FlywithStyle

So I am just getting into to world of avaition. Still in a 141 school. So I have a while to go but with that said. What will it be like if I ever want to work outside of the United States. I would love to work in Central or South America. I don't really speak that much spanish to speak of so I hope that won't hurt my chances. Do I need a different license, would I apply for jobs somewhere here in the states or would I have to go to the country I want to work in first? In general, how do you get a job in another country.

Typhoonpilot

First of all, forget Central or South America unless you are fluent in Spanish or unless things drastically change in those countries. I just flew with a guy from Tampa Air Cargo in Columbia. He was a 767 Captain and only made $3000/month Varig in Brazil is a shell of it's former self and BWIA has just canned all their pilots. Guys are bailing left and right from that part of the world. Much better opportunities elsewhere. If you want to work outside of the USA then Asia, the Indian Sub-Continent, and the Middle East are the primary locations.

You might start out by going to China to work as a flight instructor for Beijing Pan-Am Academy. Contact PW Murphy over on jetcareers, he'll tell you all about that.

Otherwise most expat pilots are hired as Captains, which means you need to have a good amount of experience. There are very few places that hire Americans as First Officers and then upgrade them to Captain. The pre-eminent airline that does is Cathay Pacific, in their case you hire on as a Second Officer.

The thing about going expat is that it is something that most guys only do if they are forced to by circumstance. You'll have a far better career at places like UPS, Fedex, SWA, etc than you would at a foreign company.


Typhoonpilot

KoruPilot

I really enjoyed flying as an expat pilot and would go back if the contract was good.

If you are looking for something different to start off your career you might think about Maun in Botswana as they hire very low time (300 hours) into their C206's. As far as Central America is concerned I agree totally with Typhoon pilot. I flew for an operator in Panama as a training captain and that was the only reason I was allowed to work and made what I did. There are a few who do hire expat captains, but a bit of left seat time is a must. My friends at COPA do not make a heck of allot of money for flying NG's, and most are looking to make the move to La India, China or Japan. But again, they have time in an aircraft that the Asian operators fly.

I have a friend who bought a rating and with only about 300 hrs ended up with an Indonesian operator, but that was a number of years ago and the conditions were not great.

Basically, it depends on the person as to whether they take to the expat lifestyle or not. I'd have to agree that focusing on one of the better large carriers in your home country is the safe bet though.

FlywithStyle

So one of the main reasons behind me wanting to do this is just so I have a chance to live in another country for a while and get some experiance and time logged. before I settle down into the states or into the corporate world of flying which is eventually where I would like to end. thanks again for the advice, I apperciate the input

KoruPilot

Sounds like you know what you want. Personally, I will never go back to N America. I have enjoyed great times overseas and had experiences you will not get by staying in the comfort of your home country.

Best of luck. Again, as a low time pilot you might want to think of making the pilgrimage to Maun, in Botswana. Many an expat has started out there career flying over the Delta.

mccube5

Just wondering if you could clarify what that statement means? What would those circumstances be that would lead you to flying out of the country? At this point in my life I think the idea of working somewhere else in the world seems more attractive. With the state of the airlines in the U.S. I sense more stability and better opportunity in other places where the industry is growing exponentially. Right now i'm eyeing a SO position with Cathay, we will see how that works out, but i'm gonna give it my all.

bus canuck

I think I know what Typhoonpilot means - if I can put words in his mouth.

I'm relatively happy at an ex-pat job, but I wouldn't trade it for a senior position at a national carrier. If you could do this on a 5 year contract and then return to your seniority, it'd be perfect. However, to have a career overseas involves a lot of sacrafice. My kids only see their grand parents once or maybe twice a year, for example. And although Dubai is a nice place to live, you have to give up your right to be a free citizen. There is no free press and no representation of any kind.

So if you can stay in Canada (second choice US ) and earn similar money, you'd probably be better off.

Hope that helps...

Hisflyer1

Hey Bus or Koru
Any information for a Penticton type?
Thanks!
[email protected]

zondaracer

HisFlyer1, are you kidding me??? This thread has been dead for a year and a half and you post on it? LOL why didn't you just PM those guys?

MiserDD

Because he only has one post and can’t PM. Additionally as a newbie, he probably didn’t realize the thread was from 2006.