As the airline is clearly and actively recruiting non-US citizens for jobs, I’d have to believe that the company would be assisting in that process. OTOH, as you’re our resident expert on the topic, it’s an excellent point to consider.
Who would have guessed that Commercial Airline Pilot was one of the jobs that Americans Won’t Do?
Remember that the US Medicare is for retirees only. Before that you pay cash, buy insurance or if employed, share insurance costs with your employer. Even with insurance, out of pocket costs can be significant.
There is a reason that medical costs are cause of many bankruptcies in the US.
“Retirees” here is misleading. If you are 65+ you can enroll in Medicare retired or not. (There are extra premiums if you don’t have enough SSI credit.) Even if you are under 65 you can get Medicare in certain circumstances: SSI disability, ALS, kidney failure.
Unlike SS, there are no tax penalties for making noticeable money while on Medicare.
It’s “mostly for seniors”.
True. The contrast I was trying to make, without the details, was that Australian system called Medicare is for all ages (at least as I understand it) and the OP might have assumed the same for our system.
Can we assume that OP has put the same question out on the various professional pilots’ message boards out there (of which there are several)? Be interesting to read their attitudes about OP’s question.
It’s an E3 Visa. They’ve become available for Australian pilots recently as the US regionals struggle to fill their ranks.
As for Europe, my partner is a British citizen which opens Europe up to both of us. I’m not sure how Brexit will factor into it but at present I believe we both have the right to live and work in the EU.
Thanks. I’m aware of the broad differences between the systems.
Senegoid, I’ve read discussions on PPRuNe about Australians going to work for the US regionals. Those forums tend towards a low signal / noise ratio though and can quickly devolve into arguments about who is stealing whose jobs.
IANA expert at PPRuNe, but the few times I’ve poked around there I’ve been appalled at the pitiful quality of discourse about damn near anything. Even the technical aviation stuff pilots are all supposed to know to a similar level of details and accuracy.
Our union’s internal website’s messageboard is little better. It mostly seems to be a place for the anger addicts to vent their anger. All day every day.
The US industry has always suffered from very spiky demand for pilots. Literally 15 years of hiring anyone who could steer an airplane followed by 15 years of turning away everyone, even the very few retiring NASA astronauts.
There’s quite a pipeline to get from “Hey I want to learn to fly” to being hired to fly turboprops to being hired to fly RJs to being hired to fly Boeings. As well as it taking a lot of dollar outlay upfront.
As a result of this accident Colgan Air Flight 3407 - Wikipedia Congress put a gigantic cork in the pipeline.
Just now we’re approaching a crisis where the real oldsters (guys a few years older than me) are starting to retire in droves and the congressional crimp in the pipeline is just now fully biting, where only the merest trickle is passing out the “ready to start my airline career” gate.
Something major is going to shift, and shift abruptly, within 5 years if not sooner.
Before anyone asks, I’m not inclined to talk much here about the rest of the OP’s Q&A and the ructions in the industry. He and I already have a good convo going on off-stage.
Got your PM thanks. Will respond tonight sometime. Christmas, kids, etc!