Getting Hired by FAA

[macdu]

OK, I am ready to get out of this airline thing. I have applied for several FAA jobs and not heard a word other than I am unqualified which I find hard to believe. I have been applying for the 121 and 61 safety inspector positions.
A quick rundown of my resume is;
4 year degree
Numerous safety courses
Accident investigator(with actual experience)
Past safety leadership positions in an airline
Current airline captain(A320)
International experience

Can one of you current FAA types give me some advice? I see several nice positions in IL I would go for. My home state is IA.

 

[ultrarunner]

Don't those government jobs post their minimum requirements for the position? For example, the 'age 31 rule' to become an air traffic controller.

 

[Flyin2low]

Must like to wear synthetic clothing from the 70's

 

[Tom_Bodett]

Must like to wear synthetic clothing from the 70's

Equipped with proper 'stache

 

[inline]

OK, I am ready to get out of this airline thing. I have applied for several FAA jobs and not heard a word other than I am unqualified which I find hard to believe. I have been applying for the 121 and 61 safety inspector positions.
A quick rundown of my resume is;
4 year degree
Numerous safety courses
Accident investigator(with actual experience)
Past safety leadership positions in an airline
Current airline captain(A320)
International experience

Can one of you current FAA types give me some advice? I see several nice positions in IL I would go for. My home state is IA.

Are you: White? Male? Non veteran? if the answer is yes you go to the bottom of the list. The U.S. govermment is the most racist employer out there.

 

[CUBMAN]

Due to your advanced qualifications as a pilot ie multiple type ratings/experience in multiple aircraft and presumably mucho amount of flight time you are hear-by pronounced unqualified. So sorry.

 

[LAZYB]

Are you: White? Male? Non veteran? if the answer is yes you go to the bottom of the list. The U.S. govermment is the most racist employer out there.

AND discriminates by age.

Who the he!! is supposed to be enforcing these laws.

 

[transpac]

The past couple of years have been a rough time to get a job in aviation and the FAA is no exception. You've got to keep in mind that you're competing with other individuals with tons of credentials and experience. Just about everyone in contention has a 4-year degree and many have masters and PHDs. I assume by "Part 61" you're referring to General Aviation Operations Inspector openings. If you're to be a serious contender, you need several thousand hours as a pilot in general aviation with a few corporate-aircraft type ratings and a fair amount of general aviation supervisory pilot experience. Being dual-rated in fixed-wing and helicopters is sometimes helpful. By "Part 121", I'm guessing you're referring to Air Carrier Operations Inspector positions. These positions can involve oversight of all air carriers, including Part 129 and Part 135 certificates, so Part 121 experience alone might not be competitive for all openings. In any event, for these jobs your competition will include a large number of ex-Part 121/135 pilots with loads of Chief Pilot and Check Airman experience. Even in normal times a white male non-military person without an inside track had to be extremely lucky to get hired into a FAA Inspector job. Nowadays it's virtually impossible.

 

[transpac]

I reread the initial post and understand that you've applied for specific job openings as an Aviation Safety Inspector. One thing to consider is that most of these advertised openings have very specific "areas of consideration" and are advertised as promotion opportunities for FAA or other government employees. Even when "all sources" is indicated, most vacancies will require previous specific experience that can only be gained from doing the same job in a lower pay grade. There are openings advertised to appoint "on the street" applicants to a FAA Inspector position, but they're usually for openings FAA-wide, not a specific area. And, they will list a target paygrade no higher than GS-12.

 

[ziggyz]

I am a black male with 8300 hours, 121 time, and several types and have gotten turned down for interviews with the FAA on multiple occasions. Each time, they tell me that a lot of military and veterans have applied. The last two people, with only 121 time, that I know to have gotten hired at the FAA were both white (1male/1female) and civilian. There is this strong perception that if you are a minority, you automatically get hired. Fact and reality are two different things. The biggest benefactors of affirmative action in this country have always been white females. Yet, I know white females, fully qualified, who have not been hired at airlines and other jobs. It is a tough time for anyone in this line of work to get a job. I've been unemployed for 14 months. Here in the D.C. area, every federal job that I have been fully qualified for and applied to has gone to veterans and military. That's just how the gov't. works. Make sure that you know the facts before rushing to judgement.