To Intern or to Not....

[JSky26]

What are some of your guys take on doing an internship? Is it a waste of time? Should I spend a summer not flying as much and interning for an airline/charter outfit or spend the summer buying some flight time?

It seems to me that if you do an internship it would be a great way to get your foot in the door but I think it really depends on the company. Would trying to get an internship with a company say like Airnet or some other regional be more viable than interning for United or AA?

What are some of your past experiences?

Thanks

 

[breds98]

AA Intern

I did an internship with American Airlines a couple Summers ago, and it was a great experience, except you dont get paid, but I thought it was worth it. You get to jumpseat on all domestic American Airlines and American Eagle flights, and get an inside look on the company. All the interns get a few hours in the sims as well. I mean its up to you, I took a summer off from flight instructing, but by doing the internship you already have your foot in the door with the company. PM me if you want and I can tell you some more about it.

 

[NERVOUS]

I would probably venture to say that I would not be where I am today, were it not for having interned during college.

Ironically, I didn't end up working at the airline where I actually interned, but one which I was able to jumpseat on while being an intern. An opportunity I would not of had were it not for being an intern at said company. Needless to say I am happy as a clam now-at the controls of the Mighty 8.

Your last question regarding where to intern? I did a bit of back-door approach if you will, and targeted my internships with smaller companys where I figured (rightly so) that they would hire a low timer like myself. Although I've heard the urban myth a handful of 250 hour interns at some majors during the 90's getting hired on the spot, I think if possible focus your attempts at getting into a smaller freight/charter outfit where personality and attitude still counts for something.

As far as the actual internship goes, I think anyone can attest that the majority of them suck, and suck bad. Lots of stappling, but still a good opportunity all around.

good luck.

 

[frqtflyer]

Great way to get foot in the door

Internships are a great experience and will be valuable to you at some point in life. I have several friends that did internships at both the regionals and the majors and now they have jobs with the majors. To their personal experience they interned at CAL and are now 25 years old with a job in the right seat of a 737 for major (when CAL started hiring again the first place they went was to all the interns for job picks). I personally interned with a regional and now I have a job offer. The real problem is flight time is just a valuable in my experience. I would say time manage as best you can. I interned as well as instructed on the side to keep up the flying as well as a supplemental income. 5.15 and hour at the regional wasnt that much! It is what you can afford to do as well as what you view as important. If pay is an issue target the internships that are paid. Anytime a company has a chance to interview you for 3 months could prove to be beneficial at some point. Good luck!

 

[-Xavier-]

What all does getting an internship involved? I would love to do one but don't really know all the requirements to be able to do a Flight Crew internship; or where to go about getting the chance to do one.

 

[JSky26]

NERVOUS,

The University I attend has a lot of internship agreements but none with a smaller charter outfit. That seems like the most sense as they might hire me as a low-time SIC pilot eventually. Do you know of any that formally do this or do you basically have to go knocking on doors?

Thanks

 

[I fLy pLaNeS]

internship

Interning was a wonderful experience! I did mine during the summer so I didn't have to miss school/instructing. Yeah, there was b*tch work, but I learned a ton, was able to travel extensively, sit through reccurent and the sim, and most importantly....got good references. Good luck with whatever company you choose and ask as many questions as possible!!(without being annoying)

 

[Superpilot92]

I interned and it was a great learning experiance. My only suggestion is try and get a internship to a Major Carrier as that will really help your future. I interned at XJET and yes it did help me get hired and Xjet is a great company but if i would have had the opportunity to intern at CAL i would probably be going over to CAL soon. If you can Intern at SWA, CAL or even some of the Majors that arent hiring right now because once they do start hiring you will be golden. Just my 2 cents good luck

 

[-Xavier-]

Any idea on how to go about getting the chance to do internships?

 

[Baronman]

Interning is a great way for getting a job later on that you would normally not be qualified for. Work for free now, it'll pay off later. I wouldn't waste my time either interning at a regional, go big. It boggles my mind that some guys out there would choose to intern at a regional when given the chance to do it at a major.