Originally Posted by
Badgeman
I honestly don't get it. If there is such an extreme pilot shortage in Australia why is the competition so fierce at Qantas? Why would the Australian government be making it so hard for foreign pilot to get a job in an industry virtually starving to death for airmen? I thought ICAO solved all these problems of "your system, not my system.". I get it. I am walking into the world of applied aviation vs. the world of aviation theory I spent the last 6 years of my life in during college and flight school.
You're basically ignoring the fundamental tenets of international contract flying common to all countries with so-called "pilot shortages:"
1) Most of these countries have a need for EXPERIENCED pilots (those with time on type) in the short-term, and they will go overseas to fill the short-term gap until their local guys have enough experience...which leads to the next point...
2) If a country is short enough on pilots in the long-term forecast, they ARE willing to train and take on lower-timers, but due to the increased cost (and increased risk of losing them to other foreign carriers), they typically don't go out recruiting foreigners for these lower-time cadet/type rating/bonding programmes.
So, in general, when you see some news headline "So and so is desperate for pilots," remember, said country will typically go about filling the shortage by importing foreigners with time on type for the short-run until they can train/recruit/season enough locals to fill the gap when the foreigners cycle back out. This is why you don't see many (there are some, i.e. Cathay/Emirates/etc.) airlines worldwide recruiting foreigners for permanent positions. This is not to say there aren't opps out there (Africa, for example) for low-timers to get some great experience.