Swiss Int'l Airlines

@ CaptainCrickettMan & maxmache:

I don't want to disenchant you two, but without having an EU-Citizenship it's pretty much impossible to get a pilot job in Europe, since all EU carriers require EU-citizenship and all of them give preference hiring their own citizens first, second are other EU nations. So even if you manage the impossible and get a EU work permit (it'll be temporary and [usually] restricted) and thus worthless, since the airlines only accept unrestricted work and residence permissions. And they don't sponsor any work permits. I suggest to do some research at www.pprune.org mainly European pilots around there.

Anyway, good luck with your endeavor :)
 
Red-Baron said:
@ CaptainCrickettMan & maxmache:

I don't want to disenchant you two, but without having an EU-Citizenship it's pretty much impossible to get a pilot job in Europe, since all EU carriers require EU-citizenship and all of them give preference hiring their own citizens first, second are other EU nations. So even if you manage the impossible and get a EU work permit (it'll be temporary and [usually] restricted) and thus worthless, since the airlines only accept unrestricted work and residence permissions. And they don't sponsor any work permits. I suggest to do some research at www.pprune.org mainly European pilots around there.

Anyway, good luck with your endeavor :)
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Thanks! :D Will be yet another long and bumpy road but I believe its possible and for me personally, very worth it. Ill check out pprune. Been there before but just to look at stuff on cathay and emirates. Thanks again!
 
If you are not a Swiss cit. or an EU cit. there is no way you will get hired. It is like that in most big EU airlines, I lived in the US and it's the same over there for us not US or GreenCard (it s easier for an american to get EU cit) holders, you can't get a job, I was working on a Visa.

If you have your JAA license there are many other places that you can get a job.

The best place to do your JAA, is Switzerland, no ground school required or crazy solo time req. like in the UK.
 
swisspilot said:
If you are not a Swiss cit. or an EU cit. there is no way you will get hired. It is like that in most big EU airlines, I lived in the US and it's the same over there for us not US or GreenCard (it s easier for an american to get EU cit) holders, you can't get a job, I was working on a Visa.

If you have your JAA license there are many other places that you can get a job.

The best place to do your JAA, is Switzerland, no ground school required or crazy solo time req. like in the UK.
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Hey swisspilot! You are just the person I have been waiting to post. :D Well, nothing is impossible but I am aware that I need a work permit C or citzenship, both of which I'd be fine with. Is it really easier for an American to get EU cit?

Just curious, what other places are you thinking of to get a job with JAA? Vielen dank fur ihre hilfe, Swisspilot!! ;)

Edit:: All of the JAA flight schools in the US I have talked to are UK standards. Sounded like a drawn out ordeal. Not that converting to any JAA will be easy but I will give a couple flight schools in Schweiz a call today. I didn't know that about their training.
 
swisspilot said:
If you are not a Swiss cit. or an EU cit. there is no way you will get hired. It is like that in most big EU airlines, I lived in the US and it's the same over there for us not US or GreenCard (it s easier for an american to get EU cit) holders, you can't get a job, I was working on a Visa.

If you have your JAA license there are many other places that you can get a job.

The best place to do your JAA, is Switzerland, no ground school required or crazy solo time req. like in the UK.
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No ground school? So I have to take the 14 exams without taking the class? How would you go about getting the material for studying? To get a Swiss issued fATPL, would they accept the UK CAA credits for theory? Are the tests done in English in Switzerland?
 
Red-Baron said:
Bit confused??? How exactly do you want to do this? Like, walk into the Swiss Embassy and say "Hi folks, here I am"? No, seriously!!!
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Where are you going with this? I'm not sure if your quizzing me or just interested. If you feel you need to educate me in what you have found you are free to do so. I am open to any suggestions and info.

This might help you out. I don't intend to move to Switz just for SWISS. Living in Switz is something my wife and I have been working on for about 15 months. Not an easy thing to do when we have commitments here that have to be taken care of first. SWISS would just be a great place for me to keep persuing my aviation career once settled and organized which is why I was originally only asking about their hiring process and what it's like to work there. Doesn't hurt to get second opinions a views on an airline.
 
This is the best place for the conversion: http://www.avilu.ch/

For a Swiss or EU cit it's harder to get a green card then for an American to move over to Europe and get a work permit.

Right now avaition is slow in europe, but there is few places that are looking for pilots, if you network around airports you will find small corporate jobs (you are not going to fly a lot, but good $). Consider also getting a JAA CFI, most schools pay as much as an airline pays their pilots (65-75K Euro a year).

I would look into smaller airlines too, like Helvetics, Edelweiss, Hello, Robin Hood (they are hiring FO on the Saab340), Darwin and Flybaboo.
 
Zondaracer said:
No ground school? So I have to take the 14 exams without taking the class? How would you go about getting the material for studying? To get a Swiss issued fATPL, would they accept the UK CAA credits for theory? Are the tests done in English in Switzerland?
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In order to do this you have to hold an ICAO license, like FAA CPL....

tests are done in English, a session every 4 months in Bern. I don t know about the credit. To sit the exams you have to join a flight school (where you will also take you flight tests), the flight school after a mock will sign you up. Most places use jeppesen, SAS or Bristol training material.
 
but how hard would it be to actually get citizenship, i recall one of the main req. for swiss citizenship is to be a part of the community. If i go to college in switzerland for a couple of years and do the majority of my training there, i would think that would be more than enough time to become part of the community? but then again it depends....

thoughts?
 
swisspilot said:
This is the best place for the conversion: http://www.avilu.ch/

For a Swiss or EU cit it's harder to get a green card then for an American to move over to Europe and get a work permit.

Right now avaition is slow in europe, but there is few places that are looking for pilots, if you network around airports you will find small corporate jobs (you are not going to fly a lot, but good $). Consider also getting a JAA CFI, most schools pay as much as an airline pays their pilots (65-75K Euro a year).

I would look into smaller airlines too, like Helvetics, Edelweiss, Hello, Robin Hood (they are hiring FO on the Saab340), Darwin and Flybaboo.
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Hey! JAA CFI is a good idea if SWISS doesn't work out. Flying GA in Schweiz would kick ass! Beautiful country to fly in. Do you happen to know where I can find the test standards and requirements for JAA CFI?
Thanks for all your great ideas and encouragement! :)
 
CaptainCrickettMan said:
Hey! JAA CFI is a good idea if SWISS doesn't work out. Flying GA in Schweiz would kick ass! Beautiful country to fly in. Do you happen to know where I can find the test standards and requirements for JAA CFI?
Thanks for all your great ideas and encouragement! :)
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Well there are two ways to get your CFI in Switzerland, one it s free the other is kind of expensive. If you go to a school you will spend about 18000 swiss francs and do it in about 25 hours of flight time and 5 to 6 months, the swiss aviation authority, FOCA, does the CFI training too, for free, it will take you probably a year or more I think, and honestly I have no clue of the requirements to join that program. The cheapest CFI you can get it is in Spain and it will take you 4-5 months.

If you want to know more about the CFI program get in touch with Avilu, that company is run by the city, they are not there to make money just to keep GA in Switzerland alive, they will help you also if you decide not to go there.


To get the Swiss passport it will take you about 5 years if you get married or about 7 by just living in the country, remember we speak 4 languages here, you will have to know the one of your area pretty well.
 
swisspilot said:
Well there are two ways to get your CFI in Switzerland, one it s free the other is kind of expensive. If you go to a school you will spend about 18000 swiss francs and do it in about 25 hours of flight time and 5 to 6 months, the swiss aviation authority, FOCA, does the CFI training too, for free, it will take you probably a year or more I think, and honestly I have no clue of the requirements to join that program. The cheapest CFI you can get it is in Spain and it will take you 4-5 months.

If you want to know more about the CFI program get in touch with Avilu, that company is run by the city, they are not there to make money just to keep GA in Switzerland alive, they will help you also if you decide not to go there.


To get the Swiss passport it will take you about 5 years if you get married or about 7 by just living in the country, remember we speak 4 languages here, you will have to know the one of your area pretty well.
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I'll look into this! The CFI thing would be fun in Schweiz. I'd imagine you would have to be a citizen to get it for free. :confused:

By the way, what type of flying do you do in Schweiz?
 
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