Where to go to Dispatcher school?

[womanpilot73]

Agreed. They don't care as much as a certain someone on here tries to preach. Not once have they ever inquired about what dispatch school I went to. If you know what you are doing, then you know what you are doing. It's as simple as that.

While I agree that after one has gained experience, it probably has no bearing on whether you get a job or not. And in my personal situation, I don't think where I went to school played a role in landing that first job, but I will say that several people (bosses and coworkers) have asked me where I went to school. When I tell them Jeppesen, I get the same reaction from everyone and it's always positive. The name carries weight in this industry, just as Sheffield does.

In reference to what CPZ said, a freshly licensed dispatcher doesn't really "know what they are doing". The statement holds more truth about an experienced dispatcher. In dispatch school, we learned the basics, memorized regs, etc, but we don't learn to really dispatch until on the job. So although I respect CPZ's opinions, I don't necessarily agree with, "If you know what you are doing, then you know what you are doing" when it pertains to a newbie. Where you go to school "could" play a role in the hiring manager's decision on who to hire. Remember, they've seen dispatchers from all different schools and if certain ones produce more well rounded dispatchers, they may have a tendency to hire those who have attended those schools.

Also take note that no matter how great the school, every single one has it's strengths and weaknesses. There is no perfect program out there. Choose the one that best fits YOUR needs. That's what I did, on the awesome advice I received here, and it worked out just fine for me.

Good luck!

 

[Phil Schuyler]

I still stick with my original advice...choose a school that has a history. One that's been doing this a while and has a record of producing quality dispatchers. Choosing a brand new program is not something I would want to do. It takes a while to work out the kinks and bugs of any new operation.

Now that I agree with. Nothing against a new school, but just as new dispatchers have to prove themselves, so too must dispatcher schools.

Or as a friend of mine said: "Never fly the A model of anything.

 

[manniax]

Reading this thread, it occurred to me that an apples to apples comparison of this school vs. that school is only possible if someone has gone to more than one school? Anyone here done that?

This is a weak argument. Of course hardly anyone has ever gone to more than one dispatch school. Why would you, once you have your license? However, people here have worked with and trained graduates from many different schools. The fact that they didn't attend multiple dispatch schools themselves does not mean that their opinions, based on their own experiences working with graduates of all the various dispatch schools over a long period of time, are thus invalid.

That said, all I can offer is this: In all my interviews and job offers I've never had anyone look at my resume, say "You went to such and such dispatch school?" and then whistle like he was impressed.

I can agree with this to a point - but the fact that an interviewer doesn't gush over your school choice doesn't mean that they don't look at your educational background. Putting dispatch schools aside for a moment, a candidate with a meteorology degree but no experience will probably get picked for an entry-level dispatch job over an operations agent with no college degree. And, as I have previously mentioned, if you don't have your basic dispatch knowledge down (which most people learn at a dispatch school, and yes, different schools do emphasize different things in their courses) then it will be hard to impress an interviewer with how good of a dispatcher/employee you'll be - no matter where you got your license.

 

[Kev]

That said, all I can offer is this: In all my interviews and job offers I've never had anyone look at my resume, say "You went to such and such dispatch school?" and then whistle like he was impressed.

I have, in a way. Several times, but most importantly at my first and (what I hope to be my) last job.

Perhaps the interview board wasn't impressed with where you went to school and didn't feel inclined to whistle about it?

 

[Phil Schuyler]

I have, in a way. Several times, but most importantly at my first and (what I hope to be my) last job.

Perhaps the interview board wasn't impressed with where you went to school and didn't feel inclined to whistle about it?

Fair point, but I should also point out that neither did they say "You went to such-and such? Ugh!"

 

[Luigi]

Come on people; does anybody else here think this entire argument is absolutely ridiculous? Let me give some advice for anyone looking for school. Is there a school near you? If so, that may be the school for you. If not, where is the easiest school for you to get to? Good, hope we can all just agree that this entire thing is just a little bit stupid. Pay your money, go to school and get your license, and not much else matters.

 

[pljenkins]

Come on people; does anybody else here think this entire argument is absolutely ridiculous? Let me give some advice for anyone looking for school. Is there a school near you? If so, that may be the school for you. If not, where is the easiest school for you to get to? Good, hope we can all just agree that this entire thing is just a little bit stupid. Pay your money, go to school and get your license, and not much else matters.

I don't think entirely dismissing the quality of the school you consider is the best strategy. Easy yes, but this isn't like you're trying to learn how to screw in light bulbs. To someone with no previous experience it's very important to consider the quality of the school as well as its percentage of graduates who are gainfully employed in field. Since networking is incredibly important in this field you want to be sure you are hitching your trailer to a place that can deliver opportunities after graduation.

 

[Luigi]

Ok, admittedly you're probably right, I'm just explaining my point poorly. Is there a dispatch school that if a person graduated from you would immediately throw his resume out? Better yet is there a school where that person would be immediately hired? the debate between IFOD, Jeppessen, and Sheffield kind of feels like a debate between Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. All top of the line schools. Besides any way you look at it, finding a job is on you. You need to pass the interview.

 

[MT]

Ok, admittedly you're probably right, I'm just explaining my point poorly. Is there a dispatch school that if a person graduated from you would immediately throw his resume out? Better yet is there a school where that person would be immediately hired? the debate between IFOD, Jeppessen, and Sheffield kind of feels like a debate between Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. All top of the line schools. Besides any way you look at it, finding a job is on you. You need to pass the interview.

To be brutally honest, yes there is. When I was hiring dispatchers, if I saw no aviation experience at all on the resume I would then look at school. A Sheffield grad nearly always got interviewed. Same for Jeppesen. Based on personal experience with their grads.

On the same token, IFODs only got a look if they had something else on their resume or they were the only other applicants I'd see. There is stuff they don't teach that I'd ask in my interview. Over half of my interview questions built upon this huge topic they did not teach. God help you if I saw Flight Safety on your resume. Every extremely bad dispatcher I have ever worked with or interviewed came from there. There had to be an extremely compelling reason for me to bring in one of their grads.

 

[Luigi]

To be brutally honest, yes there is. When I was hiring dispatchers, if I saw no aviation experience at all on the resume I would then look at school. A Sheffield grad nearly always got interviewed. Same for Jeppesen. Based on personal experience with their grads.

On the same token, IFODs only got a look if they had something else on their resume or they were the only other applicants I'd see. There is stuff they don't teach that I'd ask in my interview. Over half of my interview questions built upon this huge topic they did not teach. God help you if I saw Flight Safety on your resume. Every extremely bad dispatcher I have ever worked with or interviewed came from there. There had to be an extremely compelling reason for me to bring in one of their grads.

Not to discount everything you said, but is it possible you're an exception and not necessarily the rule? In my mind it seems rather silly to be so incredibly biased against schools especially when there are so few of them. Oh well, admittedly I have very little experience so I could be quite wrong.

 

[jayd1038]

So MT, how would you feel about an applicant who had attended AGS for dispatch? (regardless of past aviation experience or not)

 

[MT]

It comes down to perception as I've said. As a hiring panel member it's was my responsibility to recommend for hire the best candidates I can to have operational control over the company's aircraft.

So obviously I would ideally like to hire someone with years of experience dispatching jets under part 121. In the regionals, you can rarely get those guys since they are at majors and would laugh at the paltry salary I could offer them. So that brings me to someone who's worked in aviation before might have a year or so dispatching or scheduling and otherwise "gets it." You can get a feel for these guys in the interview and then decide if they would be a good fit or not. Remember, you are representing the company's best interest here and not the candidates.

If I have no choice but to go in blind on a candidate, meaning he just recently found out what an airline is, I have no other way of deciding if he's worth an interview other than his resume and schooling. Given the limited resources you can't interview everyone. So all I have left is perception based on others that came before you. If you came from a highly reputable dispatch school and I have first hand experience with their graduates doing a great job for me, then I'm more likely to take a chance on you. Now if your fellow alumni have been absolute dog crap, I'm less likely to risk my company's resources to take a chance on you.

If all of a sudden the new Sheffield graduates as a body began to suck big time, then I would be less inclined to select future grads for interviews. The opposite would be true for my feelings on Flight Safety, if I saw consistant phenomenal hires from there, then I would want to get some of that talent in my office.

Is it fair? No, not really. This is why networking is so huge. If you are able to separate yourself from the pack, then hiring managers can focus on the real you and not just a potentially misguided perception.

 

[jayd1038]

Yea I get that I do. Still didn't answer my question though lol, how would you feel about an AGS attendee based on an previous people or your impression of them, if said candidate had minimal or no aviation experience prior?

 

[MT]

So MT, how would you feel about an applicant who had attended AGS for dispatch? (regardless of past aviation experience or not)

Honesty I do not have much experience with their grads so it would come down to resume review.
It may contradict myself but all grads that put the work in after getting their ticket should be getting interviews and jobs. It may just take some grads longer if they attended a "bad" school in that hiring managers opinion.
I'm quite relived not to be on hiring panels anymore. It's quite a pain in the rear after a while
;-)

 

[Phil Schuyler]

To be brutally honest, yes there is. When I was hiring dispatchers, if I saw no aviation experience at all on the resume I would then look at school. A Sheffield grad nearly always got interviewed. Same for Jeppesen. Based on personal experience with their grads.

On the same token, IFODs only got a look if they had something else on their resume or they were the only other applicants I'd see. There is stuff they don't teach that I'd ask in my interview. Over half of my interview questions built upon this huge topic they did not teach. God help you if I saw Flight Safety on your resume. Every extremely bad dispatcher I have ever worked with or interviewed came from there. There had to be an extremely compelling reason for me to bring in one of their grads.

See, now I'm curious. What did you ask in interviews that IFOD does not cover?

 

[Luigi]

See, now I'm curious. What did you ask in interviews that IFOD does not cover?

If I had to guess I assume he's referring to the 1 navaid and 2 navaid rule?

 

[MT]

That would be it. Something every dispatcher is gonna encounter in a interview skills test. It's dispatch 101 and it's as likely to be on a test as the definition of operational control. Why they don't teach it is beyond me and a huge slight against that school.

 

[Luigi]

That would be it. Something every dispatcher is gonna encounter in a interview skills test. It's dispatch 101 and it's as likely to be on a test as the definition of operational control. Why they don't teach it is beyond me and a huge slight against that school.

You know the day I graduated one of the instructors took my study guide and highlighted those pages and said "learn this, you will be asked on interviews". So I'm not sure if it's necessarily a bad thing that they expect you to learn just a little bit on your own. Also it's not a particularly tough subject.

 

[MT]

You know the day I graduated one of the instructors took my study guide and highlighted those pages and said "learn this, you will be asked on interviews". So I'm not sure if it's necessarily a bad thing that they expect you to learn just a little bit on your own. Also it's not a particularly tough subject.

Let's agree to disagree there. Having taught a part 65 course myself, some people have a hard time figuring out the 1 Nav / 2 Nav rule initially.

Personally I think that if a dispatch school leaves one of the most important topics taught in dispatch school for you to fend for on your own by highlighting it and saying good luck, then they have done a terrible job preparing you for your interviews and career.

 

[Luigi]

You know MT, you may be right. No one has asked me about it yet, but I'm prepared for when that questions does come around (I hope).