the winter-time? are there more days off? or only fewer sectors per day?

Depends on your base, but generally, just fewer sectors per day. They plan to now do 4 domestic rather than two international /two domestic.
The average will be 90 hrs a month over winter. Days off are rostered as: You get two double off a month and the rest are 3 single days. Day off starts at 12 gmt, so you can arrive back at base at 2 am and that is still a "day off"
Standy after day off starts at 00.00 or 3 am local at the moment. This means you cannot drink alcohol on days off before standby. Usually after day off is early start 3 gmt (6 local now) but report is STD- 1.15 mins, so transport pick up STD - 2 hrs. You cannot commute on these rosters, At Izmir base some guys were getting 3 days off in a row, but this is not the case so much now. AYT and SAW base is normally double off x 2 a month. Captains are run to the limit on duty hours at the moment.. but overall it is a good outfit.

Hi guys,

Just wondering exactly what is the take home pay net on average per month with all flight allowances for a Captain and can you live comfortably in Istanbul or Antalya on that money with a wife and 2 young kids?
Do you also get rostered for overnights as well or is it simply day return flights? Are the flying days all pretty long or are they a mix of short and long sectors.

Thanks for any info.

Does anyone have any news. I applied a couple of months ago, but still no reply. Anyone called for an interview?

Got one reply from them (2 months ago), since then nothing...

the same situation,
they wrote me how to apply, I applied via e-mail and no answer yet..
good luck

Any news? Still no answer on captain s net pay. Total?

How about schools. Expensive?

Net pay depending on experience and hours flown in a month between €6300 and €7200 net Schools depends on where you will be based and than what kind of commute you are willing to accept

So commuting is available? Roaster?,

Thanks a lot.