Bonus For New Hires

[Bell-powered]

Well the whole thing is backward, so many people want to become pilots, cause its so cool, and you get rich, and everything is happy. So Student a goes into a flight school, and they pitch this person to pieces so they can take his 50 large. lots of jobs, shortage of pilots in the next 5 years, you will find a job easy. Student a drops 50 large and come out and finds out that there are barley any work and if it is you have to work on the ground for a long time and busting your *** for 14-18 hrs a day in the season for MAAAYBE get some flying. (I am very happy to do this cause i knew what i got myself into) but a lot of people just think its gonna be easy, so ofcourse they will do anything to get flying, work for free for example.. the school I went to (Premier helicopter training), Rob Wood told me straight up, if you are not willing to bust your *** and go out of your way to find that first job, and be away from your family and be ready to take any ####, you will not succeed in this industry. So I knew what i got myself into, but most kids dont. I think that where the problem starts.

Just because your dad has 50 k, it doesnt mean that you can be a pilot. But hey it's such a shortage of pilots, with lots of work right!!! Ha!!

 

If the company is just concern about saving some money on wages, do you really wanna work for them anyways? What else are they saving on?

[Whitestone]

Luckily you don't have to be a part of the business....you can go work fixed wing and hold your head up high when you sit with your friends and compare pay checks. So what if there is a shortage of engineers....no problem except for those that are looking for them. Maybe that will remedy some of the horrible problems you have concern with.Trust me, things are still quite a bit better, as far as working conditions and pay go, than 1974! We just need to keep evolving and improving the industry...won't happen over night.

Not wanting to have a pissing match but i did have my own business for almost a decade and competed against corporations that did business on a global scale but i had a niche market (not in helicopters...). So i know something about economics, drumming up business, keeping customers happy, etc., and BEING RESPECTFUL TO STAFF AND VALUING THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS AND PAYING THEM A FAIR WAGE. Oh and i didn't go broke (because you'll ask or are thinking that...), i retired for a change of pace (LOL) Have been working in the heli industry on and off since i cut my teeth with Frontier so i know all the tricks and games, thanks for asking.

[Lunchbox]

No wonder so many wrenches leave for definitely greener pastures! I know so many good engineers who have gone over to the fixed wing side. Better pay, better rotation.... what else is there.

 

Really? I see plenty of bitching on some of the fixed wing forums. Apparently everything is getting outsourced, the pay is crap, the rotations are crap, the hours are crap, the planes are crap, the company is crap, the management is crap, seasonal layoffs, etc. Not my opinions as I've never worked fixed wing so I can't judge. Personally, I take most of the bitching and complaining (no matter where it's coming from) with a grain of salt. It's as if the entire industry is about to spontaneously implode. But use a little perspective, and one realizes that this bitching and complaining is everywhere in the world. Apparently the BC education system is also about to spontaneously implode. The forest industry has been imploding for years. Ft. McMurray is about to implode. All political parties in every country of the world are going to implode. The global economic system is rotten to the core. The sky is falling!!!

 

It's one thing to complain about your employer not living up to its word or ignoring labour laws. But FFS, some people will complain about anything and everything. I'm one of those who isn't in it for the money and enjoys my work. I don't whore myself out just to get a job and I've fought/quit when I felt taken advantage of, but there's more to life and there are other aspects to the career than simply money. I could make more money as a plumber, but pumping out sh*t flooded basments all day isn't my idea of fun. I could make twice what I now make driving a truck on the graveyard shift in Ft. Mac, but that dosen't exactly sound like a grand intellectual pursuit.

 

I see this issue as a two way street. Yes an employee deserves a fair wage and fair rotations, etc. But how many guys out there have a gimme gimme gimme attitude, or pencil whip half of the inspection, abandon a company after getting an endorsement, etc? A bit of the chicken vs the egg syndrome: Do bad employees turn a company bad, or does a bad company produce bad employees? Put on your big boy pants, do your job, and respect/money will follow (that goes for both employees AND companies).

 

[/rant]

[Guest Angry Egg Driver]

Really? I see plenty of bitching on some of the fixed wing forums. Apparently everything is getting outsourced, the pay is crap, the rotations are crap, the hours are crap, the planes are crap, the company is crap, the management is crap, seasonal layoffs, etc. Not my opinions as I've never worked fixed wing so I can't judge. Personally, I take most of the bitching and complaining (no matter where it's coming from) with a grain of salt. It's as if the entire industry is about to spontaneously implode. But use a little perspective, and one realizes that this bitching and complaining is everywhere in the world. Apparently the BC education system is also about to spontaneously implode. The forest industry has been imploding for years. Ft. McMurray is about to implode. All political parties in every country of the world are going to implode. The global economic system is rotten to the core. The sky is falling!!!

 

It's one thing to complain about your employer not living up to its word or ignoring labour laws. But FFS, some people will complain about anything and everything. I'm one of those who isn't in it for the money and enjoys my work. I don't whore myself out just to get a job and I've fought/quit when I felt taken advantage of, but there's more to life and there are other aspects to the career than simply money. I could make more money as a plumber, but pumping out sh*t flooded basments all day isn't my idea of fun. I could make twice what I now make driving a truck on the graveyard shift in Ft. Mac, but that dosen't exactly sound like a grand intellectual pursuit.

 

I see this issue as a two way street. Yes an employee deserves a fair wage and fair rotations, etc. But how many guys out there have a gimme gimme gimme attitude, or pencil whip half of the inspection, abandon a company after getting an endorsement, etc? A bit of the chicken vs the egg syndrome: Do bad employees turn a company bad, or does a bad company produce bad employees? Put on your big boy pants, do your job, and respect/money will follow (that goes for both employees AND companies).

 

[/rant]

 

Well said.

[Skidmark]

I'me guessing you have never tried to pick said fly @#$% out of pepper....it's not actually that easy!!! try it some time......you'll see!

 

 

You're right, I realize now what I said may have offended many people. I apologize to all the fly #### pickers who may have read my last post.

[Zazu]

Really? I see plenty of bitching on some of the fixed wing forums. Apparently everything is getting outsourced, the pay is crap, the rotations are crap, the hours are crap, the planes are crap, the company is crap, the management is crap, seasonal layoffs, etc. Not my opinions as I've never worked fixed wing so I can't judge. Personally, I take most of the bitching and complaining (no matter where it's coming from) with a grain of salt. It's as if the entire industry is about to spontaneously implode. But use a little perspective, and one realizes that this bitching and complaining is everywhere in the world. Apparently the BC education system is also about to spontaneously implode. The forest industry has been imploding for years. Ft. McMurray is about to implode. All political parties in every country of the world are going to implode. The global economic system is rotten to the core. The sky is falling!!!

 

It's one thing to complain about your employer not living up to its word or ignoring labour laws. But FFS, some people will complain about anything and everything. I'm one of those who isn't in it for the money and enjoys my work. I don't whore myself out just to get a job and I've fought/quit when I felt taken advantage of, but there's more to life and there are other aspects to the career than simply money. I could make more money as a plumber, but pumping out sh*t flooded basments all day isn't my idea of fun. I could make twice what I now make driving a truck on the graveyard shift in Ft. Mac, but that dosen't exactly sound like a grand intellectual pursuit.

 

I see this issue as a two way street. Yes an employee deserves a fair wage and fair rotations, etc. But how many guys out there have a gimme gimme gimme attitude, or pencil whip half of the inspection, abandon a company after getting an endorsement, etc? A bit of the chicken vs the egg syndrome: Do bad employees turn a company bad, or does a bad company produce bad employees? Put on your big boy pants, do your job, and respect/money will follow (that goes for both employees AND companies).

 

[/rant]

 

Lunchbox...should I ever see you in the field....well...the beer is on me. Well said. But that is from a pilot's point of view.

 

That being said, I will take the most grumpy, forward, in-your-face, "this is my machine!",

"You forgot this BTW", "I have the rooms booked and they suck, the food sucks, and oh!, btw you have 4 hours left on a part I ordered 4 months ago but its not in yet, so YOU SUCK!, but go to bed because I want you to fly those 4 hours off so you can buy me a drink!" , over any guy that tells me, while he's looking over his I-phone "I'm waiting for parts".

 

Something tells me that $5000 isn't enough to bribe a good Engineer. And that is before tax.

 

Now, if I were a public company, or for that matter private; looking to go forward, I would be dropping by a few educational facilities and talking to an instructor or two. That way you are getting a good look at what is coming your way and tell them what they can expect regarding pay, endorsements etc ie Draft?

 

Feel free to poke holes....

[Agusta Wind]

First post, long time reader.

Here are some thoughts.

-Do you think there is a reason why a company has to advertise a big signing bonus just to attract people?

- Where did all their good experienced people go and why?

-Is there some hidden underlying problems with a company having to pay to get people aboard?

-How will you be treated once your on board?

If considering working at a place that offers a signing bonus maybe also do some homework before jumping in with both feet.

Let me tell you......... there is a reason why a "company" may have problems getting people.

Just my opinion, take it or leave it.

[hybrid]

Has it occurred to anybody that the shortage of AME's that we have all anticipating is finally upon us? Perhaps the companies will finally have to start paying AME's more money, treat them better and even give incentives to attract them. I have been in this industry for over 35 years and appreciate having a good engineer helping me, it can be a thankless job under trying conditions.

 

Incidently I am not an active AME.

 

Just a thought.....

[Over-Talk]

There has been a lot said about the bad treatment of heli crews by some operators in Canada.

That is a known problem, and as I mentioned earlier, a cash bonus won't fix those grievances.

 

But, please remember that the main advertiser of the $5000 signing bonus is GSH.

They have an excellent reputation for how well they treat their crews.

I worked there many years ago and was treated well.

Though their ownership has changed since then, most of the same management team remains.

 

I suspect the main reason they are offering the bonus is because they are very busy, in what most people consider to be an unpleasant part of Canada....(especially at this time of year).

If they were only running a few ships and searching for diamonds in the South Okanagan Valley, things may be different.

 

If you were a busy operator in the NWT, how would you attract staff??

Probably the way most resource companies in northern Canada do it....

by treating your staff well and offering more cash than your southern competitors.

 

It's cash from a good company. What's wrong with an offer like that?

You don't have to accept it. But it makes sense for them to offer it.

[lineworker]

Ugh.

 

Whitestone, are you Injun, Augusta Wind, Felch, or whatever the post was on the 3 page or some such? Same old forums, always the same.

 

This site can be interesting but also exhausting to read at times.

 

Remember when Canadian had this incentive? No? A friend of mine called up from there a few years back, and said how great everything was, I declined to return. Found out he attracted some people. They weren't offering it to the new hires, they were offering bonuses to the recruiters. He quit 7 months after he called me and works elsewhere.

 

You can't attract people from other companies with a 5 g signing bonus if they are being treated well elsewhere.

 

Everyone knows what a big top is like and everyone knows how a little shop runs. Friend of mine said a few years back, all owners are the same. Managers can differ in personality, but in practise, are also, mostly the same.

 

I disagreed.

 

But this industry erodes people, pilots, engineers, operators, management, until, it's almost all the same stories and everyone has the same complaints. Some grievance they think warrants attention but have little time to hear or tolerate those of others. Ready to dismiss and be dismissed.

 

Peruse this forum. Every topic ends the same. So, you're angry, you aren't paid enough. People from other countries are taking our jobs. You work too hard. NO one said thank you. Someone lied to you about what to expect. You accepted a low salary so you'd be kept on and they laid you off when the snow fell. It cost too much to get here. Aviation takes everything and doesn't give enough back.

 

You can pick something to comment on from this forum, blow off some steam, pick some point of view to take personally and attack the opinion from your anonymous keyboard.

 

But try to be interesting for Christ's sake. And keep your posts from one address. Split personalities are diagnosed with a single IP address.