Seriously considering airline dispatch profession

IADspotter

Well-Known Member
Hello All,

I am new here but have been following the dispatch/flight control forums for a few months, and considering this profession for a year or so now. I have done some research about the various schools, and regularly visit the 'careers' sections of the regional airlines. I have zero airline industry experience (I have been working in the hotel industry, non-profits, and higher education these last few years), and will be 31 this year. Like many here I have been a life long aviation enthusiast, and am particularly interested in the airline industry. Have called both IFOD and Sheffield and have had a Q&A with helpful people on their side.

I understand that there are many many variables that can determine the success of a job hunt after getting dispatch certification, but I have gathered that it is reasonable to expect some sort of employment within say 3-4 months after obtaining the certification (specially if you are open to moving, which I am). What I am looking for from you guys here is a guesstimate as to the likelihood of an applicant obtaining an interview/offer from one of the well known regionals specifically, as opposed to small and medium sized charters, small cargo companies, air ambulances, corporate fleets etc. etc. A figure, like a percentage probability (all other things being equal) is what I am ideally looking at. This is one area where unfortunately, the reps from these schools have not been of much help.

The major schools like Sheffield/IFOD/Jeppesen seem to have a class size ranging from 15-20 every other month. While I understand many of them are already employed by the airlines, but judging from the available dispatcher postings that I see on the regionals' career pages, that is still a relatively significant applicants to available positions ratio in my opinion.

I do apologize if this has gone a little lengthy, or if it has been discussed before. But I just want to have a realistic idea about my chances of getting into a regional (within say 3 to 6 months of getting the certification, again all else being equal) before jumping into this. I know the dispatch profession goes much beyond the regionals, but I am not looking to dispatch for AMTRAK,a large trucking company, or even for a small to medium charter company.

Thank you in advance,
 
Do you have a college degree? If you are looking for a percentage it will be tough. The toughest in any profession is getting the interview and then you just have to sell yourself to get an offer. Your changes of regional employment will also depend if any airlines are actually hiring when you graduate. I am unsure about your remarks about amtrak, trucking, etc as the schools you mention prepare you solely for flight dispatching. I am in a similar boat as you looking to possibly transition into dispatch and have been researching for 8 months or so. Good luck-- you will find many knowledgeable, friendly and helpful people on this board will offer their expertise.
 
Do you have a college degree? If you are looking for a percentage it will be tough. The toughest in any profession is getting the interview and then you just have to sell yourself to get an offer. Your changes of regional employment will also depend if any airlines are actually hiring when you graduate. I am unsure about your remarks about amtrak, trucking, etc as the schools you mention prepare you solely for flight dispatching. I am in a similar boat as you looking to possibly transition into dispatch and have been researching for 8 months or so. Good luck-- you will find many knowledgeable, friendly and helpful people on this board will offer their expertise.
Thank you for your response, and good to talk to someone in a very similar situation....I do have a graduate degree in a management/administration related discipline. I was talking to a gentleman at one of the big three the other day, and he did mention jobs/hiring at amtrak. Maybe it was just to make the point that there are contingencies if your job hunt goes south. Thank you for your encouragement!
 
There are so many applicants for each job posting, so it's really a crapshoot if all you do is submit a resume & online application. My best advice for you to set yourself apart is to network, get a few tours if able, and maintain those contacts. Make your name known, in a positive way, and you'll likely have a leg up on an opportunity to interview. Then it's all about selling yourself. Aside from being qualified, hiring managers are often looking for someone who will fit in with the group. Be personable, knowledgable, prepared...but most of all, be yourself. Enjoy the ride ;-)
 
15-20 students are probably the norm when going to Sheffield, Jepp, IFOD or some of the others but here is what you are missing.

How many of those are actually qualified or eligible to work for a US airline.

If I remember right, this is the breakdown of my dispatch class

5 people were already working for an airline (Hawaiian, ATI, Swiss Air, Iberia and Air India)

2 people were active duty military. ( 1 of them got hired by FedEx as a performance engineer)

1 person in the British military, stationed at Gander.

1 flight instructor and 1 helicopter pilot ( These two were just keeping their options open but were not planning on going to work as a dispatcher)

2 people had jobs lined up for the company they worked for, Part 135.

1 person left after a week because he was offered his old job back


As you can tell, just in the class I attended approx 30-50% were people who were not going into dispatch because they couldn't or had other plans.

I would venture to say that 30% would be the average of all the classes. Then you add in the average failure rate (I don't know what that percentage is.)
and the actual number is reduced quite significantly.

I'm sure there are some of the remaining students had not considered the long term requirements of a dispatcher, low pay, moving, bankruptcies, shift work.

It might be a question you want to ask they school you plan on attending - if they keep stats on how many of their students qualified to work at a Part 121 carrier are actually working at one?

If other dispatchers remember the break down of their classmates, I'd be interested.

Best of luck!
 
F9DXER said:
15-20 students are probably the norm when going to Sheffield, Jepp, IFOD or some of the others but here is what you are missing. How many of those are actually qualified or eligible to work for a US airline. If I remember right, this is the breakdown of my dispatch class 5 people were already working for an airline (Hawaiian, ATI, Swiss Air, Iberia and Air India) 2 people were active duty military. ( 1 of them got hired by FedEx as a performance engineer) 1 person in the British military, stationed at Gander. 1 flight instructor and 1 helicopter pilot ( These two were just keeping their options open but were not planning on going to work as a dispatcher) 2 people had jobs lined up for the company they worked for, Part 135. 1 person left after a week because he was offered his old job back As you can tell, just in the class I attended approx 30-50% were people who were not going into dispatch because they couldn't or had other plans. I would venture to say that 30% would be the average of all the classes. Then you add in the average failure rate (I don't know what that percentage is.) and the actual number is reduced quite significantly. I'm sure there are some of the remaining students had not considered the long term requirements of a dispatcher, low pay, moving, bankruptcies, shift work. It might be a question you want to ask they school you plan on attending - if they keep stats on how many of their students qualified to work at a Part 121 carrier are actually working at one? If other dispatchers remember the break down of their classmates, I'd be interested. Best of luck!

This is very true. My class had 20 if I remember correctly and was made up of people from 7 different countries. I think only 8 of us were from the US, and out of that, I think only 3 of us are employed as dispatchers.
 
This is very true. My class had 20 if I remember correctly and was made up of people from 7 different countries. I think only 8 of us were from the US, and out of that, I think only 3 of us are employed as dispatchers.
Probably the same for my class. Out of the 20 in my class, only about 4 (including me) were actively looking for dispatch positions.
 
How does one go about getting a tour of a SOC/NOC? Do I just call up the number on the airlines website, and ask for an appointment? Can anyone shed some light from personal experience?
 
IADspotter said:
How does one go about getting a tour of a SOC/NOC? Do I just call up the number on the airlines website, and ask for an appointment? Can anyone shed some light from personal experience?

Personally, I reached out on this forum about four and a half years ago. I gave my location and asked if there were any options to experience "a day in the life" of a dispatcher. Thanks to a forum member (thx PJ!), I was given the information I needed and was able to schedule a tour with the D.O. at an airline close to where I lived. He allowed me to sit with a dispatcher for a while as well. I sent a thank you card and kept in contact with him, updating him via email of my progress at school, as well as my desire to work for him when an opportunity arose. Just so happened that he hired me right after I got my license and I started a few weeks later.

I don't care what anyone says here to the contrary - a positive attitude and putting forth the effort can be what sets you apart and makes you successful. Just applying for jobs in this industry doesn't cut it in my book. Not that you can't get a job that way because you can, but you leave it up to more luck of the draw, so to speak.
 
Personally, I reached out on this forum about four and a half years ago. I gave my location and asked if there were any options to experience "a day in the life" of a dispatcher. Thanks to a forum member (thx PJ!), I was given the information I needed and was able to schedule a tour with the D.O. at an airline close to where I lived. He allowed me to sit with a dispatcher for a while as well. I sent a thank you card and kept in contact with him, updating him via email of my progress at school, as well as my desire to work for him when an opportunity arose. Just so happened that he hired me right after I got my license and I started a few weeks later.

I don't care what anyone says here to the contrary - a positive attitude and putting forth the effort can be what sets you apart and makes you successful. Just applying for jobs in this industry doesn't cut it in my book. Not that you can't get a job that way because you can, but you leave it up to more luck of the draw, so to speak.
Thank you very much for your helpful responses. This sounds like a good idea. I'll put a separate post to see if someone is willing to help with a tour. I live in the DC area, so the closest regional seems to be Piedmont. But I am flexible, and willing to drive (even fly) a reasonable distance if an opportunity arises.
 
I didn't keep up with very many from my class, but from what I remember:

4-5 Nigerians (one flight attendant and the rest were back logged in flight training so they were bored)

A couple from Bahrain who had jobs at an airline already

A couple furloughed flight attendants who were just waiting on the call to go back

A pilot who lost his medical (older gentleman) who was talking about going to fly in China

An aviation mechanic who got let go with a big group from AAL

2 of us were just using it as a backup while waiting for atc

And then a couple sprinkled in that had no aviation background

3 of us went to work for ARINC Direct (Rockwell Collins bought them out but not sure if they changed the name yet) right after and 2 of us left from there for atc and the other I think works for the NBAA in DC doing something.

Only one girl I know of actively works in the dispatch world at this point. She went to Colt in Houston before being hired on my express jet in ATL (I think that's where they're at?). And now I believe she works for UAL.
 
As I see it, your main hurdle is that you have no aviation experience. Hiring managers (and this is true of all industries and professions) don't like taking chances on an unknown quantity. That's why they like to see related experience. It's not just about demonstrating that you can do the job; it's also about showing that someone else took a chance on you, and (hopefully) had that pay off.

If you can get some kind of professional aviation experience between now and getting your dispatch license, that will be a big boost to you when it comes time to looking for a job. Your background suggests you have customer service/hospitality experience. You could try to leverage that and get an entry level customer service position at an airline. As I say, it gets you some industry experience, but it also provides the opportunity to learn how airlines work. Possibly the biggest professional surprise I ever received was getting my first airline job, and getting a peek behind the curtain.

Best of luck to you.
 
As I see it, your main hurdle is that you have no aviation experience. Hiring managers (and this is true of all industries and professions) don't like taking chances on an unknown quantity. That's why they like to see related experience. It's not just about demonstrating that you can do the job; it's also about showing that someone else took a chance on you, and (hopefully) had that pay off.

If you can get some kind of professional aviation experience between now and getting your dispatch license, that will be a big boost to you when it comes time to looking for a job. Your background suggests you have customer service/hospitality experience. You could try to leverage that and get an entry level customer service position at an airline. As I say, it gets you some industry experience, but it also provides the opportunity to learn how airlines work. Possibly the biggest professional surprise I ever received was getting my first airline job, and getting a peek behind the curtain.

Best of luck to you.
Having no aviation experience is not that big of a deal. I can point out several people I work with that went to dispatch school and got the license knowing nothing about aviation, other than this profession sounding cool. They got jobs at a regional airline and used it as the experience they need to get to a major carrier.

You can do the same. Feel free to PM me if I can help you with anything.
 
I had no aviation experience when I started in this career field. I came from a major oil company, working on their trade floor as an operations analyst for crude truck and rail operations. Though I didn't have direct aviation experience, the 5 years with the oil company, working in operations has been a big help. I am really glad I've made the switch to dispatch and love what I do now.

I went to Jepp and we had 2 classes with 18 in my class and 10 in the other class.

Breakdown of most in the two classes:
5 from Oman (didn't graduate or take practical test due to their lack in understanding the material when asked about it. They all work for an airline in the Middle East or their country's Air Force.)
2 active military
1 ops manager at Southwest (now working in dispatch at SWA)
1 who got her ATC notice while in class so she never used her license
3 who had jobs with Part 135s and would move into dispatch
3 of us with no aviation experience (I got hired a week after graduating by Republic/other 2 got hired in Dec 2015 for SkyWest)
1 who worked for a cargo company in FL - got hired by Jepp for a aviation job there
3 who had jobs waiting with 121 Supps once they completed the course
1 worked for UN - after graduating she went back to work as a dispatcher for UN in Africa
2 Russians who worked for an airline in Russia who were already dispatchers - once they came back with license they were being moved into management at their airline.
The remaining students I'm not sure what happened to them.

I know you're out East, but if you would like to come out to Indianapolis, I'd be happy to show you around our SOC and have you sit with me for a few hours. PM me if interested.
 
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As I see it, your main hurdle is that you have no aviation experience. Hiring managers (and this is true of all industries and professions) don't like taking chances on an unknown quantity. That's why they like to see related experience. It's not just about demonstrating that you can do the job; it's also about showing that someone else took a chance on you, and (hopefully) had that pay off.

If you can get some kind of professional aviation experience between now and getting your dispatch license, that will be a big boost to you when it comes time to looking for a job. Your background suggests you have customer service/hospitality experience. You could try to leverage that and get an entry level customer service position at an airline. As I say, it gets you some industry experience, but it also provides the opportunity to learn how airlines work. Possibly the biggest professional surprise I ever received was getting my first airline job, and getting a peek behind the curtain.

Best of luck to you.
Some good points there, I have read about a few dispatchers who took the customer service/ramp worker route to get a foot in the door. Some ofcourse were already in those positions when they discovered about the dispatch option. The thing with customer service jobs at the airlines/airports is the poor pay compared to the workload/hours etc. But I get the point that it maybe a reasonable price to pay for the experience on resume.
 
I don't think you'll need it. Just know your stuff, and amaze them in the interview.
That's if your able to get one, been applying to many dispatch positions with aviation experience, never got called. It's just takes connections and some luck.
 
Some good points there, I have read about a few dispatchers who took the customer service/ramp worker route to get a foot in the door. Some ofcourse were already in those positions when they discovered about the dispatch option. The thing with customer service jobs at the airlines/airports is the poor pay compared to the workload/hours etc. But I get the point that it maybe a reasonable price to pay for the experience on resume.

Please allow me to clarify. It is certainly possible to get a dispatcher job without any related experience. I'm sure there are many here who did just that. It will just likely be a little more difficult and take a little longer. I can only speak from my own experience. It took me about 6 months to find a job after I got my license, and I had an aviation related degree and about a year of industry experience. As with all things, success comes to those who persist.

You can improve your opportunities by networking, and by getting some actual aviation related experience. It doesn't have to be anything glamorous.. My very first airline job came about because I worked at the local airport pushing lawnmowers around, and at a local corporate flight department cleaning airplanes.
 
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