Vicpol Airwing Pay and conditions

What's a job in helicopters pay? Does it pay? Why do you get paid more than me?
NEWBIE
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Vicpol Airwing Pay and conditions

Postby NEWBIE » Sat Jan 21 2012, 04:23

Good Afternoon all,

Sorry if it is posted here some where, if so I can not find it.

Can any one shed any light on the pay and conditions one might expect working for the Victorian police air-wing?

Thanks for all help in Advance,

Newbie
OWAP
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Re: Vicpol Airwing Pay and conditions

Postby OWAP » Sat Jan 21 2012, 07:02

Pay around 115 - 120k mark.

Shifts, Police side 10 hour, 8 day fortnight roster, 2 weeks notice of shifts. Ambulance currently 4 on and 4 off 12 hour shifts. Generally the ambulance is forecast up to 12 months ahead, however can be changed if required.

Leave is broken down as 5 weeks leave for shift workers, 2 weeks accrued time off for working 40 hour week instead of 38 hours and two weeks for public holidays missed. Thus no extra pay when rostered to work on public holidays. Total leave nine weeks a year.

Hope this helps
ballslapper
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Re: Vicpol Airwing Pay and conditions

Postby ballslapper » Sat Jan 21 2012, 08:26

Can you actually live on that wage comfortably in Melbourne these days? I don't know, hence the question.

Cheers
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Re: Vicpol Airwing Pay and conditions

Postby Mustering Guru » Sat Jan 21 2012, 08:43

How many hours roughly a year these guys flying?
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Re: Vicpol Airwing Pay and conditions

Postby Mag seal » Sat Jan 21 2012, 09:15

Ballslapper,

120k is almost double the average salary in Australia.
I think that would provide a decent lifestyle in YMML.
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Re: Vicpol Airwing Pay and conditions

Postby SuperF » Sat Jan 21 2012, 10:05

and about 5 times the average pilot wage in NZ! :lol:
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Re: Vicpol Airwing Pay and conditions

Postby robbiedan » Sat Jan 21 2012, 10:46

Yeah >$100k and you will be right in Melbourne.

I lived in the city up till about 6 months ago renting an apartment. Like any city there are good and bad area's and you typically get what you pay for. There is a perception (from people I know in Perth) that it is more expensive but it has a lot to offer - than Perth anyway. Rental market intensity increases the closer to the CBD you try to get. With interest rates etc at the moment a home loan is probably a better investment at the moment.
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Re: Vicpol Airwing Pay and conditions

Postby Yakking » Sat Jan 21 2012, 12:56

robbiedan wrote: There is a perception (from people I know in Perth) that it is more expensive but it has a lot to offer - than Perth anyway.


I live in Perth and come from Melbourne. Melbourne is much cheaper to live in than Perth.

$115-120k is ton's of money. Average income in Australia at the end of last year was $67k (which single income familes manage to live off).

IMHO anyone making over $100K in the helicopter industry is doing pretty well for themselves.

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Re: Vicpol Airwing Pay and conditions

Postby teebee » Sat Jan 21 2012, 19:02

115k is more than most doctors earn lol if you cant live of that your in trouble.
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Re: Vicpol Airwing Pay and conditions

Postby Luka » Sat Jan 21 2012, 22:55

teebee wrote:115k is more than most doctors earn lol if you cant live of that your in trouble.


It's not even close lol. My wife did an additional 10 hours of overtime last shift and made an extra $14K!
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Re: Vicpol Airwing Pay and conditions

Postby Ag-Fire » Sun Jan 22 2012, 00:58

It's not even close lol. My wife did an additional 10 hours of overtime last shift and made an extra $14K![/quote]

Sounds like I need to send the Missus off to medical college
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Re: Vicpol Airwing Pay and conditions

Postby Luka » Sun Jan 22 2012, 07:41

Ag-Fire wrote:It's not even close lol. My wife did an additional 10 hours of overtime last shift and made an extra $14K!


Sounds like I need to send the Missus off to medical college[/quote]

Easiest way to pay for your flying, and you get sex and nagging thrown in for free (though seem to be more of the later) :D
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Re: Vicpol Airwing Pay and conditions

Postby bladepitch » Sun Jan 22 2012, 07:50

If she reads that post luka you can expect more. Id change ya password to be safe....
NEWBIE
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Re: Vicpol Airwing Pay and conditions

Postby NEWBIE » Fri Feb 10 2012, 02:12

Any one been lucky enough to get an interview?,

Regards,

Newbie
gimbal
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Re: Vicpol Airwing Pay and conditions

Postby gimbal » Mon Feb 20 2012, 05:21

Hardly a peep yet, could take someone a while to read through all the applications I guess, anyone else any further along?
SICK HORSEY
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Re: Vicpol Airwing Pay and conditions

Postby SICK HORSEY » Mon Feb 20 2012, 06:39

Interviews this week so if you haven't heard anything then the horse has bolted!

Cheers,

SH.
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Re: Vicpol Airwing Pay and conditions

Postby Practice » Sat Oct 6 2012, 03:01

New Job posted this week.

Are the pay/conditions pretty much unchanged from the posts earlier this year? ie circa $115 - $120K plus 9 weeks leave?

Any current operators interested in posting their thoughts about their satisfaction with the role/lifestyle/flying tasks? I'm a bit unclear on how the Air Ambulance works. Are you either rostered on to Air Ambulance or Police tasking for a defined period?

http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.as ... ent_ID=172
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Re: Vicpol Airwing Pay and conditions

Postby Pol Pilot » Sun Oct 7 2012, 09:06

Guys & Girls,

A little about the recently advertised Vicpol job. Firstly let me clear up some ambiguity in the advert. It states that the successful applicant will be required to undertake an abridged Victoria Police Recruit training course at the Glen Waverley Police Academy. The last "recruit" spent 12 weeks doing this course! From the time he resigned from his previous employer to beginning his endorsement training was about 5 months. The course he undertook at the Academy consisted of powers of arrest and numerous other "police" subjects but also included the requirement to learn how to march with a recruit class!! WTF! Now, again, the advert doesn't inform you that once qualified as a police officer you are then required to undertake ongoing training at 6 monthly intervals (I assumed it was a once off tick in the box). This is a two day course, twice a year and involves (a lot of) powerpoint presentations in addition to a firearm qualification shoot and the real kicker - scenario training. This usually involves something like entering a building with an armed offender inside and somehow "resolving" the situation. Now if, like me, you have no experience of policing other than your initial training you will more than likely feel completely overwhelmed with these days. Sadly, treating the days as a bit of fun ain't really what the Instructors are after! If shooting a gun is your "thing" perhaps a trip to a gun club may whet your appetite?

Pay & Conditions. Since I've been working at the Airwing 4 pilots have resigned. They all sighted remuneration as a factor in their departure (they all left for higher paying jobs). Four pilots out of 14, in my opinion, is not a great hit rate. In fact, if a private operator lost nearly a third of his employees in 4 years the CEO would probably be staring down the barrel! Not so at Vicpol. At the last EBA a very well researched submission was put to command highlighting how the industry has once again jumped ahead of us. This fell on deaf ears. As an example, a pilot working for Australian Helicopters (in the same hangar as us) flying an EMS 412 is paid about 135K. We are paid 115K and could make up to another 5K with overtime and shift allowances. Much comment is often made of our 9 weeks leave. Australian Helicopters work 2days/2 nights and then have 6 days off (2 at home on standby) plus leave. Their roster is set. Except when we're on the Ambo block, our police roster is an 8 day fortnight. You will work at least a Friday or Saturday night or Sunday afternoon shift when you're rostered on cops. Rarely will you get a full weekend off! If you're after time off try offshore, they work two weeks on and have two weeks off. They do a yearly Sim trip and get four weeks annual leave. Friends of mine working for the big two are grossing about 200K a year. With rumours of 20% payrises once again coming to the offshore sector (over 3 years) this will inevitably filter through to other EMS operators. Sadly, it won't filter through to Vicpol. Our pay is set until the middle of 2015. By then I expect to be a minimum of 20 - 25K behind the industry!
I can understand newbies and others in the industry saying how great our wage is but the reality is when you've built up skills over many years (15 in my case) it is only reasonable to want remuneration on a par with your peers!
In answer to another question raised on this post you will work either 2 or 3 eight week blocks on the Ambulance per year. The rest of the year is made up of your nine weeks leave and the police roster. The Ambulance only does "Primary" tasks (i.e road accidents) and when not tasked by Ambulance Victoria it is also utilised as a police machine (FLIR can be fitted) for police jobs. Expect to get woken up 2 - 3 times per night on your Ambo shift for police tasks.
Finally, the flying is fantastic and the job generally speaking is good. Ninety to ninety-five percent of our work is flying around in circles but it is in well maintained twin-engine helicopters! If you're looking for a bit of fun and a good pay packet Australian Helicopters recently advertised for an Essendon based 412 driver. If you're got your heart set on Vicpol there will be plently of opportunities coming up in the near future!!!!
I've written this to give prospective applicants a reasonable understanding of the job, not to generate numerous strings of discussion.
Good luck to all who apply.

Pol Pilot
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Re: Vicpol Airwing Pay and conditions

Postby Practice » Sun Oct 7 2012, 09:20

Pol Pilot wrote: I've written this to give prospective applicants a reasonable understanding of the job


Great post PP, thanks for the info. (c:_ol

What do you reckon the average VICPOL pilot would fly in a year?
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Re: Vicpol Airwing Pay and conditions

Postby baffler15 » Mon Oct 8 2012, 02:31

Practice wrote:What do you reckon the average VICPOL pilot would fly in a year?


A Dauphin and an EC135?? :lol:

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