Quit or stay??
 

I am a part time sup at UPS and have one year of college left. I have a private with an instrument rating, but haven't flown in over a year to concentrate on finishing school. My question is should I stay at UPS while trying to build time and earn ratings? I could be a CFI by day and work my current position by night (twilight really) once I finish training. Or would it be necessary to leave UPS to build the resume? Is regional experience necessary? UPS is tricky because they have a no rehire policy, so if I quit I am not sure I'd ever be able to come back. I really don't know what to do and any (constructive) input would be appreciated. Thanks. Oh, one more catch, I'm 37, too old??

Stay at UPS...

What are you looking to do? Fly for UPS? You will need tons of jet time, or military.
Its possible to still work part time at another job and fly. Just dont deprive yourself of sleep.

Even if you leave on good terms and adhere to their policy regarding separation? Run your idea up the HR chain. They should be able to give you the correct answer regarding the no rehire policy. Once you get that figured out then you'll have more to think about.

You can work at UPS while doing general aviation and CFI work. Be cautious of fatigue though, you can't really throw boxes all night and then safely fly all day...if anything happened they would violate you.

But you'll need excellent turbine credentials, typically from military aviation or ACMI cargo airlines to have even a remote chance at UPS. At an absolute minimum 1000 hours as a regional CA, but more likely you'll need international experience on heavy aircraft (ie widebodies or big military transports). I've heard current employees might get preferential interviews for UPS pilot slots, but you probably won't be able to stay employed at UPS while working at a regional.

From what I read from current pilots, I'm not sure why you would want to stay at UPS, considering U.S. aviation nationwide is starting to open up.

Thanks for the feedback!

Gjn290, they rarely rehire anyone for any reason. The only thing that helps is that my boss is in my corner and will recommend a rehire status for me if it comes to that. But, UPS moves mgmt around all the time, so who knows if he'll still be my boss if it comes to that.

I could get some jet time while instructing, the school here manages some Citations, but it would take forever to build hours and I think like Rickair said, they like the time to be in much larger aircraft. I wonder what preferences they'd give a UPSer?

Seems like a pipe dream to me. I have heard zero anecdotes about that strategy succeeding at UPS. People get flying jobs by working internal connections through their firms, that is common, but you can do that anywhere. Flight attendants, mechanics, and baggage handlers are (somewhat) common. You are not going to be very competitive for UPS any time though, and it seems like your time is better spent elsewhere.

At some point, you will have to make the clean break from UPS to pursue a flying career, but I'd stay there as long as possible in a part-time capacity just to defray the expenses.

Getting somewhere without working for a regional is very, very unlikely. When you get to the RJs, that's probably when you will have to turn in your brown clothes, because you won't have a reliable schedule.

Don't count on getting hired as a pilot there, but if it works out, great!

Thanks everyone for taking the time. I really appreciate it.