I was curious if anyone has interned with ExpressJet and what they thought of the experience? I have been offered an internship (unpaid) for this summer with ExpressJet, but I am not sure if the benefits outweigh the costs. It will push my graduation date back a full semester and it is anyone’s guess to when they may be hiring again. The internship does however guarantee an interview at a future time when they are hiring.

Any thoughts or advice from former interns would be appreciated.

 

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.