Background Check

My background was checked for anything that might cause me to return to the US before my contract expired. A few days after consenting to the check, I received a call from a company verifying my background. They confirmed they were representing American Trade and Investment Corp, the company which Paul Everitt works with. Later, Edmond would tell me he did not do a background check on me. A senseless lie for no reason.

Hi Kate!

Thanks for the Fisrt Class Medical, well done on that!

In order to process your Reference, Background & Drug tests, please find the attached documents which require your attention:

a) FAIR_CREDIT_REPORTING_ACT_DISCLOSURE_ATIC_v2.pdf
You will need to print out one copy, complete & sign as indicated, then scan and return to us.

NOTE: If your current Drivers Licence was issued in a new State within the past 90 days, then we will need the same Drivers License information for your previous State.
Add an additional page with this info, if required.

b) Summary_of_Rights_Under_Fair_Credit_Reporting_Act.pdf
Self explanatory, lets you know what we will be checking, for your records.

We look forward to receiving this information from you so that we can proceed with these steps of your application process.
 
With regards,

 Paul Everitt

____________________


Hi Paul,

Here is the signed background form. Also, I have attached a copy of my driver license, in case you need that, too.

-- Kate

____________________


Hi Kate,

Well done, I've looked over your paperwork and it looks like you managed to complete the Background Check form with no errors or omissions - few people manage to do that!

Nice to see someone who takes care of the details.

I'll let you know how things go from here.

With regards,

Paul Everitt

Flight Medicals

Every pilot has to get a flight physical examination. The standards set by the FAA are the basis for flight exams throughout the world, although many countries (including Indonesia) have enhanced these standards. This does not make a safer, healthier pilot, but rather serves to eliminate potential candidates from the pool.

The confusion over medicals was another omen of things to come.

Hello Edmund,

I recently passed my flight physical. Attached is a copy of my updated medical.

Sincerely,

Kate Montressor

____________________


Hello Kate,

Thank you for that update, But can you send a high-resolution copy? That one is not going to print well for the Indonesian DGCA.

Here is the current timeline on the progress related to your hiring -

1.  LIFT is expecting to have approval for your recruitment from DGCA this Wednesday.

2.  It will take them another two weeks to pass through Ministry of Manpower and Immigration for your Visa.

3.  Please advise which Indonesia Embassy is more convenient for you, so we can have your Visa directed there.
FYI the San Francisco Consulate is the closest to you now: Street Address : 1111 Columbus Avenue, San Fransisco, Telephone : (+1-415) 4749571, 4749577

4.  It will take approximately a week for you to get your Visa and then you can go over any time after that.
    At this stage, this looks like approximately 20 to 21st October. We will liase with you re travel plans etc.

5.  After arrival in Jakarta, you will need to stay there for about three days to process your documents and for finger printing and photos, before moving to Lombok.

6.  The LIFT Class 2 Ground School will start on 11 November finishing on 19th November. So you will have around two weeks to prepare. LIFT already has Power Point training material ready for you.

7.  Once you are settled in, LIFT will validate your flying license, so you can still instruct until you turn 60.

Your job will be mainly for Ground School and Simulator with occasional flight instructing.

We are also conducting background checks, which I will be in touch with you about tomorrow, along with sending you a final Contract.

Any questions, contact me in Florida via email or phone.

With regards,
Paul Everitt

____________________

Kate,

Thanks for sending over your updated medical.

When you are here, you will be required by DGCA to have First Class Medical check .
Do you have any concern over a First Class?

In Indonesia there is no Third Class so every medical requirement will go up by one class.

Regards,
Edmond.

____________________


No problem. Do you want me to get it before I come?

-- Kate

____________________


Kate,

It is not a must. But, if you can get it, then they will have no question when performing your test if you show them the result. This will speed up your validation of license.

Regards,
Edmond.

____________________


Hello Edmund,

I was able to get my medical changed to Class 1, which I have attached.

Sincerely,

Kate Montressor

____________________

In the end, it made no difference what class medical I had, or even that I had a medical. Indonesia uses their own medical requirements and do not acknowledge FAA medicals.

Uniforms

I had asked Edmond about what uniforms were required. I have my own uniforms from previous positions, which I know fit me correctly. I was asked to also provide an Air Force style flight suit as required by Indonesian regulations, which I also brought with me.

Hi Kate,

During Flight Instruction, our Instructors usually wear Flight Suit, same as the one you can see in the Photo in our FB or in our webpage.
However, we are unable to provide this for you as there is no supplier.
Student wear similar but bright orange in color which we can provide to them.

For other activities, there is a uniform with black pants and white shirt (short sleeves).
Shoe is black, pilot short boots.
We will supply you with a Wing, Name Tag and Four stripes Gold Epaulets.

Regards,
Edmond.


After I arrived, Edmond intended to provide all uniforms (shirts, pants, shoes, and flight suit), until I reminded him I had brought my own. I shrugged off the confusion about uniforms to a language glitch.

Accepting the Position

Edmond Fung interviewed me via Skype. We talked for over an hour about his vision for the flight school, my background and how I would fit in. He seemed to have thought of every detail and contingency and emphasized his desire to have the best reputation for a flight school in Indonesia. His standards would be higher than the minimum required by the government and he hoped to provide a direct link for his students to the airlines.

Edmond has a strong Chinese accent, and after a initial adjustment period, I was able to follow what he was saying.

Hello Edmond,

It was a pleasure to talk to you. I especially like your philosophy of creating safe and competent pilots, as that is also my primary goal. The effort and energy you have put into this project is commendable. I appreciate your thoroughness and attention to detail. I am excited about the flight school and feel that I will be a valuable asset.

Attached are the documents you requested. I have zipped them so they would be easier to email. Please let me know if this causes you problems.

Thanks again for your time.

Sincerely,
Kate Montressor

Help Wanted

I am a certified flight instructor. I have taught students from many countries and love international teaching. I heard of a new school starting up in Indonesia (a country I have never visited) and I decided to check it out.

I found the following  advert online:

LIFT - Lombok Institute of Flight Technology - Part 141 Flight School
The school, now established on the Selaparang Airport in the city of Mataram on the island of Lombok, is 60 miles East of Bali, Indonesia and is a tropical paradise surrounded by coral reefs, active volcanoes, lush verdant jungle, and some of the worlds most popular surfing spots.
The School has recently started its First Training Class, and is currently recruiting for its Second Class Intake which will start in October 2011. LIFT is housed within a new dedicated hangar and office facilities, and is based on a low-volume international airport with a 6,863ft runway.
Courses being offered include ab-initio to advanced flight training, using a growing fleet of the most modern aircraft available including the FADEC-equipped IFR Certified Liberty XL2.
RedBird advanced technology flight simulators have also being purchased for effective ground-based training, and will arrive in October 2011.
Flight Instructor Positions available: 

 a) Senior Flight Instructor : 
The right candidate for this position will have experience in the operations of an FAA or JAA Part 141-type Flight Training facility, with the following skills and/or experience being an advantage - 
- Minimum 800 Hours Total PIC
- Minimum 500 Hours Dual given as CFI (required)
- Part 141 FAA experience, or JAA Part 141 equivalent experience (preferred)
- FAA or JAA Flight Examiner qualification (an advantage)
- A professional approach to the task at hand (required)
- Ability to work independently and to solve problems as they occur, whilst also maintaining  the spirit of working as a Team (required)
- Good rapport with international students (required)
- Willingness to go the extra mile, especially during the initial startup phase (required)
- Jeppesen Course knowledge, a Ground Instructors License, and knowledge of Paperless141 software would be an advantage.
 b) Standard Flight Instructor: 
Min 500 hours Total Time PIC and 250 Hours Dual Given (required), preferably in a Part 141 school. Glass panel aircraft experience an advantage. Enthusiasm for the job and a commitment to the process of Flight Instruction. An excitement about living in a foreign country and embracing all it's challenges and advantages.
Start Dates:  
Two instructors at end September / Mid October 2011, and three or four more instructors in Mid December 2011, with some flexibility.
Benefits: 
The appointments come with an attractive after-tax compensation package in US$, including competitive salary, housing allowance, medical-insurance, annual international travel allowance, etc.
 Note: If you believe you need a Starbucks or McDonalds on every corner to survive, you probably don't want to apply for this job (even though we have those in Indonesia). And if you've never travelled outside of a country like the USA, UK, or Western Europe, you may need to give this opportunity some serious thought before applying.

This is your chance for a well-paying aviation career,
living in paradise and becoming part of a professional
 team, building a professional flight training facility from the ground up!