New Dispatcher FAQ

The Sheffield course is acceptable to the FAA but it is not 100% online. You still have to go to the physical school for a week.

I understand if it may be difficult for you to physically attend a school for 5-6 weeks. If you have limited aviation knowledge then I implore you to find a way to make it work. A blended online/residency course will be extremely difficult without prior aviation experience.
 
This forum has been soo helpful and has given me so many insights of the dispatching field that i registered with jetcareers right away!

Thanks to @MT @womanpilot73 @Luigi from whom i had got lots of valuable info. All others too were really helpful.

I do have one query, I am an Aeronautical engineer who graduated on 2014 but haven't got any aviation experience so far, things are pretty tough here in India for Aeronautical/aviation. So i had to decide to take this flight dispatcher course. From the forum i could understand jeppesen or Sheffield is the best.

But being an international student what are the things that i should worry abt??
Since I might be coming in M1 visa will i be entitled to attend any interviews? Or are there any possibilities that i get sponsored?

I know its a lots of questions, but i dare not ask anyone else.
 
Pranav said:
But being an international student what are the things that i should worry abt??
Since I might be coming in M1 visa will i be entitled to attend any interviews? Or are there any possibilities that i get sponsored?
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Highly unlikely you would get sponsored by a US airline. To do so, that airline would have to be unable to find an applicant that is a current US resident. However, lots of overseas airlines do like to hire people with a US dispatcher license, I have heard. I don't know much about Indian aviation but I know a lot of airlines in the Middle East (UAE, Qatar, etc.) hire expatriates frequently, and many are from India. With regards to your visa, things to worry about, etc. I would contact the schools directly. They have a lot of experience with international students and should be able to answer any questions you have.
 
First of all thank you. I had contacted the Jeppesen and IFOD regarding this matter. Jeppesen hasnt replied yet(its been a week) and IFOD told me that "it is possible, however not typical to be interviewed by an employer willing to sponsor me a work visa"(which is very vague). After finishing my aeronautical degree i have spent a considerable amount of time job hunting in india but since i had no experience i was turned down many a times. So it was then i decided to upgrade myself with a course. But Masters in Aeronautical is too costly abroad. Sooo i narrowed the search for better course to Flight Dispatching. So i just need an assurance that I'll get a job where ever in this world upon successful completion of the course.

I would like to know your advice about this aeronautical and dispatching combination too.
 
So you went to school for Aerospace Engineering and you want to do Flight Dispatching now? Do you not want to be an Aerospace Engineer or you just trying to get your foot in somewhere or what? Have you tried looking into aerospace engineering somewhere in the US?

Sorry, it's just a bit surprising you have a degree in Aerospace but you want to come over here and do a job that you don't technically even need a college degree for.
 
I have tried my best in getting a foothold in the field of Aerospace in India as an apprentice or intern, but there are hardly any openings of such category.

A master degree in US is gonna cost me a fortune, which is why i hesitate to think about it. There is a high chance that I can go bankrupt on doing so.
Hence i started searching for a courses or short term programs that could give me an upper hand than other fresh graduates. Thats when I came across Flight dispatching, i understand that it is not very common for an Aeronautical Engineer to be seen in flight dispatching. But my situation calls for such an action.

Appreciate your concern.

Please tell me you have seen such guys with this degree and are successful in this field of aviation.
 
This is really helpful info, thanks for posting this stuff!

MT said:
I'm very excited to see so many new faces around the forum. Those of you that are a touch scared to post, don't worry. We don't bite, I promise!

Most of you getting into this field have a ton of questions, many of them similar so allow me to point you to some posts that will answer some of your most asked questions!

1. Where should I go to school?

This is a highly personal question and the answer is whatever school works best for you. There is a great discussion tucked here in the forums. Take a look at this posting.

http://forums.jetcareers.com/threads/where-to-go-to-dispatcher-school.176244/

2. Where can I get a job?

There are not as many airlines in as many locations as their used to be, however there is at least one within each region of the country and many more flight departments. Take a look here.

http://forums.jetcareers.com/threads/where-exactly-can-a-dispatcher-work.192199/

3. Can I commute?

Can you? Yes. Should you tell an employer in an interview you plan to? Probably not. Is commuting a awesome lifestyle? Your Decision. Good points each way found here.

http://forums.jetcareers.com/threads/commuting-as-a-dispatcher.174201/

4. Where can I find job postings?

Go straight to the airlines website for the best source. However there are some good search engines out there. A ton of great information in this post.

http://forums.jetcareers.com/threads/where-to-look.180281/

5. How long will it take to get that first job? When will I get to a major?

The first job is the hardest to get. Expect an average of 3-5 years experience to get to a major airline Check this awesome post.
http://forums.jetcareers.com/threads/interested-in-dispatch.192697/

I hope this gets you all started down the path to dispatching. If you have any questions about anything feel free to ask! We have a lot of knowledgeable people here from major airlines, regionals, supplemental airlines, corporate flight following, you name it. Welcome to the boards!
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What software is best recommended when trying to take the written before the seated portion? Have the questions drastically changed like some of the software questions are claiming? Does it still make better plans to study the questions and answers out of memorization and passing it this way, rather than knowing the answers and how to solve them?
 
The ADX is the worlds most worthless test. Use sheppardair as your study software. Memorize all the questions that are not related to the performance section. Learn how to do the performance related questions as that will save you from memorizing things that are easily figured out once you know how.
 
I would not use a software that old. There have been significant changes to some of the questions in the bank since then.
 
I just paid for my Sheppard Air software, I appreciate the help. Looks like some of the 2011 questions are still in tact but some have changed all the same! I appreciate it though. Looking forward to my first day on the job
 
Sobejets said:
I just paid for my Sheppard Air software, I appreciate the help. Looks like some of the 2011 questions are still in tact but some have changed all the same! I appreciate it though. Looking forward to my first day on the job
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Good luck- I just bougth the Gleim books, let me know if it works out well for you!
 
I am planning to have a masters degree after my flight dispatcher course, I want to ask what will be the best degree course that will be useful in aviation industry as a flight dispatcher?

Thanks for the anticipated help
 
I recently found out about the dispatch career option, and am very excited about it! However, I do have a few questions:
1. Do I have to be really good at multitasking? I tend to take my time performing tasks; do airline dispatchers have to be able to work really quickly?
2. Do dispatchers have to be naturally good at quick thinking, or is this a skill picked up in dispatch training?
3. Is the job always stressful, or does it have its down time?

Thanks,
Pilot121
 
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