Singapore Airline requirements and life as pilot?

[jmolina]

To: Pilots who fly for Singapore or have an interview

Thanks for reading this post. I wanted to find out Singapore Airlines pilot requirements to be granted an interview? Do I need a JAA conversion? I am not able to find out on their website. I understand there is a five year contract. I would like to know more about the pilot's life as a Singapore airline pilot, do I need to know someone to get accepted. Can I fly over there to hand in my resume in person? All information would be a great help. Thanks ahead of time!

 

[FoxHunter]

To: Pilots who fly for Singapore or have an interview

Thanks for reading this post. I wanted to find out Singapore Airlines pilot requirements to be granted an interview? Do I need a JAA conversion? I am not able to find out on their website. I understand there is a five year contract. I would like to know more about the pilot's life as a Singapore airline pilot, do I need to know someone to get accepted. Can I fly over there to hand in my resume in person? All information would be a great help. Thanks ahead of time!

The only expats that Singapore hires normally are Captains. I suggest you check Flight International Magazine on line.

 

[dash8driver]

check out pprune.org

as for the quality of life....have you ever seen their flight attendants?

 

[arthompson]

well said dash8driver. They do not hire expat FO's only Cpt's, they train FO's at the academy in SIN.

 

[Brown Cow]

About a year ago, they did hire fo's for the cargo side. Singapore based, salary good, great set-uo for your family.

 

[ToiletDuck]

I was trying to find more information on them a while back and they never responded to my request. Anyone know how their program works?

 

[typhoonpilot]

To: Pilots who fly for Singapore or have an interview

Thanks for reading this post. I wanted to find out Singapore Airlines pilot requirements to be granted an interview? Do I need a JAA conversion? I am not able to find out on their website. I understand there is a five year contract. I would like to know more about the pilot's life as a Singapore airline pilot, do I need to know someone to get accepted. Can I fly over there to hand in my resume in person? All information would be a great help. Thanks ahead of time!

I don't work for Singapore, but know some people who have and have followed their hiring for many years. I also spend a lot of time in Singapore on overnights, as it is a major transit point for our flights to Oz.

Singapore has hired expat F.O.s in the past. Many of the people I know who worked their were expat F.O.s from Australia and Malaysia. They were hiring expat F.O.s just last year on the Cargo side. Whether or not they are doing so right now, I do not know. As mentioned above, check both Pprune and for advertisements in the back of Flight International.

I just flew with a young guy who left their after 7 years. He is originally Malaysian and married to an Australian. Even with command prospects coming up within a few years he was tired of the place and made the move to Emirates. He and about 8 other guys have come over in the last year. We've also got a number of Direct Entry Captain who had worked there for many years and wanted out.

I say that just to make you aware it isn't a great place to work. It could be a means to an end, but be careful. They require a serious bond and a bank guarantee for the training. The length of these is five years. If you leave before then they will pursue you. The bank guarantee, which is virtually unheard of anywhere else, means you will be paying them back for the training.

The Singapore Cargo and Singapore mainline contracts are very different. The cargo contract has been improved recently, but it still lags behind mainline conditions. Neither side allows you to bid for your schedule. You are simply assigned one. The governement and ex-Air Force Generals run the show and simply impose their conditons on the pilot group as they feel necessary. The pilots took a big pay cut as a result of SARs that has just now been returned even while Singapore made record profits the previous year.

I like Singapore as a city. It is very clean and transportation is efficient. Lots of good restaurants and a fair number of activities. The weather is about the same every day of the year. Partly cloudy with a chance of thundershowers and 32 degrees Centigrade. It is expensive though. A decent flat near the city is going to run you over 3000 Sing dollars per month. You can forget about a car, they are so heavily taxed that it makes ownership very dear. Taxis are cheap and the subway is quite good so getting around town isn't difficult.

If you are looking to go there as a way to get a 747-400 type and some time flying heavy international then it could be a good move. If you are looking to go there as a career then you missed the good times by about 30 years.


Typhoonpilot

 

[ToiletDuck]

CADET PILOT (SINGAPORE CITIZENS, SINGAPORE PERMANENT RESIDENTS OR MALAYSIAN CITIZENS)

Nice to see they are an "equal opportunity employer"

 

[typhoonpilot]

Cadet Pilot and Expat First Officer are two different things. My airline has Expat First Officers AND has a Cadet Program for nationals. When an airline is paying for all of your flight and ground training, especially when it is owned by the government, do you really think they would take foreigners as Cadets? TP

 

[ToiletDuck]

no not at all but I didn't see anything else listed. I found their site hard to maneuver.

 

[typhoonpilot]

This from Flight International:


B747-400 First Officers

Posted
8 Aug 05

Close date
18 Aug 05

Location
Singapore


Apply for this Job

Job Description

First Officers:
With Type Rating (Local or Contract Terms)

Applicants should have:
• At least a total of 2500 hours on commercial jets in international operations and a current rating with minimum type experience of 500 hours
• Basic IT literacy

Without Type Rating (Local or Contract Terms)

Applicants should have:
• At least a total of 2500 hours on commercial jets in international operations
• Preference for applicants with Glass Cockpit/Flight Management Systems and Wide Body experience
• Basic IT literacy

TRAINING BOND

Pilots without a B744 type rating will be given conversion training, and are required to enter a training bond and provide a bank guarantee for a period of 5 years and 8 months (contract terms) or 3 years and 8 months (local terms).

MONTHLY BASIC SALARY

S$5,600 when fully operational. Pilots with sufficient relevant current B744 rating experience can expect a higher starting salary than S$5,600.

SERVICE BENEFITS AND ALLOWANCES

Monthly Variable Component ....Up to 10% of monthly basic salary

Annual Wage Supplement ........Maximum of one month's basic salary, at the discretion of the Company

Service Increment ..............Reviewed on an annual basis, depending on the Company's performance, market norms and other factors

Profit Sharing Bonus .............Payable depending on Company's and/or SIA Group's performance

Flying & Out-of-Base
Allowances.....................Approximately S$5,700 per month

Annual Leave ...................Up to 28 calendar days

Other benefits .....................Generous medical and dental benefits for employees. Subsidised medical insurance for spouse and children. Discounted travel offered by SIA and SilkAir to SIA Cargo employees and eligible dependants.

Additional Benefits for Contract Terms:

Housing Allowance ...........S$3,000 if married and S$2,750 if single

Child Education Assistance ......Up to S$1,400 per month for each child for a maximum of 2 children studying in a recognized school in Singapore

Return to Home Base Travel....Free firm ticket on SIA services to home base or nearest SIA destination (if home base is off-line) for employee and eligible dependants once a year

TENURE
Local Terms: No stipulated period. Long-term employment expected till the relevant retirement age in Singapore.

Contract Terms: Offer is for contracts of up to 5 years with prospects for extension

APPLICATION
Complete and submit a copy of our application form together with copies of supporting documents. The application form is available from the Singapore Airlines Cargo website www.siacargo.com



TP

 

[jmolina]

Gentlemen,

Thank you for the information. It was very helpful. I definitely will take careful consideration. It's not just about the money but, also the quality of life you can give to your family. I would hate to be an absentee father and husband at the mercy of a company. Fly safe gentlemen and many thank yous!!

Molina...