European seeking new pastures
 

Dear all,

I am a 40 year old Scandinavian man with kids, girlfreind (mother) House and all this stuff, who allways dreamed about flying in the US.

As I recently Got a greencard to the US I was wondering if there are any chance for employment chances for semeone like me? A foreigner with European/US converted licensens.

We do things a bit different in Europe and my first job was on the 737 (not current anymore) Classic and NG (passenger/charter) Now I am flying the 767 cargo OPS. FO time only.

TT 4200h
767 1800h
737 2000h
Rest piston parachute etc.

Before flying I was working in the printning Industry, operating printning machines (actually a 4 year Education here) But no University degree or fancy stuff like that.
Would there be any chances in the US.

Thanks for any feedback and Happy new year to all :-)

Can't give you any advise career wise but I would think real hard about making a move to the US at your age with a family. All the "socialist" benefits that you get living in Europe, especially in Scandinavia, are non existent here. Life in the US is great if you're upper middle class.

As long as you are legal to work here, then get current with flying I don’t see why you would get hired by a regional fairly soon.

With the right regional, one may not be thinking they have to get to a major.

Some parts of these decisions only the individual(and family) in question can answer. One question would be, what does the rest of the family want? Would it be a permanent move? Not having a marriage certificate could cloud things a bit.

I’m one to serious consider options. “A ship in the harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for’.

I can’t see welfare options as the main reason to stay, may be a viable reason for the next guy.

You should be able to get a regional job very quickly with no problem.

The only thing holding you back from the best majors would be be PIC time (which you could get quickly at a regional) and a four-year degree. Possible to get hired without the degree, but the deck is stacked against it.

You could also likely get hired at one of the LCC's, Jetblue, Spirit, etc. The degree might or might not be a factor.

Being a foreigner will not hurt you in any way, in fact I suspect that once a foriegn person gets a green card (and FAA certs), US airlines are actually more likely to hire him to avoid any suspicion of discrimination... we have a lot of foreigners in the US airline business.

You will need to convert your licenses to a US commercial ME, but then the regionals will provide the additional training for the ATP.

It would be possible to work for a regional and obtain a degree via distance learning. The big majors in the US should still be hiring in large numbers by the time you wrap that up.

I believe most major airline pilot, indeed most pilot jobs, provide a very upper middle class living. Forty years of flying, not even at a legacy except for EA for five years, provided my family and I a very middle class and retirement.

GF

You should have no problem getting hired by a regional or LCC or cargo. Maybe a couple years to get hired by a legacy like United/Delta/American.
Apply and see what happens?

He's likely considered a high school dropout by the credential equivalency services, so getting to a major would be a hurdle. Unless he goes and flows from a AA WO regional.

OP: Är du Svensk, Norsk eller Dansk?