Interested in Dispatch

JT8D

JT8D

Well-Known Member
Hello all!

I've been obsessed with aviation ever since I can even remember.. And I definitely want to make a career out of it.

I've been reading through some other similar threads, but still have just a few questions that I was curious about.

1. Is it hard to get a dispatch job right now, if you're willing to move anywhere for it?
2. Is it so that I must be at least 23 years old to begin dispatching?
3. What materials would help me prepare for a dispatch course? I've read some say a certain book that has questions that you'll see during the course exams.

Last for now, I've been looking at Sheffield in Florida, and IFOD in Texas. Has anyone gone to IFOD, and if so, how was your experience there? Reputable school?

Sorry for the questions overload. Thanks in advance, all! :)
 
1. Depends on you as to where you are willing to move and what you are willing to do. Best advice here I can give when the time comes apply to everything out there. You may only get 1 interview out of 40 jobs that you apply to. Study hard and know your stuff you will be quized on it at the interview.

2. Yes federal regulations state that you have to be 23 to be a dispatcher. There some jobs that wuill hire you before this with a dispatch cert. (not a license) but you must have taken the class and you must be turning 23 in 6 months to year. This is little rare but there are places that do.

3. ASA ATPL Exam Guide. There is a computer version I would recomened this because you will get the book when you take the course.

This only my opinion others might have a a more info or better information.

IFOD was my school and I highly recomend them. They worked hard to help you, and Mark has given me lots of advice both during school and after school with career advice.
 
I started dispatching before I turned 23. You just have to find a 121 supplemental carrier who doesn't have it as a requirement in their GOM.
 
Being willing to move anywhere is definitely a prerequisite for career success in this field. Generally speaking, you do have to be 23 to get a job dispatching since that's the youngest age at which you can receive a dispatcher license. You can find other work in the same area (assistant dispatcher, load planner, crew scheduling, etc.) that doesn't require a license if you want to get started earlier than that. With regards to your other questions I would peruse this forum - especially using the search feature - and you'll find that your questions have already been asked and answered.
 
Excellent information, guys.. Thank you!

A bit of a dilemma here. I'm not sure whether to go for my dispatch cert while I'm still 22, or to just wait until I'm 23. Does it hurt my chances at all to not be able to apply for regionals/mainline airlines right out of the dispatch course? Probably a silly question, but I'm simply trying to be 100% sure about my path, here. :D
 
There are plenty of reviews on dispatch schools on here. Sheffield tends to be the one most go to. They are like the Harvard of dispatch schools.

I was an under 23 hire. Got hired at 22 years 10 months. Finished training and was "signed off" 2 weeks prior to my 23rd birthday. I did a lot of office work for those two weeks! Be careful because under 23 is an automatic disqualifier for a lot of companies online job applications.

As far as a major goes, don't expect to get hirerd by one right out of school. It will take at least a year or two experience at the regionals before they will even look at you. The average tends to be 5 years. Seen extremes on either side of that too.

Regardless, good luck and welcome.
 
Thanks, MT. Definitely understandable about the jump all the way to major being very unrealistic. To be honest, I'm fine with just about anywhere, to start. :D
 
MT said:
There are plenty of reviews on dispatch schools on here. Sheffield tends to be the one most go to. They are like the Harvard of dispatch schools.

I was an under 23 hire. Got hired at 22 years 10 months. Finished training and was "signed off" 2 weeks prior to my 23rd birthday. I did a lot of office work for those two weeks! Be careful because under 23 is an automatic disqualifier for a lot of companies online job applications.

As far as a major goes, don't expect to get hirerd by one right out of school. It will take at least a year or two experience at the regionals before they will even look at you. The average tends to be 5 years. Seen extremes on either side of that too.

Regardless, good luck and welcome.
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And to add to this point, if Sheffield is the Harvard of Dispatch Schools then Jeppesen is Oxford.

Just sayin...
 
BoilerOps said:
And to add to this point, if Sheffield is the Harvard of Dispatch Schools then Jeppesen is Oxford.

Just sayin...
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And if I may also inquire, would IFOD be considered the Columbia or Stanford of ADX schools or are we talking Compton Community College?
 
Macr3ady said:
And if I may also inquire, would IFOD be considered the Columbia or Stanford of ADX schools or are we talking Compton Community College?
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Lol....Compton. I think most people would agree that Sheffield, Jeppesen and IFOD are probably the top three schools.
 
You have to be willing to move as a dispatcher. The airlines are spread out all over the country. I know of some people that would love to dispatch but either cant or wont move. Go where the jobs are.

A good number of dispatchers start out at a regional like Pinnacle or GoJet and then move on to other regionals. You need to be willing to move if a move would put you in a better position to get to a major.

Also, being turned down by certain regional airlines can be a blessing in disguise. I know of several dispatchers that got into majors with very little experience who were turned down by large regionals. When one door closes, another one can quickly open.

The business is going through a lot of consolidation. As soon as US Airways dispatch joins us in DFW, it will likely be the last move for the legacy carriers for a while. On the regional and LCC level, there is a potential for more bankruptcies, furloughs and mergers. With that in mind, if you were to lose your job as a dispatcher you would definitely need to find another city.

As far as dispatch schools, go to whichever one has the lowest overall costs. Nobody in the industry really cares where you got your license. They all teach pretty much the same exact material. Every airline follows the same basic regulations but their company policies and ops specs are different. The dispatch systems vary by airline. Each airline has dispatchers doing things others don't. When you get to an airline, you will learn to do things their way.
 
Flagship_dxer said:
. Nobody in the industry really cares where you got your license. They all teach pretty much the same exact material. Every airline follows the same basic regulations but their company policies and ops specs are different. The dispatch systems vary by airline. Each airline has dispatchers doing things others don't. When you get to an airline, you will learn to do things their way.
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See, I really disagree with this statement. Airlines do indeed take a look at where you went to school. Especially if you're coming into your first job. Take it from a guy that has hired dispatchers in the past.

Now it is true that all the schools are part 65 certified and do teach a similar curriculum. However some go above and beyond the rather basic Part 65 requirements and this is where they differ and airlines notice.

Every school has indeed placed some of their graduates, however school selection is one of those little things that can give you a small leg up over the competition.
 
womanpilot73 said:
Lol....Compton. I think most people would agree that Sheffield, Jeppesen and IFOD are probably the top three schools.
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I have also heard good things about a community college program in Minnesota. Actually I think it would be great if dispatch was part of a college degree program - and I think Embry-Riddle does offer it as part of a degree program although I don't know the details. Instead of having a 6-week flood of information you could have a multiple-semester stream of information while getting a degree as well.

In the end I think you do accomplish most of your learning on the job (it's definitely a "license to learn") but having a good foundation is always important, and Sheffield definitely offers that. I can't speak directly for the others because I haven't attended them, but at the end of the day what is most important is what you put into it.
 
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Sandydfw said:
Where would Embry Riddle rate? Not that I went to any of the above, just curious.
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ERAU has a pretty good reputation among airlines, but I don't know much about their dispatch program. If you can work it into getting a degree while you're already there, though, it would definitely save you on time and money (since you're already there getting your degree and paying for classes.) I do work with one person who got their license through ERAU's Prescott campus and seemed to think it was good training.
 
I got my dispatch license 2 months after I turned 21 and start working as a crew scheduler a few months after that. Once I hit a year in scheduling my company promoted me (in title and responsibility only) to a dispatcher at age 22. We are 121 supplemental carrier so we can get away with it. Now I'm getting a ton of international experience and more importantly, ETOPs experience. There is no reason you couldn't go down the same path I did.

Good luck!
 
titansox said:
I got my dispatch license 2 months after I turned 21 and start working as a crew scheduler a few months after that. Once I hit a year in scheduling my company promoted me (in title and responsibility only) to a dispatcher at age 22. We are 121 supplemental carrier so we can get away with it. Now I'm getting a ton of international experience and more importantly, ETOPs experience. There is no reason you couldn't go down the same path I did.

Good luck!
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Im a little rusty on REG's, but im curious how you got a license at age 21? Isnt the required age 23?
http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulator...FA47C5D5592F077A86256A64004DB4BB?OpenDocument
 
manniax said:
I have also heard good things about a community college program in Minnesota. Actually I think it would be great if dispatch was part of a college degree program - and I think Embry-Riddle does offer it as part of a degree program although I don't know the details. Instead of having a 6-week flood of information you could have a multiple-semester stream of information while getting a degree as well. In the end I think you do accomplish most of your learning on the job (it's definitely a "license to learn") but having a good foundation is always important, and Sheffield definitely offers that. I can't speak directly for the others because I haven't attended them, but at the end of the day what is most important is what you put into it.
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One of my former coworkers was in an aviation degree program where getting her dispatch license was a required part of the program. I agree...this is a great way to go as your aren't being fed from the firehose and probably get a better, well rounded education. If that was an option for me, I'd definitely have gone that route, but already have a degree. In the end, we are both licensed and I didn't have to fork out all that college $$$. Been there, done that! ;-)
 
MT said:
There are plenty of reviews on dispatch schools on here. Sheffield tends to be the one most go to. They are like the Harvard of dispatch schools.

I was an under 23 hire. Got hired at 22 years 10 months. Finished training and was "signed off" 2 weeks prior to my 23rd birthday. I did a lot of office work for those two weeks! Be careful because under 23 is an automatic disqualifier for a lot of companies online job applications.

As far as a major goes, don't expect to get hirerd by one right out of school. It will take at least a year or two experience at the regionals before they will even look at you. The average tends to be 5 years. Seen extremes on either side of that too.

Regardless, good luck and welcome.
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Harvard?! According to whom? Did U.S. News and World Report compile some sort of ranking that I missed? Not to be utterly offensive, but I have serious reservations about their reputation and supposed testimonials, which seem to be part of what I assume is a highly-orchestrated and carefully coordinated publicity and marketing campaign engineered by "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," their CEO (who just sent me a snark-laden, sarcastic PM the other day when I mentioned another school's modern-looking campus). Frankly, if I read one more phony-looking review or testimonial about that school, I'm going to stick a pencil in my eye and welcome the distraction. The Harvard of the Everglades, perhaps, but let's be serious.

And no, I'm not an IFOD grad; I'm actually a prospective student looking to choose the best program that aligns with my new career direction. I was very, very close to following the hype (and fear mongering) and heading off to Ft. Lauderdale, but the more I read, the more suspicious and cynical I became with respect to this allegedly prestigious and reputable training program.
 
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