Aircraft Maintenance Technican Traineeship in Shannon Aerospace?

NDM

Hi Guys,

i want to just make an enquiry on behalf of my brother. He has just been called for aptitude tests for the position of Aircraft Maintenance Technican in Shannon Aerospace. Was just wondering does anyone on Boards have any experience of this training programme and if its a good career path with the possibilty of furthering your career?

If anyone can help in anyway with their knowledge then it would be much obliged!

Cheers

jmcc42uk

Anyone got any feedback on this chaps?

I'm think of doing it myself

J-W

Hi NDM , I did my training in Shannon aerospace from 2000 to 2003.
I am a B1 licensed Engineer now and still in the industry as a contractor.

Firstly most of my comments are going to seam quit negative but at the end of the day I like my job ( when I can find work ) and where it has taken me.

Good points : the training is one of the best standards in the world.I have met qualified engineers form many countries that know less than SAL mech's.
SAL (Shannon aerospace Lufthansa ) training is widely recognized around the world, employers love to see it on a CV.
The lads on the floor in the hanger are 90& a great bunch who are happy to teach you and work with you ,Pints and parties included.
It's the easiest place in Ireland to further your training to engineer level ( although SAL will not support this in any way ) due to the close proximity of the FAS center for courses and all the people in the building with previous exam notes and help.

Bad Points: The number one point to remember is SAL does not care about your future.I have friends still working in the FAS center in Shannon who tell me after trainees complete there training ( 2yr's 3 months )SAL is only giving permy contracts to 1 class in 3 and telling the rest to **** off.
If you leave with just your training and no mechanic exp you will not get a job.SAL trainees wages are paid by the gov thru FAS so aerospace keeps getting them as free labour when qualified SAL has to pay so they let them go.During your training production trainers will treat you like **** like a child at school.
The money is **** , but so is every apprenticeship.I hear the FAS canteen has greatly improved .badly needed.

Being an Aircraft Mechanic : The pay is not worth it unless you love working on aircraft. every trade pays more even factor jobs pay more.
It will be hard, very dirty a lot of the time with grease oils and chemical which have been proven to be carcinogenic
At the end of the day I don't regret it
If you or anyone else wants more advise on this you can Skype me Johnwayne10 I'll be glad to help.

jmcc42uk

Thanks for the insight mate,

I'm really wanting to make a career out of it and 'try' to support a family.

Are the wages really that bad?

Can you get more qualifications after B1 to enable a better pay scale?

I'm not totally hung up on money as I love working at things and it would be my perfect job.

Some of the figures for yearly salaries that people mention on PPrune are around 30-50k, is this not the case now and have thinks moved on?

Any better opportunities overseas?


Thanks again,

Jon

(Sorry I havn't got Skype)

J-W

Hi Jon
Hope my earlier post hasn't depressed ya.
These figures have probly changed (slightly downwards ) since I was in SAL
but your looking at E200 or so a week during your training ,I got a weekend job which aerospace broke my ball about coz I wasn't available for weekends.
A qualified mechanic is on around E25K.
B1 mechanical / B2 electrical EASA Exams can be done after work on your own back with FAS evening course ( you have to pay for ) and the actual exams supervised by the IAA held in Aerospace ( around E60 each payable only if ya fail).
B License can be completed in as little as 2 years after you qualify as a mech (take's most a little longer ) It is hard you must get 75% in each (exam 18 exams ) and there are 4 essay type questions. B2 is more difficult but in my experience there are more jobs out there for it. you can be B1 and B2 which is the best and no more difficult than getting the B2 just takes longer.
In SAL a B1 or B2 engineer is on about E35k and there are very few positions available for engineers.

When you get your B1 you then have to do type courses for aircraft types eg Airbus A320 or Boeing 737. If there is a position available in SAL ,SAL will pay for your type. If you have to pay yourself it will be around E4K each.

J-W

Continued from previous.

You can leave SAL realistically about a year after becoming a mech no1 is going to hire ya without at least a years exp.

Contracts for mechs are more common than contracts for engineers Pay varies greatly this year being the worst iv ever seen expect between E20 - E17 per hr Remember this is tax free most of the time and they pay for flights and accom.

Contracts for engineers expect pay of E28 - E 35 per hr ( in the glory days the standard was around E40 - E50 ) these day s company's are looking for
Engineers with multiple types usually A320,A330,B737
I have only 1 A320 and as such have been turned down alot this year.

Contracting is **** on your family life.

There are lots of permy jobs out there (none in Ireland , I'v bin searching )
Lots in England and mid east I worked in Spain for 2 years on close to E50K

Stovepipe

E35K to be a B1 and sign for work done on aircraft? ****in' misers.No wonder the staff turnover rate is so high. Another little nasty habit of SAL is to withhold exam results from trainees, especially anyone who has hinted at leaving.I know of several ex-SAL fellas who, despite knowing that they had passed the exam, were unable to get the actual cert off them, which they had to have to give to the IAA to get the A license. Given that the exams are corrected electronically, this is a cynical scam.One fella, to my knowledge, had to get his solicitor to write a nastygram to the company to get his cert issued, after a year of bull**** excuses.Do not take these gangsters at face value, if you are thinking of working there.
regards
Stovepipe

J-W

Stovepipe's comments are true they refused to give me my certs when I was leaving but I got on with the training managers secretary and she got them for me.Loads of lads have problems when leaving there pure childish about it
I cant go back there as a contractor coz I used to work there and they wont give you a reference ,you could do a month straight with no days off and then tell them you knead a day off for a funeral and they **** you out of it.

jmcc42uk

Thanks guys, a lot to digest and much appreciated

So really it's a case of 'get in there and get you're head down' and keep working for 2 years realistically, then maybe have a look about.

I'm actually living near London, is this an advantage for job prospects after Shannon?

THe reason I'm interested in Shannon is because it seems easier to get into and they take people on every 3 months whereas the Airlines seem to take on every year.


Thanks again

Jon

Skuxx

I'm in SAL at the moment on the aprentership course. I started in October and so far everything is going great! I haven't been there long enough to experience some of the stuff the lads are on about such as holding back certs. All i can say is from what we have been doing, the level of teaching has been A1! We have done 4 EASA modules so far and most of the class have passed them all, its very possible with a little work!

With regards to pay, you get it from the government. It went down in the budget to €196 p/w and for those renting you get something like €67 p/w towards your accom.
This is peanuts if you are trying to pay a mortgage and bring up a family but if your like me, just out of school and living at home with no bills to pay its no the worst!

The aptitude test which they will require you to do is basically a maths test which was fairly handy in my opinion but that will depend on your maths ability, its nothing too extreme just basicly addition and subtraction. There is also a spatial reasoning test which is to do with shapes!
If you get through that there is a test where basically they give you a box of nuts and bolts and some brass plates and show you a model of a tower and say build that in 10 minutes. Its quite difficult but if thats your thing you won't have any trouble passing!!

If you want to know anything specif just ask and I'll try answer for you!

zig

jmcc42uk, they say the industry goes in cycles, and at the moment its at a low, but tbh I cant see pay for mechanics/ engineers ever getting to the figures I was reading about even when I started which was only in 2008. Reading on pprune can be very off putting , alot of bitter engineers on it, but to be honest i think you'll probably get the most info regarding the industry out of them because they've been through all the ups and downs , and have worked all over the world, so they know their ****.

But anyway if you want any info about being a trainee at SAL feel free to send us a pm. Ive less than a quarter of the course left.

Mythago

jmcc42uk wrote: »

Thanks guys, a lot to digest and much appreciated

So really it's a case of 'get in there and get you're head down' and keep working for 2 years realistically, then maybe have a look about.

I'm actually living near London, is this an advantage for job prospects after Shannon?

THe reason I'm interested in Shannon is because it seems easier to get into and they take people on every 3 months whereas the Airlines seem to take on every year.


Thanks again

Jon

Realistically, you'd be looking at 4 yrs at SAL, 2 & bit for training then the remainder for experience. A number of people leave SAL as soon as they complete their training to go contracting and TBH give ex-SAL people a VERY bad name because they tend to be utterly useless (many supervisors will ask how long you stayed after training and judge you solely based on this), leaving post training to enter a permanent position may be easier.

Post SAL, London is an ok place to be, there are many commutable maintenance facilities, and of course line stations at each airport. But, stay in Shannon until you get a B1 or B2 type rating (ideally 2, but don't think SAL are that generous anymore). The initial training is only to A licence level(I believe)which is the ABSOLUTE minimum and you'll notice there is upgrade A to B licence route.

KamiKazi

Hi guys, just wondering what is the most direct to apply to SAL for the apprenticeship?

And you say the take on apprentices every three months, when is the next round?

Skuxx

KamiKazi wrote: »

Hi guys, just wondering what is the most direct to apply to SAL for the apprenticeship?

Ring up and ask for a form, fill it in and send it back!!

And you say the take on apprentices every three months, when is the next round?

Not sure, I started mid October, another group started a few weeks back, I think a wk or 2 before christmas so I'd say it will be March anyway, but ask while your on the phone!

jmcc42uk

Cheers Chaps,

I think i've got a massive problem though

I dicked around at school so much that I didn't get the required 5 GCSE's !

Stupid, I know, kicking myself now as i could do them in my sleep but I basically just walked out at 16 and got a job.

Is the 5 GCSE thing a hard and fast rule? Anything I can do?

handsomecake

i qualified from sal in 2006.started in 2003.hardest 3 years of my life but worth it now. made some great friends,and was lucky enough to get a job in dublin.i stayed for about 6 months after i qualified and then left for dublin. they tried to stiff me for my certs but i argued and got them.they didnt bond me either.the money is awful but the training is good.i had the best production trainer in the place (K.K) so it helped get me through.i think the whole thing is dying a death to be honest

Garco

What do you mean when you say the whole thing is dying a death??? Aerospace or Traineeships

seanyleary

at the end of the day its up to yourself how much work you put in to get your B1 B2, working in ireland as a cert eng you will be making about 3k a month, if your willing to travel you can alot more 5k /10k depending how far your willing to travel. it will take 5 years to get your b1 or b2 as you need 5 years experince to hold one.

shane byrne

hey lads
just wondering how to get in contact with SAL to get an apprenticeship.can ya do it on the internet or do ya have to do it on the phone.really interested in doing this.if any1 has any clues could ya let me know.dont know how to start off

cheers

Garco

you can do both really!! [EMAIL="you@ll"]you'll[/EMAIL] get a reply from there HR

KamiKazi

Bah.

They want me to come down for the assessment in the morning but due to moving house I only got the confirmation letter this evening and can't get down with work etc. Have to postpone it and it might take as long as mid May for the next one.

Raging :mad:

zapper459

Hello, i'm new in here so im not sure if im in the place...I'm wondering if anyone knows if shannon aerospace is still taking on apprentices this year? and if they are, when will be ne next time they will take them? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

J-W

Hi Zapper459,

Shannon Aerospace give’s an excellent level of training and it is a great spot to get your Engineer’s licence in the future. But ,and there always a but ......
Only go for this job if you are fairly engineering minded, there no point In my opinion of training up to mechanic and going no further.All respect to mech’s I was one myself for long enough but to earn a decent wage you have to go higher.
Training is a tough long slog. Your treated like a child and the attrition rate is high. 27 in my class when i started less than half of us qualified as mechs.
MOST IMPORTANT POINT only go for the job if your ok with working abroad ,permanent or been a contractor. The job prospects in Ireland are very bad and only getting worse. I’ am a Licensed B1 very experienced and I cant get an aviation job in Ireland. All my mates in the industry in Ireland have taken a hefty pay cut recently.
Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but wish someone had told me this stuff before i started

zapper459

Thanks for a reply, but i was told that training programme was suspended...So I'll probably be looking for other apprenticeships , i might try uk.

EI-DOR

Hi folks,

Might aswel bring this to light in here rather than starting a new thread!

Limerick University has started the above course so I was wondering has anybody seen it or know anything about it. I've searched around but can't find much info about it as its new. I was thinking of applying next year but I'm getting bad signs for some reason!

http://www3.ul.ie/courses/aircraftmaintenance.php

Many thanks!

man98

I went to the UL Open Day on it. Spoke to the professor and all. Seems a good course, no real equivalent elsewhere (unless you want to go off to Wales). It's geared towards the aviation industry moreso than Aeronautical Engineering IMO, next step is actually getting in.

EI-DOR

Thanks for the reply. So how are they working it? A 4 year Degree combining the Part 66 Exams then a certain amount of years gaining experience upon graduation before getting your license?

Is the placement even guaranteed with SA?

man98

In the summer of 3rd year of it everyone gets a Shannon Aerospace iirc. I get forgetful this time of night, but you do everything on a modular basis. You're probably best emailing the professor, I can give you his contact details if you want.

EI-DOR

I see that but the training has to be by the book when it comes to the EASA side of things. If their making people do a 4 year Degree then work 5 years before getting their license, that's not by the book as somebody else has pointed out to me. I'll give the Professor an email!

Are u applying yourself?

man98

EI-DOR wrote: »

I see that but the training has to be by the book when it comes to the EASA side of things. If their making people do a 4 year Degree then work 5 years before getting their license, that's not by the book as somebody else has pointed out to me.

Are u applying yourself?

Sorry I just edited my post there, sorry for the confusion. I will be applying for it, probably my number 1.

EI-DOR

Did they get a full course when it first started?

Going by previous posts in this thread a few years back, let's hope it isn't going to be like that dealing with Shannon Aero!

man98

EI-DOR wrote:

Did they get a full course when it first started?

The first year is 2015/16 as far as I'm aware. Just a further note, pointswise it should be about 400 I was told.

EI-DOR

Ahh I see. Hopefully it will be a good move career wise. Might see you in Limerick one of the days!