I was unable to think of a better title to the post but, I have a friend who is trying to get some info on becoming a FedEx employee to later, once things turn around, fly for you guys.

Just a few questions for those who have taken that route, if you don't mind answering...

1) Does one have to be employed specifically by FedEx Express to be considered for a pilot slot? Or will say, FedEx Office suffice?

2) Does the employee get to interview at the completion of the one year of service to the company, in addition to meeting the minimums for hire, regardless of whether the company is hiring pilots or not? Or does the employee have to wait for the company to be actively interviewing/hiring so that he can interview for the pilot slot?

3) What happens if the FedEx employee has to move to a different city/state because of his flying job? Is there flexibility for relocating?

4) What would happen if the employee has to quit, on good terms, from his FedEx job because of his flying job... will he lose all chances for the pilot interview?

Thanks for your time. I don't know a better way of getting these questions answered than to ask the guys who have gone on that path.

Hopefully see you on property by 2010!

Sincerely,
one of the poolies.

FedEx Express, anything else is a different company.

Once you meet the time requirement, I believe it is still one year, AND provided the company is interviewing and hiring, one can then apply for interview if they meet the required minimums - which have been known to change (I have a friend at UPS that this happened to).

The one year requirement, I believe, is the minimum to apply for any job company wide that is listed as open. So, I think you'd have to be the flexible one!


No, but he will not interview as an internal applicant, he would have to apply like everyone else. To get hired as an internal, he would have to start all over again as a "box thrower"! However, if he did get hired later, he would get to keep that original employee number, which is nice!

Hiring to the corp flight dept and/or the training dept may have completely different rules and timelines. Someone else will have to speak for that!

Disclaimer: This is all based on how I did it 15yrs ago! YMMV!

CloudShipper,

This is a combination of 2 posts I made about 3 years ago on another forum. If it's a little disjointed, I apologize.

I did what you're inquiring about. A little background (sorry in advance for the long post)...

Retired USAF. UAL for 1 1/2 years, furloughed. Consulting work while trying to get back to a flying job. After contacting my USAF friends at FedEx, I decided Purple & Orange was the way to go.

Mid 2004, FedEx would NOT interview furloughed folks (other than US Air on a case by case basis). My sponsor suggested throwing boxes for a period of time (it varies, more on this to follow) and get on board as an internal hire.

Policies change and FedEx is interviewing furloughed folks on a case by case basis. The advantage to being an internal hire is that if you are qualified for a given position and FedEx is hiring into that position, you are guaranteed the interview (provided your record at FedEx to that point is clean & you meet all the qualifications).

I applied and was hired as a courier. A better choice for me (more on this later) then being a handler. 7 months later I was called for the interview. 1 month later I recieved the "You're Hired" call. The system works. Some things to consider...

I remained a courier for 4 more months after being hired. FedEx policy states that you stay in a given job for a minumum of 1 year prior to internally switching positions. This was an easy 4 months, as I knew a large carrot resided at the other end of the tunnel.

Again, in my opinion, being a courier is less routine than tossing boxes (handler) at the airport or local station. If you have other employment, being a handler might be a better fit.

Be careful of the following if you take any of these positions...You WILL sign a letter of commitment (LOC) to that particular station/airport. This committment is usually longer than the 1 year FedEx corporate policy (i.e. 18 months, 24 months, etc). While all these commitment time frames are waiverable, the 1 year corporate policy is not typically waived. The station/airport LOC is waiverable, but is at the discretion of your local manager. Get this ironed out prior to signing on the dotted line. I was very up-front with the manager that hired me and when I was hired to fly, there were no surprises/hard feelings. As a matter of fact, I had a great relationship with my co-workers and supervisors and they were all genuinely very happy for me.

Not flying was definitely a concern I had. My sponsor inquired and let me know that it was a concern for them as well. I immediately began doing some single engine flying at the local airport and would update my on-line application each time I'd fly. It was never even discussed at the interview. I imagine that this topic was/is a hit or miss thing at the interview/meet and great.

With regards to whats happening right now...Strictly in the "I heard" arena, recency is an issue. It is not something directly addressed in the FedEx qualifications section of the web page for applicants (unless that's changed?). I'm sure, however, that the interviewers are looking at it since they have so many "qualified" applicants (i.e. things that separate you from the pack).

Again, just my thoughts.

During my interview process, I received many compliments/thanks for having been a courier. You certainly gain insight to a side of the company that most of our pilot brethren never see. Plus, I dropped 15 pounds running around as a courier! Stay positive and it is an enjoyable experience.

I couldn't be happier with my career choice. Great company, great group of professional aviators.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Ramps

Hi Cloud,

Haven't seen you here in a while....glad you're still treading water. My son, and Whale, and you are surely waterlogged by now, but hang in, it will be worth the wait.

Regards,
BG

That's too bad that it has to be Fed Ex Express, there isn't a single job in the US on the site as of today!

Fr8Dog, Ramps,
Thank you for taking the time to answer all the questions, I really appreciate it. It is a great route to take for aspiring FDX pilots, particularly for those of us from the all-civilian side.

FedElta,
You're right, I know it will be worth the wait. I am luckily still flying for a great carrier while I wait out the swim in the pool. I hope your son is also employed while he swims.

Gunpig,
You're absolutely right, not a single job on the Express side of the house. Wow.

I worked for Fedex doing the sort and driving out to SWF each night. The catch to getting an interview as an internal employee was that you had to be FULL TIME for a year. I was hired as casual status and that didn't qualify. There was no telling if any full time positions were going to open up at the station any time soon. This was back in 1996 so I'm sure things have changed since then.

Even my experience is beginning to be a little dated. I can say that I was NOT "Full-Time" in the standard sense of the word. My position as a PM Pickup Courier was termed "Permanent Part-Time". This amounted to 25 hours a week (usually more if you wanted it) and you were eligible for benefits (insurance, tuition assit., etc). Again, I did this from July 2004 to July 2005, so take it all with a grain of salt. As many folks on this board will attest, things are always changing at Purple & Orange.

Cheers,
Ramps

Does UPS offer a similar internal interview program?

The requirement is PERMANENT, not CASUAL. PERMANENT can be either part-time or full-time. FedEx loves the flexibility of using part-timers, so expect most entry-level jobs to be part-time.






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