The Air Courier Application Process

The application procedure is simple and there are many ways to find ‘work’ as a courier. The easiest is to contact courier companies or associations provided later or others listed in Yellow Pages and other listings on and off the Internet.

A variety of membership groups exist for couriers, both on and off the Internet, with most offering updated information about opportunities, prices, application procedures, and so on.

You could find this information yourself, by surfing the Internet, or making constant telephone calls to courier companies, but you’ll find that very time-consuming, costly, frustrating and not quite so easy or effective as becoming a member of a specialist group.

It doesn’t cost much to join these groups, typically from fifteen to fifty pounds a year in the UK, or up to fifty dollars or so for an international group.

You’ll also access opportunities via Internet discussion groups and forums, where like-minded individuals, keen to fly without high cost, pass information and advice for others to benefit.

Additionally, newsletters are available by snail mail and online to highlight current
opportunities for paying subscribers. A number of Internet sites and other contacts are provided later.

If you prefer the DIY route, first contact international delivery companies close to your own local airports. Write or phone, fax or email, explain your intentions and ask for your details to be placed on file pending future assignments.

You may have to apply by letter, telephone, fax or email, sometimes in person.
Increasingly, companies request applications online.

Spend time completing as many such forms as possible, for companies you’d like to work with, visiting places you want to go.

Be select, don’t apply to hundreds of different companies, or you’ll just get confused, and possibly become very unreliable, too, once you begin receiving offers from all and sundry.

Abide by rules laid down by courier companies and they’ll thank you for it and might offer regular assignments.

When you apply make known your preferences for destination and timing but try to be flexible.

Some companies fly to just one destination; others to several; many cover most major international towns and cities. Restrict yourself to one courier firm and you limit the number of places you visit; work for several companies and you could travel far and wide.

Most firms will keep your information on file and will inform you of openings,
sometimes without notice, and what fare (if any) you have to pay.

You may be sent a list of destinations, prices, schedules and the company’s likely future needs. You will normally be asked to sign and return a contract provided by the company which basically outlines your responsibilities and duties during your assignment.

When a flight becomes available you'll be notified (by post, telephone, fax, email), and asked to confirm your availability for a particular flight at a specific time. It isn’t unusual to be offered ‘work’ just a few days after initial contact with a courier firm, especially for destinations that don’t require visas.