Employment, salary, lifestyle?

[Guest tonee]

Hi all!

 

I've been juggling between Bachelor of Civil Engineering and Avation for a couple of years now. Parents wants to me to do Civil as theres plenty of jobs out there with generous salaries, however I'd love to fly for a major airline.

 

I've studied 3yrs of Civil at Swinburne an have failed a few subjects and will be transfering to Bach. of Aviation once i decide what i want to do.

 

With Avaition industry, whats it like?

 

Whats the pay like? ( I've heard rumours about 2xx,xxx for CA?)

 

Are there jobs out there? (I'm scared for not listening to my parents and end up on centrelink. I know with civil once you graduate theres heaps of jobs out there waiting for you.)

 

And the lifestyle? (are pilots always away from home? how do have families? how do you balance between a traveling job with your family at home?)

 

Thank you for your input!

 

Tony

 

 

[winsor68]

If you are doing it for money/job security don't even think about becoming a pilot... You will only earn decent money if you work o/seas... It seems that a good wage for a pilot in Australia is $120K per year... remembering that you will still most probably be away from the family a considerable amount...

 

I believe from conversation around the airline side of aviation...

 

Qantas $70k per year Dash 8 $120k+ per year Various Jets

 

JStar $100k per year Airbus

 

Virgin $100k per year Embraer $120k per year 737

 

Add on to that for extra responsibility i.e Captain

 

Go o/seas and the sky is virtually the limit on high paying job in the $300k region... but don't expect to spend much time in Australia...

 

It takes a little while to reach this stage so for the first five years expect to earn $40k per year if you are lucky.....

 

I would just stay close to home and become a coal train driver on $120k per year... and buy a recreational a/c with all the bells and whistles i.e. Glass cockpit...just like the big ones... lol

 

If you love flying.... then go for it. I don't meet too many pilots who are unhappy with any aspect of the job except the low pay.

 

 

[Guest tonee]

Its a dream career, but also i dont want it to be a jobless dream

 

 

[winsor68]

Even with all the negatives... I agree... for many of us it is the dream job. The 3 people who I have known personally as Professional pilots have certainly made a LOT of money while enjoying their flying to the full... if they flew Choppers or SuperCubs or 747/s it made no difference... but it took them 20 years of hard, hard slog (and lots of $$$$)to get to the point of making any money... they have a notable propensity to die young (ish)... but to use an old saying all do so "with a grin on their face".

 

A lot of the most accomplished, well known and active pilots in Australia made their money outside of aviation... Choose what you will be good and if its not flying don't worry... on the sort of money you should be aiming to make you will be able to afford to fly.

 

 

[FLYBOY]

Im talking with experience and here is my advice, your parents seem to be on the right track by telling you to study Civil engineering, in my opinion an aviation degree is not worth much, an engineering degree in any field is better then an Aviation degree.

 

If your thinking of making a carrer out of this your better off overseas as I have done myself, I was tired of struggling in Australia and with the low pay after so much investment and time into this occupation I didnt want to give it up. Well now im here in Europe flying full time with a great salary but I had to leave Australia behind, I havent been to Oz in 4 years now and if I was to return back there I would not get the salary I am on right now!

 

I am hardly home but the family is just forced to accpet this, but nevertheless I love this job. Really re consider an Aviation degree, you will require that other degree in another field when you possibly get laid off from your flying job, as I said im talking with experience!

 

Take care...

 

 

[Guest tonee]

Thanks for sharing your experience Flyboy. I've started to some aviation subjects at Oxford in Moorabbin, Vic and really enjoy it compared to engineering. I've also discussed this with my classmates and most of them have said the Australia aviation industry will pick up within the next few years(ill finish the course in 3yrs) and airlines will start employing more.

 

I know that it is hard to find jobs at the moment in australia, but in terms of "low" pay what kind of figures are you refering to? Engineering grads gets around the 50k mark which is decent and gradually increases to max of 150,200K. Compared to what I've heard captains can go way more than 200k with some airlines. So what is considered to be "low" in the aviation industry?

 

I know some may say money isn't the issue aslong as you're doing something you enjoy. Yes I am doing something I enjoy however I would also like to be financially stable given that I've got over 100k of education debt to pay off.

 

Regards,

 

 

[winsor68]

FlyBoy... You sound like my cousin Bill... Lol

 

I hear GA pilots are flying for as little as $25k per year to get started in a paid job... all the Commercial guys I have had contact with in the last 5 years have worked for much less or even nothing... Better pick up another skill like pouring a beer or operating a petrol pump console.

 

That said the other day the Captain of the 737 I was working ground ops for yesterday used to fly a Cheerokee to the islands less than 6 years ago at Mackay airport on this sort of money... So it may take you 10 or more years to even get to that stage... certainly way less money than $200k per year... and that is only if you are lucky, ****** persistant, and have a rich parent or benefactor to pay all the bills.

 

Flyboy can probably give a much better answer than me... as my knowledge comes from looking in from the fringes of the industry looking in rather than from the left hand seat.

 

 

[FLYBOY]

G'day,

 

Well I'm in a very happy mood at the moment writing from my hotel room as I just got a call that we will be taking the aircraft back to home base for a couple of days, this means I can see the family! Apart from that, reality shows that salary figures you hear of + 200K is like a dream, nowadays in this economy where pilot salaries are always ever decressing + 100K is even almost becoming a dream.

 

I have many friends who started in this industry with many hopes but those many friends are mostly gone on to do something else or still struggling flying aircraft that I would not even put my foot into. You could say I was one of the lucky ones as I decided to take the risk and go overseas, that risk was worthwhile.

 

I was also once a uni student who was doing an Aviation degree, when I finally graduated I started looking everywhere but no luck in getting that job so I decided to become a flight instructor (something I never imagined I would do). Having to pay bills and a loan that the bank was impressed in lending me with, it didnt take long before I realised that I could not go on any longer like this, I started a night job, in short it wasnt easy to get to where I am.

 

After seeing so many experienced guys out of a job and having an Aviation degree that didnt do anything for them I decided to invest some money into another degree that was worth something, I now have a fairly stable job, a salary that I couldnt complain about and another occupation on the side when they say 'sorry buddy we cant keep you on anymore there is someone who will work for cheaper'.

 

In order to get to such a salary in this industry you need to think how long it will take you to get to that command position as a captain in a "good airline" while you could have been earning around 50K in civil engineering as a new grad student. Its a lot of struggle to the age of 35 to 45 in this industry, I dont want to be discouraging to any aspiring airline pilot but you need to know the truth about the Australian Aviation Industry.

 

There are good times and bad times, as I said still become a pilot but think about that Aviation degree once again, you are going to need the other degree when your 'not flying'. :biggrin:

 

Take care and happy flying to you all...

 

 

[Guest Bidgee]

I've taken a different angle. I'm late to flying but I'm now in a job that allows me to fly to various parts of NSW and Vic from time to time on business. It suits me as I get subsidised flying and still earn a good salary.

 

Scott

 

 

[Zordah]

So they don't pay you to fly but give you a travel allowance that you just happen to use to fly yourself there? Neat :biggrin:

 

 

[Guest Bidgee]

Yep. They reimburse me the equivalent RPT fare and I spend it how I choose (aircraft hire). It usually covers about half the cost and I can claim the other half as a tax deduction.