TSA Interview
 

OK well everyone here has been extremely helpful. NOW I call upon you once again. I have an interview at TSA in two weeks. Anyone give me some tips? What can I expect, etc.

Go for the experience but keep your options open. Just an opinion YMMV.

I made a gouge on www.aviationinterviews.com the day of my interview this past tuesday.

Do you have a Pulse??

You do? You're hired!

HR: Hello, can you interview next Monday?
You: Of course!
HR: Fantastic! And just for planning purposes, be ready for class on Tuesday!

LoL ;-)

Did they really say that, i assume you're kidding?

LoL yeah I'm kidding man, but honestly, go in with a smile on your face and show them a willingness to learn and you won't go home disappointed! Best of luck...Management is awful (you should have picked up on that by now!) but overall it isn't a terrible place...tons of great guys to fly with and even a few class-acts at Headquarters in STL.

Well I'm kinda stoked. I mean if things don't work out after like 6 mos I can go to pretty much any airline, especially ones that fly the 145. So I'm not worried about that. I'm just worried about this stack of paperwork they gave me! WHOA!!.

I dont want to be too harsh but this quote pretty much somes up everything that is wrong with this industry. An airline will spend approx. 20,000 to train you (sim time, salary, hotel, instructors, etc) One of the primary reasons for such low first year pay is recovery of training costs. To have the attitude of just going somewhere else if I dont like it further justifies first year fo pay, and training contracts.

Some of the least successful people that I have met in life have been those who consistently jump from job to job. Extended periods of unemployement or multiple jobs within a short period of time are serious red flags, and it may not get you the first time around, but somewhere down the line it could come back to destroy you. Think first, and dont worry the shiny jets will always be there.

The opposite is true as well. If these companies really wanted to retain the talent they have invested so much in, they would pay suitably to retain them. That's how it works in other industries. I don't think many pilots would have a problem signing a training contract for $35-40/hr to start instead of $22.

Also, when it comes to moving jobs, the most successful people tend to move on a regular basis. They make strategic moves to further their careers. Look at management and CEOs, they shift every 2-4 years and are paid large sums of money to not jump ship.

The low pay and training contracts without incentive show how management feels about pilots. They will take advatange of you and burn you out for the lowest cost possible. The examples of a benevolent company taking care of its loyal employees are rare anymore. So why not use them to your advantage. If TSA raises their pay rates and improves the work rules, people wouldn't jump ship in 6 months.

Exactly, how can TSA expect to to remain competitive?

They got away with low pay and awful work rules for a long time, as Pilots were just lucky to have jobs...it's backfiring on them with the Industry as it is today.

They even started paying for lodging during training ::gasp:: (Not enough, but it's a start)

Oh, and I agree about the strategic moves...nobody is going to give you grief about leaving Mesa for another carrier shortly out of training...remember, you have to do whats best for you. A good employer knows if they can hold onto you or not when they Interview you, and they give you incentive to stay. Just be sure to not jump around too much in this industry.

TSA's pay is industry average and I would say that their work rules are too. Not saying there isn't room for improvement, b/c there is and those issues are being addressed in negotiations now (junior manning, second year pay, etc). The problem is we've had the same contract for a while. Most of the captains I fly with say our current (expired) contract was a big step up from the previous, and was actually a pretty good one when it was signed. Unfortunately, Its been a long time since it was signed. Heres hoping for a better new contract. Hopefully the pilot group will be willing to fight for it. I'm betting they will.

Does anyone know how many classes TSA has a month? I'm curious if I'll have to wait a whole month from my interview date to start class, if I'm offered the job. I know they have a Jul 2nd but there is NO way I can get all my stuff together to start class 4 days after an interview. I'm afraid to burn my bridges at my current 9-5 non flying job should I, GOD FORBID, be asked to leave training.

When I left TSA in April, they were running one class a month, starting on the first Monday of the month.
I think they are still doing this, as they really don't have enough instructors to run two new-hire classes and an upgrade class simultaneously.
Of course, they could just cancel the upgrade class...oh wait!:rolleyes:

...for 30-seat turboprops.

One class per month.

The industry average for 50 seat jet pay is what it should be for 30 seaters. Hopefully that will start to change.

Nice a 30 day wait! Great. Ohh well I guess that will give me time to get a suitcase, and flight kit and all that fun jazz. :)

Thanks

That's forty seniority numbers dude...I started class 4 days after Interviewing. Kept me from sitting Reserve more than two days. That alone is Priceless!

dont worry not many people sit reserve more than a week when your attrition is 60billion percent!

I know even my sup at my job said it would be a no brainer! I just am thinking about that possibility of having to come back. My managers don't know this is in the pipeline yet.

You know what, they can't blame you for jumping at a chance like this. Tell them BEFORE the interview that you may have to leave, and explain why. I told my CFI Job I was pretty sure I wouldn't be back after the interview, and they were cool with it.

Then what happens if you frig up the interview............you're DONE !!

"Never leave one vine until you have a hold of the next" ......George of the Jungle

LMAO...tell them you've got an interview and that's all! What, you think you'll lose your Job over it?? Don't quit for cripes sake!