JOB PROSPECTS

We often get asked about what job opportunities are available for Flight Dispatchers. Firstly, our main goal is to help you attain the generic knowledge needed to become a Flight Dispatcher in order to successfully pass the Transport Canada Examinations.

Of course, during the course, we will offer all the guidance we can on job hunting and recruitment. We are very well known in the industry so we do get offers from potential employers (more on that below).

Once you do that and are qualified to apply to a Canadian airline, job hunting is primarily done by you. This means preparing adequate resumes and cover letters, working on your interview skills, and reviewing the course material that may be required for technical tests – depending on the airline.

Due to COVID-19, the aviation industry saw a temporary slowdown. The great news is we are back to the major hiring and expansion we saw pre-pandemic!

All Canadian airlines are expanding and hiring dispatchers for a few reasons. Some of the catalysts for the mass hiring are:

• The Canadian dispatch industry is expected to have lots of retirements, since a large majority of Baby Boomers are reaching that age.
• Pent up demand for travel
• Dispatcher shortage right before the pandemic
• Emergence and expansion of airlines such as Flair Airlines, Porter and Cargojet, along with many others.

Some of the things we do to help you:

• We are quite well known in the industry. Often, employers reach out to us for candidates. Of course, we recommend our students at that point.
• We create a WhatsApp group with the entire class, so you can help each other after the course with exam preparation, job hunting and job referrals.
• We have guest speakers:
  – former students who now work as flight dispatchers, who come and discuss their career path
  – employers looking to recruit from our course

Simply put, we give you all the tools and knowledge to go out there and get a job.

The rest is up to you. Remember, the qualifications you earn from this course will get you an interview, but it is YOU that has to earn the job.

Some tips on how to get a job. 

• Be willing to move. Even if it means for a short while, it will earn you the experience to be able to go anywhere after.
• Join an airline in a relevant department: Load Planner, Crew Scheduler, Systems Operations Control (SOC), Flight Follower (this is basically a flight dispatcher, for a smaller operation). When you gain enough experience, they will promote you to the position of Flight Dispatcher.
• The knowledge you learn from this course can be applied to several other fields, so don’t limit yourself.

Where to Look for Jobs
Go to each airline’s website and search in the Careers section. Following are some of the major airlines in Canada and their Flight Dispatcher bases.

Air Canada (Toronto)
Air Tindi (Yellowknife, Northwest Territories)
Air Transat (Montreal)
Flair Airlines (Toronto)
Canada Jetlines (Toronto)
Canadian North (Kanata, Ontario)
Cargojet (Hamilton, Ontario)
Chartright (Toronto)
Jazz Aviation (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
Lynx Air (Calgary)
Novajet (Toronto)
OWG (Montreal, Canada)
Pacific Coastal Airlines (Vancouver)
Porter Airlines (Downtown Toronto)
Provincial Airlines – PAL (St. Johns, Newfoundland)
Skyplan (Calgary)
Summit Air (Yellowknife, Northwest Territories)
Sunwing Airlines (Toronto)
Voyageur Airlines (North Bay, Ontario)
Wasaya Airlines (Thunder Bay, Ontario)
Westjet Airlines (Calgary)

NOTE: Don’t limit yourself. There are many other airlines and charter companies.

Aviation Job Ads Websites
avcanada.ca Job Ads
Indeed.com