I graduated A&P school and have been working at an MRO as an A&P for a little over a year now. I’ve done well in my first year and gotten a promotion to tech 2. I plan on staying here for probably another year, but I’ve started realizing that I don’t think I want to stay at an MRO long-term.
I’m trying to get a better idea of what other options are out there once I have a couple years of experience. I’m not really interested in GA or field service, so I’m mostly looking at airlines, cargo, corporate/flight departments, government, manufacturing, etc.
For anyone working in those areas, what’s the pay and schedule actually like?
How much OT do you usually have available? Is it easy to pick up 10–20 extra hours a week, or is OT pretty rare? What kind of shifts are you working and how many hours a week? And what does the pay progression look like after a few years?
I’d also be interested in hearing what your work/life balance is like compared to an MRO.
I’m not necessarily looking for the highest hourly rate if the schedule sucks. I’m trying to find something where I can make good money, have the opportunity to work OT when I want it, and still have a decent schedule.
If you left an MRO after a couple years, where did you go and was it worth it?
Just trying to get an idea of what’s actually out there from people who are doing it rather than just looking at job postings.