Job market for prospective Dispatchers

[Red-Baron]

Hello,

Since I'm thinking about getting my Dispatcher license I was wondering if there are any Dispatchers here who can give me an idea about the job market situation? How are my chances of getting a job after I finished training, and how about the starting salary for a Dispatcher?

Which schools do you recommend? And do they provide any assistance in finding a job? I was considering the following schools:

Flight Saftey and/or Jeppesen

What's your opinion about them, perhaps anybody here who did his/her training with them? Any advice is greatly appreciated!!!

Greets

[Elfmaze]

I Don't think it maters. The dispatch certificate was worth the rating and piece of paper. I didn't really learn too much more usefull stuff in the class. Unless you don't have any other ratings.

[mtsu_av8er]

Market isn't too bad . . . pay is ok from what I hear.

What part of the country do you live in?

[jbp1]

Entry-level pay for Dispatchers industry wide averages $25,000-$29,000/yr. The pay sucks until you can get on with a real airline (i.e. Delta, AA, UAL, COA, etc). The regionals don't pay very much, but thats where you have to start if you are going to go 121. 135 operators usually don't hire dispatchers fresh out of school. 135 operators pay alot better (some of them do). Avoid 135 outfits like Ameriflight, Airnet, and Flight Express.

Below is a list of some Regionals and what their dispatcher start out at:

American Eagle: $12.50 - 14.00/hr
ASA: $14.00 - 16.00/hr
Comair: $13.50 - 14.00/hr
PSA: $12.50 - 13.00/hr (currently under contract negotiations)
Mesa: $10.84/hr

Avoid dispatch schools like AGS, Sheffield, Flight Safety, and ERAU. Too much money to pay to be treated like crap. Check out www.fltdisp.com. I went there. The instructor (Gordon Barnes) is a former Pan Am driver turned dispatcher, meteorolgist for CBS News New York, NHC Forcaster, etc...The guy is a wealth of aviation knowledge and treats you like you are his only student. Great school to go to.

[#1FMS]

I went to FlightSafety @ LGA, and they did a good job. I was able to get hired straight out of school at a regional, and felt ready, except that I wish they would have had more practical on-job type stuff, like exposure to flight following software and a flight planning system. That's where Sheffield seems to be ahead of them.

Pay at the fractionals is pretty good compared to the regionals:
NetJets - $38k
Avantair - $32-35

[jbp1]

Originally Posted by #1FMS

Pay at the fractionals is pretty good compared to the regionals:
NetJets - $38k
Avantair - $32-35

AvantAir is a crap hole. Their Dispatch Manager doesn't know what he's doing. Their operation is unsafe. Management expects the Dispatcher to dispatch a flight the way they want it done without regard to safety or regulation. I know several guys (pilots and dispatchers) who have left AvantAir for this reason.

Good luck getting on with NetJets with a fresh dispatch certificate. I have been a dispatcher for 9 years (Part 135 and Part 121) and about 4 years ago I finally got an interview with NJ when I finally met their experience requirement. I declined the offer because the work environment is not what they say it is. NJI is the better place, but you have to have at least 5 years under your belt to get an interview there.

Best bet is to apply to a wholly-owned regional (PSA, Piedmont, American Eagle, etc.)

Stay away from Mesa, Republic, Skywest, and places that pimp their service out to multiple carriers.

[#1FMS]

I wasn't saying you could apply out of school to netjets, just giving an idea of what payto expect if you go to a fractional.

You do not need 5yrs. exp. to go to netjets; I turned them down with less
than 3yrs experience.

[#1FMS]

As for avantair, the operation is not standardized, so things are chaotic.
But there is no such thing a dispatch release or flight release at a fractional. No license is required by FARs, no risk to your certificate, and no operational control. No fractional has you dispatch anything because there is no such thing as a dispatcher at a fractional according to the FARs.

[NJA_Capt]

Originally Posted by jbp1

I declined the offer because the work environment is not what they say it is.

For clarification, what do they say it is, and what is it that you observed that makes you believe it is not?

Originally Posted by #1FMS

But there is no such thing a dispatch release or flight release at a fractional. No license is required by FARs, no risk to your certificate, and no operational control. No fractional has you dispatch anything because there is no such thing as a dispatcher at a fractional according to the FARs.

So what exactly is the FAA approved document that is sent to the pilots everyday and referenced in the FOM? Regardless, NJA is a 135 operator and as such, they are required.

[jbp1]

Originally Posted by NJA_Capt

For clarification, what do they say it is, and what is it that you observed that makes you believe it is not?

When I interviewed, I was told that the work environment was a fun but serious type place and that everyone worked quite well together. I sat with a dispatcher for a couple of hours and found this to not be the case. The dispatchers were constantly butting heads with the Jepp guys and I was "warned" about certain people in the room, etc...

The whole experience just turned me off of NJA. I know several people that work there currently, some Jepp and some in Dispatch, and they like it for the most part now.

[mtsu_av8er]

Originally Posted by jbp1

Best bet is to apply to a wholly-owned regional (PSA, Piedmont, American Eagle, etc.)

Stay away from Mesa, Republic, Skywest, and places that pimp their service out to multiple carriers.

LOL - and what exactly is the difference between the dispatch department at Skywest and Piedmont?

[jbp1]

Originally Posted by mtsu_av8er

LOL - and what exactly is the difference between the dispatch department at Skywest and Piedmont?

You're allowed to have a cigarette at Piedmont!

[#1FMS]

So what exactly is the FAA approved document that is sent to the pilots everyday and referenced in the FOM? Regardless, NJA is a 135 operator and as such, they are required.[/quote]

Whatever the company calls it, it is:
A.) Not required by the FARs, and
B.) Not required to be prepared by a licensed aircraft dispatcher.

Avantair is 135/91K as well, but no flight releases are issued at VNR.