Foot in the door theory?

[cdndx]

I've always heard ppl talk about going into customer service/ ramp / crew sched to get your foot in the door but I'm wondering how many of your company's have actually hired a csa or ramp agent and taken them to a dispatch or assistant gig? I went to school with someone who was a CSA for a major and is now a dispatch assistant with them but that's the only person experience I know of.

Anyone else? Does your company do this?

 

[BobDispatch]

I know Southwest brings almost everyone up through the ranks. A large number of the people in my office have come from ramp and then load planning as a way to get into dispatch. The class I was hired with half the canidates were internal hires.

 

[manniax]

There are a lot of people in my office who were formerly in load planning or crew scheduling. Some of them started out working at the airport. That being said, if you are looking to go this route, I think it is better to get a job working in the same office as dispatch - such as crew scheduling - so that way you can get to network some and know when there are going to be openings coming available. I've never worked in a non-dispatch position at an airline myself so I don't know how hard it is to make the switch, but I've seen many people transition over without much problem.

 

[F9DXER]

F9 actually hired a few new dispatchers that did internships in prior years. Thus anything is possbile

 

[FXMXC]

I've always heard ppl talk about going into customer service/ ramp / crew sched to get your foot in the door but I'm wondering how many of your company's have actually hired a csa or ramp agent and taken them to a dispatch or assistant gig? I went to school with someone who was a CSA for a major and is now a dispatch assistant with them but that's the only person experience I know of.

Anyone else? Does your company do this?

FedEx has actually done this in the past as well. Quite a few who worked in the hub went and got their ADX or A@P with tuition reimbursement from the company and went on to dispatch or mechanic positions. In fact I guy I work with left to get his 1000 TPIC hrs at a regional and came back and was hired into his old non flying position and is networking his way into hopefully a pilot slot at FX

 

[cdndx]

Interesting

 

[belgiumania]

Seems pretty common. 3 people hired alongside me were internal hires with no previous dispatch education/experience. The airline sent them to Sheffield to get them licensed.

Also spoke with a new hire crew scheduler who had been in scheduling at FedEx and was offered to be put through dispatch school and given a dispatch job at FedEx and she turned them down because she couldn't go without pay for a month or so. I had to restrain myself from calling her insane during our conversation.

 

[FXMXC]

Seems pretty common. 3 people hired alongside me were internal hires with no previous dispatch education/experience. The airline sent them to Sheffield to get them licensed.

Also spoke with a new hire crew scheduler who had been in scheduling at FedEx and was offered to be put through dispatch school and given a dispatch job at FedEx and she turned them down because she couldn't go without pay for a month or so. I had to restrain myself from calling her insane during our conversation.

Jeez I guess some people don't know when they have a good thing staring them in the face.

 

[cdndx]

No kidding wow, who would turn that down. This very interesting tho, trying to weigh the pros and cons of getting experience or getting in at any level with the company you want to eventually dispatch for.

 

[belgiumania]

No kidding wow, who would turn that down. This very interesting tho, trying to weigh the pros and cons of getting experience or getting in at any level with the company you want to eventually dispatch for.

If you're going to take this route I wouldn't settle for anything other than a scheduling position. They work with dispatchers daily so you get the exposure to the systems and more importantly to the people and the management. Knowing the right people is half the battle in any industry.

 

[TomatoFlames]

I climbed the ranks from the ramp myself, as did friends of mine that were promoted higher into management from dispatch. Also, any time you can expand your aviation experience with multiple positions along the way, you look better to management that is hiring you because you have a better understanding of the industry and operation as a whole.

 

[cdndx]

Good point tomatoflames, if you can find a company you want to stick with it will look great with management that you know other areas of the operation and are willing to work your way up and stick with the company.

 

[NJA_Capt]

There are several pilots at NJA that started as coordinators and dispatchers. Unusual, but possible.