How long to expect to wait after getting for license before landing your first job?

P

pjpoker

Well-Known Member
I am seriously considering becoming a dispatcher but am a bit worried about the job outlook. It seems that between all the different schools, there must be 100 new dispatchers a month getting licensed. There is nowhere near that amount of jobs open, so I'm beginning to think it may be a tough task to land a job. I'm not too picky, and am more than willing to move, but definitely do want to at least work for a regional somewhere.
I have aviation experience, not sure if that will help much finding a job. Over the last 7 years, I have held a variety of different aviation positions, starting with ramp agent, ramp lead, customer service supervisor, and most recently as a station manager handling the Delta product.
I am very passionate about the industry, and definitely have the drive to succeed in a dispatch position, but I don't want to be unemployed forever waiting for a job.

I hear stories about people landing jobs before even getting their license...is there any merit to that or is it more of a once in a blue moon occurrence? Is there a certain school that presents better opportunities to get a job straight out of training?

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
Its good that you "at least" want to work for a regional because those are the companies that will be hiring consistently, and the ones most likely to hire you.

The 7 years of aviation experience is definitely to your credit, especially supervisory positions in station ops. Those will also come in handy when trying to jump from a regional to a major. You sound like a good candidate and I can't imagine a regional not giving you a shot, so long as you are in "good moral standing" or whatever. Some regionals hire people with 0 years of aviation experience quite regularly. In my hiring class there were a couple of people with no prior aviation experience and had literally just finished their certification course, so sometimes you don't have to do much waiting at all. The industry is cyclical though, so hiring trends this year might be turned on their head next year.

I can't see a regional airline ever hiring somebody before they get a license. They need dispatchers on the job ASAP, and won't waste time by picking up candidates who can't actually dispatch.Some airlines that have "assistant dispatcher" positions may consider picking up a candidate without a license, but I think those opportunities are very rare.

As far as schools go, they are pretty much all the same. You end up with the same piece of paper, and that piece of paper is all that regional airlines are going to be concerned with.

The best advice I can give is, if you want to do it, then go ahead and do it. None of us can predict the future, but as far as waiting goes, I think we'd all agree that the sooner you take the course, the sooner you can be a dispatcher.
 
Last edited:
Sooner is better if you want to do it. At my current shop the four from my hiring class just finished getting checked out. They just hired a class of 9 that starts at the end of the month. We just lost two to United and as of Saturday 4 were leaving for SWA with another 8 waiting to hear back.

The point is there is a lot of hiring going on at the majors which means there is a lot of hiring going on at the regionals. If you want to Dispatch I'd suggest getting your license and getting in on the hiring frenzy.
 
Two people got hired pretty much before class was out in my school.

One doing trip support and the other doing flight following for WN.

Pretty much the rest of us were already at a major trying to get in internally. In my case I applied internal and have applications out externally. Regionals and all.

I got my ticket February 7th. So I know what you mean. I don't want to be sitting on the sideline too long.
 
I got my license in Nov 2013 and it took me 6 months after getting my license to land a job with a regional. I wasn't picky at all either, I applied to any and all open positions I saw. Only 3 ever bothered to call me in that time. I kept at it though, persistence was key and I actually landed with my first choice for regionals. I think because I didn't go through Jepp or Sheffield and went to the local CC I was overlooked by many, I don't know that but I got that feeling because my co workers had easier times then I did.
 
I got my license in September 2014 and started my first DX job this past January. As crow said, hiring is looking pretty awesome at the moment. Persistence in the application process is important; I probably sent out 50 to 60 applications before getting any offers for interviews...out of those applications only 4 called back. So be persistent and apply to everything.

Also realize that many of the people getting their licenses aren't actually going to dispatch right away. In my class we had people going back to the military, going back to their home country, etc. That being said there's still lots of competiton out there! So if you really want to dispatch, the sooner you get your license the better.
 
I had a job before the end of school. That being said, it was pre 9/11. My first day on that job was 9/11/01, or rather was supposed to be. Never actually broke the plane of the door before I lost that job. 2 months later I got a gig.
 
kilo said:
Its good that you "at least" want to work for a regional because those are the companies that will be hiring consistently, and the ones most likely to hire you.
Click to expand...

I should throw this out there...I'd like to work with a regional that is at least a feeder for a major... i.e not ZK, 3M, or 9K. I know a fresh dispatcher shouldn't be picky, but we'll see how desperate I get. Is the foreign market at all worth it or promising?
Thanks for the replies guys, they are all really appreciated.
 
Going overseas or over the border for work would be largely counterproductive if your aim is to eventually get to a major. Unless you are aiming for flight benefits, don't be too quick to bin the independents if they are doing 121 scheduled work.

You shouldn't be picky, but you should stick to your principals. If you want to work for a feeder regional, aim for those. You'll get in. Don't get too twisted up in who they feed for, unless again flight benefits are a thing for you and you are trying to hook your wagon to a network that gets you where you and your family want to go. Often times working for a feeder won't get you extra points towards getting on with that partner's major carrier, with the possible exception of Envoy->AA.
 
pljenkins said:
Often times working for a feeder won't get you extra points towards getting on with that partner's major carrier, with the possible exception of Envoy->AA.
Click to expand...

Northwest was in fact notorious for NOT hiring any employees from its express carriers (or doing so very rarely.) Fortunately that mentality is/was pretty rare and I don't know of any majors currently around that won't look at a candidate if they currently work for a regional that they are contracted with.
 
pljenkins said:
Going overseas or over the border for work would be largely counterproductive if your aim is to eventually get to a major. Unless you are aiming for flight benefits, don't be too quick to bin the independents if they are doing 121 scheduled work.

You shouldn't be picky, but you should stick to your principals. If you want to work for a feeder regional, aim for those. You'll get in. Don't get too twisted up in who they feed for, unless again flight benefits are a thing for you and you are trying to hook your wagon to a network that gets you where you and your family want to go. Often times working for a feeder won't get you extra points towards getting on with that partner's major carrier, with the possible exception of Envoy->AA.
Click to expand...
I've heard that working for a airline overseas is counteractive. How is this so? I really don't see the logic in it. I've heard this from a lot of people and it doesn't make sense to me. They dispatch airplanes just like the rest of us. What's the difference. Can't say it's because they aren't 121 because candidates have gotten hired outside of 121 into the majors. I'm just curious as to the reasons for this comment.
 
nyk said:
I've heard that working for a airline overseas is counteractive. How is this so? I really don't see the logic in it. I've heard this from a lot of people and it doesn't make sense to me. They dispatch airplanes just like the rest of us. What's the difference. Can't say it's because they aren't 121 because candidates have gotten hired outside of 121 into the majors. I'm just curious as to the reasons for this comment.
Click to expand...


From what I have understood using Air Asia as an example....they have dispatchers,but no operational control along with the captain . Same with Lufthansa I THINK.

With Air Asia I don't think they had authority to even be flying that route on that day. I'm not currently dispatching anywhere (but I did stay in a Holiday Inn during class ) ,and certainly not an authority on the matter. To me I always thought that the standards of aviation in the US were always held to be of the highest. I certainly don't aim to offend anyone, as there are some fine aviators around the globe. I guess how other airlines around the globe conduct operations may be safe and fine,but different in how the FAA per the FARs feel they should be carried out. Thus people usually coming here to get their DX or additional learning.

Just my very small two cents.....
 
The only countries that have a joint operational control requirement are Canada, China, and the US. In general, I've heard it's just better to be working in the US if you want to be hired by a US major. That being said, if I ever got an offer from KLM, I'd be very tempted...but as I lack EU citizenship and the ability to speak three languages, I don't think they'll be calling me any time soon.
 
pjpoker said:
I am seriously considering becoming a dispatcher but am a bit worried about the job outlook. It seems that between all the different schools, there must be 100 new dispatchers a month getting licensed. There is nowhere near that amount of jobs open, so I'm beginning to think it may be a tough task to land a job. I'm not too picky, and am more than willing to move, but definitely do want to at least work for a regional somewhere.
I have aviation experience, not sure if that will help much finding a job. Over the last 7 years, I have held a variety of different aviation positions, starting with ramp agent, ramp lead, customer service supervisor, and most recently as a station manager handling the Delta product.
I am very passionate about the industry, and definitely have the drive to succeed in a dispatch position, but I don't want to be unemployed forever waiting for a job.

I hear stories about people landing jobs before even getting their license...is there any merit to that or is it more of a once in a blue moon occurrence? Is there a certain school that presents better opportunities to get a job straight out of training?

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Don't be daunted by all the numbers of people getting a dispatcher's license. 100 newly licensed dispatchers per month does not mean 100 dispatch jobs being filled per month. Some will not pursue an airline dispatcher job. Some will, and won't get one. Some will look at other opportunities, such as Part 91 or 135, or not in aviation at all.

Keep in mind also that not everyone who starts in the dispatch profession stays in the dispatch profession. I've known people who got the license, got the job, and shortly thereafter quit because they discovered that the profession is not for them. I've known others who left the profession because they've gotten bored, frustrated, or experienced a change of interests.

It is not necessary to be unemployed while looking for a job. There are schools that offer distance learning formats, so you can keep your current job while working toward your license. With your aviation experience you should not have any difficulty finding a job, so don't sweat it.

Above all; be patient. Take your time, learn your craft. There will be jobs out there when the time comes.
 
There are also a lot of foreigners who come in to take the dispatch course who will then return to their airline, so they are a non-factor to your job prospects.

Nyk, the biggest problem at least *I* would have hiring someone with only foreign carrier experience is that I don't know to what standards you've been working under. Foreign rules and regulations are very different in many respects and as mannix mentioned, there are practically no other countries who employ dispatchers in the role they are here in the United States, so the critical concepts like DRM and operational control are either casually implemented or completely ignored as there is no motivation of enforcement or compliance.
 
Well understandable the regs thing but the operational control argument is not valid in my opinion. Reason being in the supplemental world the had all authority captain and dispatcher don't have operational control. Now I know for a fact people go from supplemental to the majors so the only thing I can see arguable is the regs.
 
I have a couple friends with DX licenses that turned it into a job with DFW Airport working ramp control. It's good on a resume for more than just Dispatch. Plenty of private companies and FBOs out there, too that would love a licensed Dispatcher on staff.
 
av8or757 said:
From what I have understood using Air Asia as an example....they have dispatchers,but no operational control along with the captain . Same with Lufthansa I THINK.

With Air Asia I don't think they had authority to even be flying that route on that day. I'm not currently dispatching anywhere (but I did stay in a Holiday Inn during class ) ,and certainly not an authority on the matter. To me I always thought that the standards of aviation in the US were always held to be of the highest. I certainly don't aim to offend anyone, as there are some fine aviators around the globe. I guess how other airlines around the globe conduct operations may be safe and fine,but different in how the FAA per the FARs feel they should be carried out. Thus people usually coming here to get their DX or additional learning.

Just my very small two cents.....
Click to expand...

A dispatcher and a "flight controller, operations controller, flight follower, or whatever you call them in a 121 supplemental or foreign carrier are all accountable. The only difference is when something happens to the latter, they take the Director of Operations down with them.

As manager of a small 121 supp operator now defunct, I had a controller who filed a flight on an unusable airway in China resulting in the flight having to return to the departure airport that was closed for curfew due to insufficient fuel to make destination on the ATC requested route. Monday morning I received a call from the CAAC requesting that myself and the controller appear in China for a hearing!! Thankfully our Chinese customer stepped in and smoothed things out.
 
BayouMLU said:
I have a couple friends with DX licenses that turned it into a job with DFW Airport working ramp control. It's good on a resume for more than just Dispatch. Plenty of private companies and FBOs out there, too that would love a licensed Dispatcher on staff.
Click to expand...

How or where are the ramp control jobs listed? I've always been confused if those are hired by the airport or the airline.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top