I typically do not join sites but read this posting and wanted to reply.
I have been an Avianca employee for 24 years. The person who said they worked here is not telling the truth. News like that would spread between our very close group. We have one American working here and he has been here for 4 years. He was born in Spain but raised in the United States. He is married to a Colombian woman and moved here. We have had many American inquire to jobs here but we do not hire them because Avianca will not sponser visas for Americans. Only a few select pilots from latin america get a visa sponsered.
I will explain our process to get hired.
First, you have to be a permanent resident. That means being married to a Colombian and living here for two years. During that time you can not fly. You can not training for anything other than a private pilots license. To have your FAA licenses converted, it is a long and expensive process. Your level of Spanish must be fluent. There has never been any exception made for that. The written tests you take here will be in Spanish. The Ministry of civil aviation does not just hand out a license. I did all my primary training in the US. Back when I did it, flying was something that was not easy to train for here. Not cheap is what I mean. As flight schools started to be formed then pilots started being able to train in a civilian way and not in military.
Once you have perm residency you will have to get your private license covalidated. That is the only license they will covalidate for anyone other than a Colombian. The truth behind it is that they see Americans, and other foreigners from the better off countries as a way to make money. So after you retrain for the commercial and instrument and multi motor, then your previous hours must be evaluated by the civil aviation ministry. It is called civil aviation but all the people in charge are military officers. Your type ratings will be no good here. You will have to go through training all over.
The process to get hired, once you have done all the above, will be an interview. The mental evaluation is nothing to worry about. If you are not crazy, you can pass it. Then you must get a class 1 medical here. I hear it is the same as the FAA. My son just finished flight training in the US and is now a first officer here and said the medical testing was the same in the US as it is here. But here cerain things can be waivered that can not in US.
After all that is completed you interview with a group of pilots. They get to know you and see if you are someone they would want working with them. If a current pilot has recommend you then this part is easy. If you make it past that then you must complete a written test. Written test is in both English and Spanish together. You must also pass an English exam. I went to an American high school here so it was not very difficult to pass.
If all is wel you are invited back for a simulator ride. It is all about decision making and basic control. It is very easy and not many fail. But if you do you can take it again in one week. I tell everyone to buy one hour time on it before so you can get used to it. One hour costs about $80US.
After all that you will get a training date.
Yes we are treated very well and being a pilot in Colombia is still a very prestigious career. Our pay is good and our lifestyle is very good as well. I would say it is one of the best careers in the country. We make more money than most medical doctors excluding plastic surgeons or the like.
If you are wanting to get a job here and have no way of getting perm residency based on marriage then you have no way of getting a job. It will not happen. If you do not believe that you can call our flight operations center in Bogota and speak with someone in recursos humanos.
Any time a new pilot is hired we all know about him or her very quickly. In fact, we have a welcome dinner in their honor before and after their training to get to know them. Our company is a family and we take care of each other like one. I have talked with many US pilots about how their companies are. It is sad to hear how unhappy they are. Here we are family. And even the pilots with the other airlines here are family. We never talk bad about other companies. We are a family, and our families at home are part of our work family. All my best friends are company employees and the same for my wife. I would not ever consider leaving here for a company outside Colombia.
Im sorry to bear bad news to you, but this is the real truth about getting on at Avianca. You need to be 100% fluent in spanish and have perm residency. If you dont meet those two basic requirements, it is not an option for you.