porridge
12th Nov 2005, 03:53
There was once a list of the 33 greatest lies in Aviation and it time a similar list was drawn up about Flight Training. In life they say there is one fool born every minute, in the world of aviation training it appears it is closer to 60.
Perhaps I could start the ball rolling thus:
Lies:
1. Our school on your CV will definitely get you a job (presumably they mean this applies only to them and no one from another school has ever got a job).
2. Integrated flight training will give you far more chance of getting a job that the self-improver route (i.e. Modular)
3. Our school is the only one approved by lending institutions to do your training with.
4. Our programme is the only one approved by the airlines to recruit from.
5. Yes, our training is much more expensive than X, Y & Z, but you will be wasting your money with the others as you will never get a job with them on your CV.
6. The CAA only recommend us to prospective pilots, our Training Approval is basically their stamp of recommendation.
7. All other Schools ask for large sums of money up front for training, most want the entire course paid for in full, we only ask for half.
8. Our pre-selection programme means that we give you a money back guarantee (i.e. they will give you back any money you might have in your account that hasn’t been spent, subject to admin fees and other charges when you have failed the complete course.)
9. A climate of fear and punishment are good for student morale and will make you into the rounded individual for the modern flight deck.
Truths:
1. The quality of training is inversely proportion the amount of Marketing spin and hype.
2. Never trust anyone who wants you to part with large sums of money up front, no matter how financially sound their backers may seem.
3. The enthusiasm and dedication of the training staff is inversely proportional to the staff morale.
4. Multiple coats of paint, gloss and shiny things disguise a multitude of sins.
5. Conditional deals or requirements are honey traps set to lure the unwary in.
6. Goods reputations take years to achieve, bad ones are gained in minutes.
7. You reap what you sow eventually.
8. High staff turnover is useful indicator of the kind of treatment and respect a customer will enjoy and have a significant effect of the completion of their training on time and on budget.
9. Success in getting an airline job is directly proportion to the amount of personal effort you put yourself.
10. If you haven’t got what it takes a vast amount of money will not buy you skills or the job.
11. An airline job is not necessarily the pinnacle of success or satisfaction in this industry.
12. More people have got airline jobs by using their own initiatives than those who have relied on others to do it for them.
13. The best places to train are usually the least heavily advertised.
14. Small is usually beautiful, or the best things in life come in unassuming packages.
15. A fool and his money are soon parted.
I could go on, but it would be good to see what others could contribute to the list of ‘Lies’ & ‘Truths’.
Perhaps I could start the ball rolling thus:
Lies:
1. Our school on your CV will definitely get you a job (presumably they mean this applies only to them and no one from another school has ever got a job).
2. Integrated flight training will give you far more chance of getting a job that the self-improver route (i.e. Modular)
3. Our school is the only one approved by lending institutions to do your training with.
4. Our programme is the only one approved by the airlines to recruit from.
5. Yes, our training is much more expensive than X, Y & Z, but you will be wasting your money with the others as you will never get a job with them on your CV.
6. The CAA only recommend us to prospective pilots, our Training Approval is basically their stamp of recommendation.
7. All other Schools ask for large sums of money up front for training, most want the entire course paid for in full, we only ask for half.
8. Our pre-selection programme means that we give you a money back guarantee (i.e. they will give you back any money you might have in your account that hasn’t been spent, subject to admin fees and other charges when you have failed the complete course.)
9. A climate of fear and punishment are good for student morale and will make you into the rounded individual for the modern flight deck.
Truths:
1. The quality of training is inversely proportion the amount of Marketing spin and hype.
2. Never trust anyone who wants you to part with large sums of money up front, no matter how financially sound their backers may seem.
3. The enthusiasm and dedication of the training staff is inversely proportional to the staff morale.
4. Multiple coats of paint, gloss and shiny things disguise a multitude of sins.
5. Conditional deals or requirements are honey traps set to lure the unwary in.
6. Goods reputations take years to achieve, bad ones are gained in minutes.
7. You reap what you sow eventually.
8. High staff turnover is useful indicator of the kind of treatment and respect a customer will enjoy and have a significant effect of the completion of their training on time and on budget.
9. Success in getting an airline job is directly proportion to the amount of personal effort you put yourself.
10. If you haven’t got what it takes a vast amount of money will not buy you skills or the job.
11. An airline job is not necessarily the pinnacle of success or satisfaction in this industry.
12. More people have got airline jobs by using their own initiatives than those who have relied on others to do it for them.
13. The best places to train are usually the least heavily advertised.
14. Small is usually beautiful, or the best things in life come in unassuming packages.
15. A fool and his money are soon parted.
I could go on, but it would be good to see what others could contribute to the list of ‘Lies’ & ‘Truths’.