No work anywhere

[Pat Richard]

If employers need guys with experience why don't they hire young licensed guys and train them?

Because it is an industry that considers training, specifically type training, too expensive, even though they require it for their types aircraft.

Almost every ad I've ever seen seen on here demands you come pre-trained for their types of airplanes. Hard to understand how any industry operating expensive equipment would consider it normal to not train its employees. aviation is that industry.

I think you'd be crazy to go spend 10G+ on the hope someone might take you after, especially if you have to take a loan/credit card.

Not worth it, man. Not in aircraft maintenance.

I'd spend 10G on a nice vaycay before a type course.

Im sure the memories would be much nicer.

[Heliian]

Ok. first off, don't buy your own type course, especially one on which you don't have time.

For job resources, try verticalmag forums and aeroads.ca. Keep trying and don't give up, you'll get something eventually.

try GSH, TRK and all the newly named companies in the oil patch. The oil patch is a great place to get a start.

It was extra slow this year, I was off 3 months between jobs this year as there was not much going on and I have ratings and experience. Just keep sending those resumes out and making follow up calls, you'll find something before spring.

Employers need to invest in their workforce with initial and recurrent training. Don't waste your time with a company that wants premade transient workers.

When you sell yourself, try not to focus on what you currently have but try and give your prospective employer a vision of what you can become once settled and working for them in the future.

Best of luck.

[The Weasel]

Typical aviation...expect people to train themselves so the company can save/make money.

I'd suggest investing in another field where they value their people.

This isn't typical in my experience. Sometimes to get an extra leg up one has to pay for your own training, or sometimes we get ourselves into a bind. A company isn't always going to hand everything to people on a silver platter. If you only rely on training from a company, you're only going to get what they want to give you. Changing career paths (or taking a specific path) usually requires a person to take the initiative themselves in order to make it happen.

[Pat Richard]

The expectancy, in my experience, is typical. People paying for there own type courses, not so much, but it is hardly uncommon. I know several people who have done it.

As for paying for changing career paths, that was paid when he went to school initially, so why should there be an expectancy for the individual, once finished school and in the industry, to self fund further training for company equipment?
We are not talking a couple hundred here/there, its multiple thousands, and the return on that kind of investment is piss poor.

The fact that people even consider doing it is a window into how phuked up aviation is.

[CentCollStud1234]

The good news is: You are not alone. Almost every industries nowadays need low paying employee with great experience. And they do not willing spending money to train anyone. I came from another technology field. Coming to college studying aviation for a "BETTER" future. I have seen many people in the school coming from various different technology fields in a very similar situation.

[seamus]

Most successful people I know, many outside of aviation, at one point or another in the past had to sponsor some of their own continuing education in order to give their career that extra bump needed to propel it to the 'next' level. But somehow those that often bitch the most of this forum believe it is an entirely unacceptable thing to do to invest into your own future. You're much better off throwing everything you've worked for away and starting a whole new career. Yeah, that makes perfect sense...

If you've been on unemployment for a while most of the provinces will have some form of assistance available to people just like you in order to help you get off their dime and back on your feet again. Many years ago somebody I know got their new type course paid for by a provincial man-power office. You have to talk to them and prove how this new training will help you get a job again, a letter from a possible future employer stating they will hire you once you have the said training could be required but all the same help is out there.

According to your post you're thinking of getting an AS350 training course and yet all your experience up to date is on Bell mediums, why the 350 course then ? In my experience all the good jobs, decent money and better career opportunities are generally found in the multi-engine, IFR helicopter side of things. Single engine, VFR world has very limited career possibilities, made all the worse by the seasonal nature of the work generally associated with it. Why not go out and invest into a 212/412 course - plenty of good work opportunities out there especially on the international scene. Again, it's just a thought...

Cheers

[Brice]

Join the military. Pension, benefits, time off, no tools to pay for, constant training.

[brownbear]

I think it is more important to be mobile to find work then it is to be trained. If you are a decent wrench and willing to go to less desirable locals of our country you will find work.

I don't believe in paying for a type course. Its principal more than anything. I have four type course and never paid for one of them, cause the employer needs trained people to ACA.

Now my logic is for fixed wing. I can see a lot of these tiny operators in the helicopter side don't want to invest in an employee, as they are seasonal and can't even offer employment all year round. If you bought yourself a 350 course and you have experience on the type (just as important to be able to ACA someone) then maybe....

But it is not the same as furthering education. It's a mandatory course for the operators. Furthering your education is taking sheetmetal, welding, NDT or avionics courses.

You can be more marketable with this course and only you can decide if it's worth it. Lots of criteria, location of job, pay and duration.

If you had a few letters from employers saying they would hire you only with ths course you could go to transitions or employment Canada and see if you quality for some paid training too. Or maybe one of these operators who would hire you would fund half of the course one year and half of the course another year. I'd have that in writing though.

[212wrench]

The expectancy, in my experience, is typical. People paying for there own type courses, not so much, but it is hardly uncommon. I know several people who have done it.

As for paying for changing career paths, that was paid when he went to school initially, so why should there be an expectancy for the individual, once finished school and in the industry, to self fund further training for company equipment?
We are not talking a couple hundred here/there, its multiple thousands, and the return on that kind of investment is piss poor.

The fact that people even consider doing it is a window into how phuked up aviation is.

I have endorsements on all the Bell two blades, except 214 and I never paid for any type training. I have never paid for my license. Never paid for a DG course, Human Factors, or H2S. This is typical.

[helicopterray]

I would also like to point out that in my 27 years turning wrenches, I have never paid for a course of any sort. The companies I have worked for have always provided the 'investment' in me.

This is typical.

[Pat Richard]

You two must be exceptional, because most of the guys I know that have paid for type endorsements are fling wing AME's.

Difference these days most likely is that most dont stay with companies more than 5 years.

There's a reason why training companies advertise type courses in this forum...

[rolly117]

I payed for my 212 type course and it was good for a tax write off, instead of giving the tax man alot of money you invest in yourself and you have no obligation to any employer because nothing is free in this world