Choosing my future career

Hello!

I’ve recently found the forum and I find some of the information really valuable. That’s why I decided to ask a question here.

I should start with introducing myself. I am an 18yo, living in Europe, doing my final IB year in the high school. I aspired to be a pilot since I was very little and that motivated me to the hard work. At this moment, the only license that I have is a gliding one.
Currently, I am choosing a path that I should follow in the nearest future. I am thinking about either studying in Europe and doing all the licenses in a flight school and then working for one of the European airlines or (what I’ve always dreamed of) studying in the United States and working for a US airline. I would definitely go for the second option, however I have a lot of concerns.

Since I want to go to the university, I am thinking about Embry Riddle (I know that this is a very expensive way, but other universities that provide the flight training such as UND or Purdue cost almost the same amount of money for international students). After that, I would like to get hired by one of the regional airlines obviously. And this is where my concerns begin. I am not a US-citizen nor a US-resident. An education in the US would cost me a lot of money, and since I would like to make the most of it, I need to ensure that it is still possible to get hired there even though I am a foreigner.

How does the situation in airlines look like? Do they hire pilots from abroad? I would appreciate if you could help me to choose which way I should go for.

Hi Marcin,

To make things simple, this post, which can be found in the FAQ section, should answer your questions.

https://airlinepilot.life/t/i-am-a-foreign-student-can-i-train-and-work-for-atp/8060?source_topic_id=10547

Tory

Does it mean that even the university could not sponsor the work visa?

Marcin,

To work as a pilot in the US you MUST either be a citizen or gain Resident status. There is no Visa.

Adam

Yes, you have to be a US citizen or permanent legal resident. There are no exceptions.