Interested in becoming a Dispatcher

Vtec01

Vtec01

Well-Known Member
Hello All!


I have been following the forum for a while and finally decided to join!
I am currently working as a part time flight follower for a small freight forwarder at KOMA for around a year now. I had a couple questions and figured you guys would be able to help me out.


I am an senior in college this year and will be graduating with a Bachelors of Science in aviation on May of 2012. I am on my last portion of my flying budget and cannot afford to move on at this point in time. I enjoy what I do at my current position and figured I give it a shot and try for a dispatch certificate to pursue a career in dispatching.


I also am a commercial instrument rated pilot with 280 TT.
I was interested in attending IFOD in Dallas and was wondering if anyone had any experience with them? Also I was wondering upon graduation would my experience be marketable to jump right onto the majors as an assistant flight dispatcher or would I have to get into regionals first?



Thanks again for any information that may be provided!
 
Welcome to the forum. Your experience would definitely help but there are few airlines that hire assistants per se anymore. However it would make you competitive for those positions, I imagine, although to get hired as a regular dispatcher you'd likely need some experience actually performing 121 dispatching duties first. I didn't go to IFOD but there are people on this board who have so I will defer to them on what kind of course they offer.
 
First off Welcome Aboard!!

I can't speak for IFOD and the type of education they provide as I am a Sheffield Grad. I won't make any sales pitch as to which ones to attend and avoid since each of us here has their own opinion and it really boils down to what works best for you. I attended their Distance Learning course whereas Aeroscout was in the full 5 week program. We both passed and earned our licenses:rawk:

I'm sure others currently in the majors can attest, but my experience is that the majors want actual dispatch experience. I applied to UAL/COA & FDX fresh out of school and was told by FDX that my lack of dispatch experience put me at a disadvantage amongst all the other candidates. That's not to say that being a flight follower won't work in your favor. That'd be a good question for an HR rep.

With a pending interview with Miami Air, I'm giving it some consideration just to get my feet wet with experience. Best of Luck!
 
Welcome and best of luck. There is a thread on here called "List of entry level dispatch jobs". It's a pretty fair assessment of the companies interested in hiring new dispatchers. That said, I'm a late life career changer that was out of work for 2 years -- until I got my dispatch ticket. Now I'm happily employed doing a job I love. Dispatching is a stable job with reasonable hours, a career path and a fair entry-level wage (when compared to a career as a pilot).
 
Thanks for all the input! Looks like I'll have to refer to the "List of entry level dispatch Jobs," more often after I get my dispatch ticket LOL. Anyone know if there are any small regionals or start ups based in Texas? I for some strange reason really love TX, and wouldn't mind being based there.


BeReal said:
Welcome to the forum, Vtec01.

You may want to apply for a dispatch internship at Southwest Airlines. A DX license isn't required. Sounds like you qualify, but today is the last day to apply.

https://www.swajobs.com/ci20/index....69&SRCSEQ=postingSearchResults&SEQ=jobDetails

It would be great experience.

I graduated from IFOD in October. I enjoyed every tough minute of it and highly recommend it.
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Thanks BeReal, I applied for it a couple weeks ago, what's strange is then the deadline was 12/5/2011? For the Summer postion, how strange.
 
Also BeReal,

You mentioned you went to IFOD. What was the size of your classes by any chance? Did you and most of the people who attended have former AVN experience? I was thinking about registering for the five week course to strengthen my weather.
 
Vtec01 said:
Also BeReal,

You mentioned you went to IFOD. What was the size of your classes by any chance? Did you and most of the people who attended have former AVN experience? I was thinking about registering for the five week course to strengthen my weather.
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We had a class of 19 with different levels of aviation experience, from none to an RJ pilot. About half the class, including me, had no prior experience. We all left with licenses. Sounds like you'll be going in knowing a lot about regs, terminology, etc., which should give you a huge advantage.

Good luck!
 
Look at www.aviationdispatchinstitute.com we are in Memphis and we offer a 6 week course that is very comprehensive. The course is 220 hours with small classes so that you will be well prepared for not only your oral and practical but for intial airline dispatch classes.
In addition the DADE we use is a airline dispatcher for a major airline so the Dade is very experienced.
 
Vtec01 said:
Also BeReal,

You mentioned you went to IFOD. What was the size of your classes by any chance? Did you and most of the people who attended have former AVN experience? I was thinking about registering for the five week course to strengthen my weather.
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I'm a graduate of IFOD. Good school, Prekash is a good instructor and I'm not sure if he's still there, but Blaine was my classmate and then became an instructor. Put it this way, I wasn't the smartest guy there, but I studied my ASS off and past everything. Within 5 minutes of shaking hands with the examiner, I was offerred a job from Xtra releasing 737s domestically and internationally. I was offerred a dispatch job from Great Lakes without an interview. The folks at IFOD are so confident, they have you to start apply for dispatch jobs before you even finish. BUT again, you have to study your ASS off. I was there from 7am to sometimes 9 at night. The school is at the American airlines training center, one office and one classroom between 15-30 students per class 8am-4pm Mon-Fri. weekends off for 7 weeks. You take your written within 3 weeks and the oral and practical 4 weeks later.
 
121dispatcher said:
Look at www.aviationdispatchinstitute.com we are in Memphis and we offer a 6 week course that is very comprehensive. The course is 220 hours with small classes so that you will be well prepared for not only your oral and practical but for intial airline dispatch classes.
In addition the DADE we use is a airline dispatcher for a major airline so the Dade is very experienced.
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Thanks, 121disptacher! I'm really leaning towards IFOD though, as I've got some family down there.
 
Thanks Mission for all the information it really helps a lot.

Also I've skimmed over the regs a few days ago and noticed that you have to be 23 to receive a certificate. So what do people do if they are fresh out and under the age limit? The FAA obviously wouldn't issue your temporary either correct?

I'm not too worried as I just turned 22 today. I'm just curious as to where they pulled that number from if anyone knows?
 
Vtec01 said:
Also I've skimmed over the regs a few days ago and noticed that you have to be 23 to receive a certificate. So what do people do if they are fresh out and under the age limit? The FAA obviously wouldn't issue your temporary either correct?

I'm not too worried as I just turned 22 today. I'm just curious as to where they pulled that number from if anyone knows?
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23 is the same age requirement as there is for having an ATP. I think the logic goes, if you are sharing operational control of the flight with a PIC, you need to have the same level of maturity as him. I was over 23 when I got my certificate, but I believe the FAA normally issues you a letter stating you have met all the requirements for a dispatch certificate, that you can exchange on your 23rd birthday for an actual certificate. Your school would have more information on what's involved with that. So, you can't be hired as a dispatcher until you're 23, but you could feasibly get a job as an assistant dispatcher before then, although not too many airlines have those positions any more.
 
manniax said:
I was over 23 when I got my certificate, but I believe the FAA normally issues you a letter stating you have met all the requirements for a dispatch certificate, that you can exchange on your 23rd birthday for an actual certificate.
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That is exactly what happens. I passed my practical less than a week before my 23rd birthday. Make sure your examiner knows you are not 23 so that he brings the correct forms. Once you pass you will need the copy of the letter signed by the examiner stating that you are eligible for the license which you will then take to a FSDO. I also needed a copy of my application for the license as well, but I think that was just because I went to the FSDO to get my temporary before the paperwork that said I had passed had reached OK City.

Other than that just set up an appointment with your local FSDO and take your passport and the letter along with you and you'll be all set.
 
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