ExpressJet Internship
 

Can't say towards ExpressJet. I did an internship with Independence Air and basically had a guaranteed job in any department, regardless of degree. However, those all went away when they went away. I still have a few friends from IDE at different airlines, but nothing that can get me a job. Was it worth it? Absolutely! I had a blast, and all the different departments and jumpseating was worth it regardless.

In terms of having a job, it's still worth it to put it on your resume. If you can get a job at expressjet, so much the better!

Good Luck!

If it were a major airline I would say go for it. That guaranteed interview (with better-than-average odds of getting hired) would be golden.

But I would not do an unpaid internship at a regional, especially if it delayed my graduation. Regionals are not hiring right now (probably nobody will until summer 2012). When they do start hiring again, they will pretty much hire anyone with a CPL...you don't need an internship. Get a summer job, and spend the money on your ratings.

i did the internship at expressjet in cle and had a blast. the only reason was that i lived in cle and was working on my cfi ticket on the side. i would go after a major internship but to each his own.

I don't see the point of rushing to graduate either. The economy blows, and who knows if there's a job for him when he gets out (i hope there is..but reality sucks sometimes).

I'd say take the internship, it's a foot in the door of a good quality regional. No one says you have to go there, or that they're now the only option for you. But, in the near future when everyone starts hiring again..and the minimums are no longer 250-25 or CMEL or 600-50 or even 1000-100 because of all the experienced unemployed pilots out there..it might put you above the rest in a very competitive market. (at least that's how it seems to be heading)

The major airline comparison is silly, it's more important than ever in this industry to take one step at a time. If you have an end game in mind, and the thought of a very linear/planned career, in terms of "I want to be at x airline at this time" you're going to find yourself very disappointed and discouraged.

Do what's best for you...what ratings do you already have?

Thanks for the quick responses, all good points from different views.

andy171773, taking the CFI checkride next week and will start immediately on my CFII to finish it before I leave for the internship. If I stick around this summer and take class, I will have my multi and MEI done this summer as well.

I did an internship with American and it was a blast... maybe one day they won't have hundreds of pilots on furlough and I can jump to the majors! As for you, I would only do the internship if I were able to instruct or make a living doing something on the side because the payoff is going to be nil in this market. You look at any paid co-op/internships like the UPS one?

You won't need an internship to get a job at xjet if they hire again, although if you do it you know that you'll have a guaranteed job at an airline so it's still worth it. Plus you never ever know with this industry, next month or six months from now things could change. I would do it if you feel like you need a break from school, sounds like you're trying to be a pro pilot anyways so your extra semester could probably wait.

Sooner, what is the latest on your accounting stuff?

Don't forget that internships aren't only good for the airline that you interned at, at least when thinking about getting hired at the regionals. Having an internship proves that you're able to function productively in the 121 world and have knowledge of 121 operations (regardless of the department). If the choice is to do an XJT internship or a major internship, take the major, but if the choice is any internship or no internship, definitely take the internship. You WON'T have the hours to set yourself apart from the pack for a long time (since the excess pilots have 121 turbine time right now, for the most part), so you have to find ways to set yourself apart in a different way. An internship is the perfect way to put yourself above the fray in terms of your fellow graduates and into at least the same ballpark as furloughed 121 guys and gals. Don't forget also that you'll have an opportunity to use the sims at XJT, which, while not logable, is at least something that you can bring up during your future interviews. How do they know you'll make it through training? You've already been immersed in a 121 environment (and hopefully excelled; bring letters of recommendation), and even had the opportunity to have a jump start by getting, say, 20 hours in a ERJ sim. Along with the fact that there's no 121 job waiting for you when you graduate anyway (well, probably not, sorry), there's no rush to graduate right now. Sure, you may be disappointed and never get hired with XJT as a pilot, but an internship will only help you, where ever you go, while not taking an internship will only hurt you in the end. It's like taking a free $100 towards buying a car. It might not be what you need to get the car, but it's pointless to turn the $100 down. While the unpaid part definitely sucks, you could probably find something that you could do casually on the side (like CFIing!) that would at least help pay the bills.

I say go for it unless you have to promise your firstborn to your bank in order to afford it.

bryris, Thats one of the reasons I am considering passing on the internship. I could graduate in December with the Accounting degree. Its going good, only taking cost accounting this semester so its not to bad. Just have Tax and audit left to take in the fall as far as accounting classes go. How are the graduate accounting classes going?

Guess I should mention I am an Accounting and Aviation Management major at the moment. I have been kicking around the idea of dropping the aviation, but its an easy GPA booster and dont have many classes left for that degree.

Do not know where you are pulling this number from, unless you are taking year age 65 passed and adding 5 years. Colgan will be hiring the first of 2010 for new aircraft coming.

Its going well. I am enjoying the pursuit. But, honestly, I have yet to determine if I can actually DO this for a living again. My goal is to open my own firm in a few years and I think that once I arrive at that point, it will all be worth it.

After this term, I need 3 more classes (only 1 accounting) to hit the 150 hours. I am ordering my Gleim books in a few weeks so that I can hit the ground running on studying for the REG and BEC sections. My goal is to have both of those parts completed and passed by the end of the testing window in Aug.

I am still flying on the side. I have two active students who are both weekend warriors. So, I am averaging 3-4 hours per week of flying. Not great, but enough to keep me "connected" for now.

I just might look into some sort of business aviation position in the future. Maybe I can combine these efforts into something that gives me the best of both.

Or maybe it'll be back to the airlines in due time. I am still low time compared to many of the guys out there, but with 1000 hours 121 experience and nearly 2000 total, and the CPA in my back pocket, I imagine I can get a job somewhere should I desire it going forth....

Instead of doing the internship, I would get as much flight time as I could during that time. You may or may not want to go to Expressjet in time. I would get the flight time and make myself marketable to everybody and not one just one airline because you have a job interview there.

Where do you live? Try doing one for CAL.

That's exactly where I got that number. I'm sure one or two regionals will hire a few folks...but wholesale hiring is not going to happen.

There is zero or negative growth at the regionals right now, and nobody is leaving. In 2012 many majors will have to start hiring just to keep up with attrition...that would trigger regional hiring, assuming that the economy improves and most of the furloughs are back by then.

I agree. I did the internship with XJT in CLE a few years ago, back when they were actually hiring. It wasn't an especially fun job for the most part, but it did give me the opportunity to learn the inner workings of an airline. On the bad side, it caused me to focus on getting hired at XJT afterwards when there were better options out there. In retrospect, it would have been worth it if it had been paid, but since it wasn't I wouldn't have done it again, and like I said, that was back when they WERE hiring. They've got 300 pilots on the streets and any prospect of new-hires getting on there within the next few years is basically nonexistent. I say do yourself a favor and find a paid internship with a major or focus on building flight time.

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Just my $.02 worth. I have never done an internship. But If I were going to do an internship it would not be with a regional. In a year or two anyone who wants to get on with a regional will be able too. Now you cant say that about a legacy. Try to intern with a legacy. After that you are almost guarenteed to get hired on there and that is what it is really all about.

As a matter of fact most people that interned for CAL were walked right over to XJT and hired. After they met the mins they were hired at CAL.

Thats what I would do. Go intern for UPS, FedEx, CAL, Delta, or SWA. You'll be golden.

X

I've heard that this one specifically is a lot of fun and they actually pay you. I always wanted to do a summer internship, but thought it would just add 3-4 months to getting hired at my first airline. In hindsight, if I had done an internship I'd still be instructing instead of sitting right seat in a fancy new jet getting payed peanuts. The regionals won't be hiring for a while, so take advantage of this lull in the industry and go do something fun and off the beaten path.

I interned at XJT in the past and it worked out great because I lived in IAH. I had a blast and learned alot. It helped me get hired quicker and also helped me get my job at NWA.

During my interview at Nwa they specifically had highlighted my internship on my resume. I think it was one more thing that separated me from the pack. They said they liked that I founded the program for my college and it showed that I worked hard for what I wanted.

Bottom line, you would learn alot and can add something else to the resume. If the opportunity arises for an internship at a major then I would take it first but a internship is very helpful also. Plus, Why rush to finish school now while there aren't any jobs right now? Do anything you can to separate yourself from the 1000's of guys with the same qualifications.

Good luck

I would avoid an internship at any regional like so many others have alluded to here. Go to UPS or FedEx and get the good experience. Interning for a company that may not be around in another 5 years wouldn't be smart. Just look at the balance sheet of the company you want to go work for...I would think everyone would do this before running off like a pansy to the first company that nodded them in.

This industry is home to some of the biggest blind yahoos I have ever met in my life. They are blind to the fact that they may be on a sinking ship and will still try to sell you the fact that they will win the world cup one day. I'm never surprised at how little Kool-Aid it takes to make a pilot geek into a little Aryan love child.

Tread carefully and read the company's balance sheet for longevity and make your decision.

Thanks for all of the responses.

As far as interning at a major I understand that would be better, but I applied for several internships and ExpressJet is the only offer I have. So it is ExpressJet or no internship on my resume.

I have yet to make my final decision; I have been preoccupied with studying for the CFI checkride, but thanks again for all the different views.

And I think that in this competitive market where (no offense) the extra 300 or so instructing hours you get will be largely meaningless, that the internship will make a difference, whether or not XJT exists any more, and whether or not you're applying there or another regional or a major.

I question the wisdom of delaying graduation from an accredited university, especially with a non-aviation degree.

Flown with many who delayed their graduation, swearing they would complete it once they're at a regional......only to not complete it and regret their decision. Not saying this is the path you're on but its happened to many others.

My advice is to finish your degree without delay.

I will be completing my degree before I find a flying job. The internship would just not allow me to take summer classes, pushing my graduation date from December 2009 to May of 2010.

Thanks again for all the responses and different viewpoints, its appreciated.

exactly!! !

Another former xjet intern (and furloughed fo). Just to repeat what some other people have said...there are legitimate concerns about the value of an internship at a regional, and the value of an internship at a regional that is at least 2 years from hiring. However, you did say it's xjet or nothing. I would personally value an expressjet internship over your other options this summer. The value of seeing the inside of the airline, going through systems and getting in the sim with an instructor. There's boring aspects too, it's an office job shuffling papers around, so don't get too excited about the day to day work. But overall it's a valuable experience, and you'll meet people who can write valuable recommendation letters too. I can't speak for HR, but you can basically be assured they will take care of you when xjet starts hiring again. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if the first couple of new hire classes were all interns. And I can tell you with certainty the only reason I even got in before they stopped classes was because I was an intern. I ended up getting furloughed, but I still worked there for a year. *edit* why aren't paragraphs preserved?

Just my two cents. But I would stay in school, do the internship. If you have monies for school then do it. the market sucks right now and there are few if any 121 companies hiring. I completed my degree went to two different regionals in 08 and I'm sitting on my butt furloughed. CFI work is even hard to come by. Get a minor if possible or a business degree you will definately need it as your career moves along!

i saw many interns in my time at XJT. Some liked it more than others, some of the pilots I flew with were former interns. As Clocks (and others) mentioned above it is mostly an office/paperwork sorta job, however everyone who does it gains a lot of experience. The training center has been slow lately (no new hires/upgrades) however that allows for you to gain more experience from the instructors who would otherwise be busy.

When I interned at UPS they hadn't hired in 3 years and it was a slow time like this that allowed me to gain valuable time/experience with otherwise busy guys with lots of knowledge to impart. UPS still isn't hiring, and I'm far from being qualified to apply, but its some good experience I've used in the mean time and may help again later....If/when they hire.

If you do the internship at XJT, make friends with the ground instructors in any spare time. They can teach you a lot, could use the office distractions, and are generally nice guys reasonably close to you in age you could hang out with locally if you are not from IAH. I am sure they would go out of their way to help you gain some valuable experience in/out of simulators and classroom. How would I know? I used to be one.......;)

I took part in the ExpressJet internship in the spring of 2008 and here is my .02 cents on it. I would highly suggest you take the internship as I would any college student who wants to join the airline industry. I worked in the Cleveland chief pilots office (naturally being that I'm a Kent Stater). The actual work wasn't all that exciting. Jepp revisions, intercepting pilots to go get drug tested, phone calls, setting up charter interviews, cleaned out cle crew room refrigerator, fixing the copier anytime a IAH bid packet came out, sometimes junior manning pilots (sucked) and obcourse going to Banjoe's . They had me go to Newark for a week to help move things from concourse C to A along with other random jobs. The main benefit is you get a full unabridged 2 week systems class on the EMB-145 ( we had two requals in our class so nothing was left out) and we took the systems test and did the first 3 FTD lessons and 2 full motion sim lessons. ( Even if you dont get a job with Express you will probably fly a ERJ or CRJ and if you can learn one jet it would make it easier to learn the other) We also got SA3 standby pass travel. ExpressJet is full of great people who are wonderful to work for and Trust me, there is so much more you can get out of it if your willing to learn. Most important thing is to be a sponge, ask questions and learn about the industry. While I was in Houston I worked with and had dinner with the manager of flight ops (technical) and I learned alot from him about the industry. He gave me the required texts (fate is the hunter, hard landing, flying the line, worst to first..the classics) but most of all from the whole experience I got to learn more about unions, and that it's about more then just strikes and the RLA, but how they help pilots and new hires and the services they provide. How important scope is ( as anyone with express knows how important that is after the spring of 08) and how contracts are more then just pay scales. Not only did I learn about the insides of how an airline works, but I came away with alot more knowledge and understanding of what it is to be an airline pilot ( for better and worst) and the responsibility every pilot has not only to the company but also to there own pilot group. Being a history minor, knowing your past is important when dealing with the future. The airline industry is taken a lot of hits since deregulation and it needs work, but it's still a good job and it's a job worth fighting for and you learning about the industry you want to be apart of is one step foreword in trying to make aviation (especially regionals) a much better place then it currently is.

Sorry for being so long winded. But It is worth your time to take the internship and overall I had a great time with Express and came away with a lot of knowledge. I hope that helps.

I pretty much threw up in my mouth when I read this. Stop drinking the kool aid please. This is just friggin' nuts. I'm glad ExpressJet hands out internships like Viagra at a golf tournament. You have said its XJT or nowhere. I'd ask you to reconsider majoring in aviation to begin with. You are handcuffing yourself to a very tremulous group of grads. This world is changing very rapidly now that the government wants a hand in the way companies are run. Changes are ahead. Tread carefully. What is XJT trading at today per share? Did you notice that they suffered a 30% drop in traffic in March? Once again, study a balance sheet. If you live in Houston, do you have any possibility of interning at Southwest?

I know that the appeal of white jets and white teeth and white women can be a little misleading, as I've seen the stargazing looks of the XJT guys as I commute home through IAH.

Sorry to pick on XJT here but ANY REGIONAL is going to be the wrong choice. Hold out for an internship at a larger company and find out how adults act when they are at work.

Our 30% reduction in traffic was due to our 30% reduction in airframes. Maybe you should study those balance sheets a little harder.

You've come to a place where you get advice from a person who uses a picture of a muppet trying to have sex with a woman to represent them. Kind of degrading.

But that aside, I do agree with the folks who said intern at a major. It might take a few years but at least you can check the box that said "worked here" and I've known plenty of people who got in the door that way at Delta. Some even had one heck of a fast track to going from being hired at a regional to being a DAL 756 FO in a bit less than four years.

Think about it.

I did an internship during the summer between my junior and senior year in college at Alaska Airlines. I like it, did a lot of busy work that people didnt want to do, but I had fun talking to people and sitting in on ground schools and getting in the sims they have. The other interns didnt get in the sims since my neighbor is a training pilot and very senior. Nice for rides to the airport from my parents house during the summer.

The best part of the whole thing was going for rides in the jump seat. Got to see what really happens up there and looks like a lot of fun.

I would since when it comes time to apply for an airline job it can only help you.

The only thing that I missed out on was staying at my parents house for the summer, and not at school. Was not paid so I missed out also on making some extra beer money for my last year at school.

+1

I delayed my degree to pursue a rampie gig with XJet, which I was hoping would turn into a Pilot position...ended up at SkyWest ultimately, and just over a semester from a degree. Ended up going back to school last semester full-time, while working full-time, and let me tell you it was the HARDEST, most time-consuming, and stressful thing I've ever done. Don't be a fool -- stay in school! Finish up the degree while you're knee-deep in it already, and start being smart about contacts. Best of luck!

Was kinda funny at the time I chose the avatar; since as a kid I always wondered about Bert and Ernie's relationship so I expounded on the idea of Pam Anderson, the ultimate sellout and a muppet....but I digress.

Listen to what we all are saying.

XJT is on the way out as is Mesa. Look at the majors and finish the degree. One day the regional will be gone because, dare I say, the majors will be forced to do the ole' Ab Initio deal. I promise to all who may read this, it WILL HAPPEN and there is no way the airlines can survive without the practice. I will never ***** about it though, since, as I age, I learn that things change and I have to adapt in order to stay viable. The longer you are all bitter and anti-change from the way you were raised just makes you the easier target.

Another reason why doing an internship might help you out more than doing one at regional level...... I was an intern at a major. After I got back to my school, i met the gentleman in charge of pilot hiring at one of the regionals that flies for that major. I should also mention that the biggest portion of that major's new hires come from that regional. The gentleman told me, since I was an intern with the major, I will get an interview as long as I put in the application. I know there's nothing written down, but it's not a bad deal at all if it actually happens. What am I going to lose if it wasn't true anyway?

Really, how do you figure that? I see you must have a special crystal ball.
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