Opportunities for apprentices in Toronto

[planeguy]

I am a 4th year apprentice living in Toronto, working occasionally doing some contract work. I just completed all the requirements to receive my FAA A&P, thinking that some type of license would mean something to someone other than me. I was in Detroit doing my examinations and took a look at the job board for people just out of school from Michigan Institute of Aeronautics when I was finished. I counted 83 jobs and 2 of them were filled. I applied to the USA and received replies from Raytheon, Timco, ATI, Stambaugh Aviation, Mesa Airlines, and Northwest Airlines, and who the hell knows who else if I actually looked any further. These companies repair and maintain anything from Beechcraft to Boeing 777 and actually realize the importance of young and new faces in the industry. Unfortunately, having the necessary paper work to get down there unless sponsored is legally impossible. I advise anyone who is serious about aircraft maintenance and can go down there, to go. Most jobs on the board were paying at least $15/hr USD to start.

Here in Toronto, I am either over qualified for apprentice positions, and underqualified for AME positions. Frustration mounts. Most of the graduates this year will hear that employers are looking for some experience, while i actually heard in february that I had more experience than needed for an apprentice position. I browse the internet everyday for hours checking for that one break, buy aviation directories calling the same DOM's every month to no avail. Out of the 6 billion people on this planet, I am one of the few luckiest to live in Canada, but also unlucky to not have the paper work for the USA. For money, respect as a learner, and a future, the USA is hiring big time.