Originally Posted by
aircum
If given the opportunity to be a pro sim guy you could go to any of the aircraft at Fedex. When your 3 years is up you would more than likely start in the aircraft they are hiring into 3 years from now(currently the 727 in Mem, 8months ago the MD11 in ANC). You will start over just as if you were a new hire. So I don't really know where the other information comes from.
Good info. I'm a former Pro instructor. I was hired because I was current in the left seat of the 727 to teach that (727 FO and Cap.) When there was an excess of 72 guys (hiring freeze, so no new students) I was checked out and typed in the DC10, and taught that for the rest of my time. I don't think anyone took any special notice of how I did in training. I have seen instructors who could not pass a type check, and were either let go or used as ground school instructors, with no chance of going to the line. I have also seen a pro instructor who was a real jerk to students in the sim, and he was told he would not go to the line. If one guy doesn't like you, no big deal, but if all your students hate you, or can't pass a checkride, you may not get to the line. When I was there, you did your line interview after 2 years, and went to the line at 3, if Fedex was hiring, so you could spend more than 3 years if no hiring was going on.. Now, you do the line interview right away, so you know you are going at 3 years. When you get there, unless you are current in the entry position (currently 72 SO and FO,) you will go through the full newhire groundschool. If you are current in the entry position, you go through 2 weeks of basic indoc, get a PC and go to IOE. Disclaimer- Things change and it may be different for you.
Pay-wise, instructors start at just under 4K per month, with a $400 or so pay bump (next pay grade) after checkout. Yearly merit raises (1-4%) after that.
In a 4 week bid month, you will work 19 days, and 23 in a 5 week bid month. The schedules can be commutable, if your scheduler is cooperative. However (at least when I went through) Fedex will give you a paid move to Memphis, which new-hire pilots don't get. Your time in training counts towards retirement, but when you go to the line, you start fresh with newhire seniority and no time towards vacation. That's about all I can tell you.
BTW - I lost about 450 seniority numbers in the 3 1/2 years I was there. On the other hand, internal hires (rampers, couriers, etc)are just guaranteed an interview, while training people have already interviewed and are guaranteed (short of a major screwup or pesonality flaw) the job.