Job Responsibilities
I look after a number of aircraft avionics systems and make sure
that they function correctly. I answer queries from line
maintenance, heavy maintenance, components workshops, flight
operations and other areas of the company regarding aircraft
technical issues. I also evaluate service literature from
aircraft and component vendors regarding upgrades and
improvements to their equipment.
The amount of time I spend on each job varies with the job.
Everyday I have different tasks to do and these have to be
prioritised. I spend the majority of my time investigating
problems, which I do by contacting the suppliers, checking the
information in our system, reviewing training notes and other
reference material and checking aircraft operation. A lot of time
can be spent chasing issues within the company, which I think is
a result of working in a large organisation.
Probably about an avaerage of an hour per day is spent doing
routine tasks; dealing with the inevitable paperwork. However, it
is rare that I actually do this time each day - more like once a
week or every two weeks I put everything else on hold to do the
routine tasks.
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Job Requirements
My position requires a Bachelors degree in Engineering. However,
some of my collegues work in very similar jobs in the capacity of
a technical officer. They do not have a degree but do have
experience in different areas of the company.
The opportunities to progress and remain in an engineering
capacity are fairly limited. It would be very easy to get stuck
in the same position for life, but the work is very varied so the
only issues with this are the lack of responsibility and the lack
of pay progression.
I don't think that additional qualifications would enhance my
career path within this company.
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Uppers
I really like the varied work. There is always a new problem to solve and it can
be very satisfying to solve something.
The people are great to work with and the work is mostly interesting.
I am entitled to cheaper airfares that most would consider an 'upper', however I
think that this is a little overrated.
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Downers
Solving problems is great when you can find the answer but can
also be incredibly frustrating when you don't.
Some other areas that I deal with can be incredibly demanding and
not realise how much of my time they consume. It can be really
hard decide that I can't do all of my work. I desire to do a good
job and get incredibly frustrated when I don't have the resources
and time available to me to do this.
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Lifestyle
The lifestyle is quite good. Although there is a lot of work there is no
expectation to do lots of overtime. I work a standard 8 hours a day. And I get an
extra day off every month.
There is some business travel but this is not a perk. The travel is usually at
very short notice and always on standby. It is common for business travellers to
take several days to get home. This is very disruptive to family life.
There are no company organised social events, but within in my department we
organise two to three evenings a year. The dress code is smart business but not
suit and only tie if you feel like it. And Friday's is usually jeans.
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Compensation
My salary is $55000 Australian dollars. I do the same work as
someone paid $85000 AUD.
This amount includes the company's compulsory superannuation
contributions. This year every employee received $700 AUD bonus.
In the past there have been limited numbers of shares given as a
bonus.
I don't think that the renumeration is good enough. This is
probably a good company to get a start at, but after a few years
one should look to move on so that you don't get bogged down.
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Advice to Jobseekers
There will always be air travel and so there will always be
technical support for the airlines. This field is not going to go
away. Aircraft are becoming increasingly more electronic so the
avionics will increase and hence the support for them must also
increase.
There is however, the general push to do more work in less time
and I think that there is less job satisfaction is hurrying
through a job and trying to figure out which corners to cut. In a
position of more responsibility than mine this could lead to
stress since we are dealing with critical aircraft systems.
This is a very global industry since most countries have only a
few airlines. I think that there is reasonably amount of
opportunity to move between countries, and airlines and vendors.
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