It looks like there is another Pan Am China job fair. I have nothing against any of these companies, and it looks like this may be another opportunity to pay your hard earned money to fund a foreign airline.
I think it is understandable that pilots may want to do this, and it may be wise to reconsider. Why should you spend your hard earned money when these airlines are funded by governments anyway? You have obviously worked lomg and hard to get to where you are, so why keep paying for it?
I do respect the knowlege earned from earning a type rating, but lets look at the big picture here. Why keep funding these airlines?

 

Not sure what is your beef here, What do you mean "keep funding these airlines" ? Are you talking about paying for your training? What is your point

 

The point is that although a type rating is an excellent rating to have, it may be wise not to spend your own money on this. These airlines should be paying for your training, and not you paying for it. When you continue to spend on training that could easily be paid for by the airline, then you are throughing your earnings right out the window.
I don't discourage anyone from obtaining a type rating per say, but this idea of pilots spending their own money to fly is rediculous. Ay some point we should all realize that we have done our share, and now it is the airline's turn.

 

Sorry, it wasn't clear that this was about or against rather, pay for training. I share your view against it, I have never engaged in it and I view it the same way you do. Now, not all these airlines require you to PFT and some of them are paying upwards of 18K a month, so you can see as to why folks would consider it to be worth it. Also, many of these airlines are targeting pilots in the EU and the Oceania region and PFT is a common practice in those parts, regrettably.

 

Most of those airlines want people with significant time in type.

 

Negative... some require about 500 hours on type, which at the end of the day is not very much.

 

You won't find ANY pay for training schemes in China. All of the Chinese companies require time on type, in most cases 500 hours PIC is the minimum. There have been a few contracts where A-320 PIC pilots can train onto an A-330 but generally a bonding provision is required. Chinese carriers for the most part want Captains only. A few 747 operators recruit FOs but they can grow their own FOs here quite quickly but it takes a while to grow a Captain. The job fair is a good way to meet and get an introduction into Chinese aviation and those companies hiring for experienced Captains. The highest paying jobs in China are now the A-320 contracts with the 737 NG closely following. The pay in China is some of the highest paying contracts in the world but the ATC system and the Chinese medicals are difficult and tedious.

 

Actually it's not just time in type, they want 500 hours PIC time in type. That is not as easy to attain, since it takes time to get to a Captain slot flying 737 or larger equipment in the US.

 

One thing is the published requirements for some of these jobs and another is the qualification of some of the people getting hired, I know several cases of guys that didn't have time in type or the type rating that have been hired lately out here as DEC's in jobs that the minimums required 500 hours on type, granted these guys were north of 10,000 hours with previous check airman experience and such, but it is happenenig. My advice is not to disqualify yourself, let them be the ones making the decision, don't make it for them. If you are interested in a job abroad as a means of getting out of the "rat race" apply for the position you want, even if you think or it seems you don't meet the minimums, the expat market is getting pretty contested and it is difficult for companies to fill classes even at some of the best jobs available, I recently got offer an interview for a 777 DEC position that according to the published minimums requires 500 hours on type. Two very close friends are now working, one as a 737 captain and another as a A320 captain now in airlines out here in Asia and neither of them had previous experience in those airplanes, but again they were experience pilots. Interesting times for contract work.

 

Excellent advice here!