Just a few quickies

[sicky]

hey - this is my first post on here, i've been having a good look around at recent threads over the past couple of days though

I was at the ctc assessment on the 3rd march, realise a few people off here were there aswell, don't know if i spoke to them or not though!

i didn't get through that, but have been invited to reapply in 6months time as i came close,which i wasn't TOO dissapointed with considering i didnt know what to expect and have never flown anything before, i feel like i did quite well. i got top 30% on the first part and middle 40% on the second, i don't know how those compare!!

anyway, i'm really thinking about finishing uni as i don't enjoy it and just going for my fatpl.

Do airlines really take notice of who you trained with? i'm really tempted to apply for nother sponsorship scheme but i know how competitive they are, that i might just decide to go down the self sponsored route with a loan.

however whne i rang hsbc for more info on their loan, the guy on the phone knew nothing about any £60k loans. so i was wondering if you had to be accepted on a course before you got access to this?

i don't know which school or which type of course to go for, iv had a long look at oxford but the cost of living down there is high. i saw what im sure was an integrated course at cleveland airport for £37k, but have no idea what the standard is like there

i'm at leeds uni though, and i could stay in the house there and train at one of the leeds schools (but lets not start that debate in here! lol)

does anybody have any info on the likelihood of getting a job at the end of training these days? my biggest worry is going into all this debt and not being able to get a job with a salary where i can pay it off!

also, last 2 q's for now...firstly on a £60k loan how much can i expect to pay back all togeether and over how long?

and with the groundschool exams. is it possible to study for one, and take the exam, or do u have to study for the 7 then sit all 7 together? ie are there only certain exam times available or are they sat monthly etc?

i'd find it much easier to study a subject then sit the exam in that subject, rather than have to cram revision for 7 subjects at a time!!

cheers for reading my mini essay :ok: will probs be seeing more of me around here in the future lol :O

[Charlie Zulu]

I'll reply in terms of the theoretical knowledge requirements. This is assuming you are in the United Kingdom and you'll be gaining a UK CAA issued JAA CPL/IR with ATPL Theoretical knowledge (usually shown as a "frozen ATPL" here in PPRUNE land).

One has to sit and pass all fourteen exams with a pass mark of 75% in each exam. There is no negative marking (unlike years ago).

The exams are arranged so all fourteen are available every month, starting on the first Monday of every month and running over the course of four days.

So you could in theory study for all fourteen and sit all fourteen in the same week. Although I would be pretty impressed if you were able to pass them all doing it this way.

However you cannot study and sit each exam inidividually.

This is because you are only allowed six sittings to pass all fourteen exams. A sitting is anytime you sit one or more exam in an examination week. So if you took all fourteen in the same week it would count as one sitting and if you took just one exam it would count as one sitting. You'd have five left...

In addition to this requirement you are also only allowed four attempts at any individual exam.

If you fail to meet any of these requirements, it'll be a case of starting the exams all over again.

In regards to the loan... a loan of £60,000 will require huge repayments every month. To illustrate the example I give here I took a look at a popular loan company that advertises on TV (I'm just using them as an example) and a loan of £60,000 over a 10 year period would require monthly repayments of £717.60 with an APR of 7.9%. This means you'd be paying £717.60 each month for ten years which equates to £86,112. Now take into account if you are instructing PPL level before gaining an airline career you'd be lucky to have that amount of money to play with in total each month, never mind actually paying the loan. Even the lower end of the pay scale in the airlines won't see enough for a mortgage and loan repayments, never mind running a car or eating.

[scroggs]

Archive Reference Threads - READ BEFORE YOU POST A QUESTION (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=131649)

Scroggs

[sicky]

sorry! missed that thread, i did do a quick search but didn't find anything to answer my q's about the exams/loans

charlie - thanks for the advice. £700/month is beyond belief! it would probably make sense to get a mortgage for the whole lot if you could!

[Whirlygig]

"Mortgage" does imply that you have property on which the loan is secured! I don't expect at age 20, you have!

A £60,000 mortage raised, say, on your parents' home (in their name and with their permission) would cost about £400 per month over 25 years!

Cheers

Whirls

[sicky]

it seems like i can only find out the full details of any loans once i'm accepted on a course, it would be interesting to see if my mum could remortgage. the problem being, that i wouldn't be able to pay back the mortgage until i had a job, and it's at least 2years down the line, probably more judging on what i've been reading!!

Is it true that the first medical HAS to be at gatwick? and about £400??

i want to get my medical asap, so that it's out the way, and i know i'm fit to fly!

i've read so much, i really don't know where to start. i don't know the best way to raise the funds now, and i don't know whether to keep applying to sponsorship courses, as if i do and don't get thme its a few hundred wasted, but then if i get one, it makes the whole financial outlook a lot brighter

i was reading the threads on scrogg's link, and i'm at uni, like i said doing engineering, and i really don't like it. i don't know what it is, i just don't enjoy it. everybody seems to say do the degree, but to be honest, it's another £15k of debt to pay off at the end of 3years on top of any loans i would be taking out to cover my pilot training.

i know it's a risk but i suppose you have to take risks these days.. it's looking more and more like i'll be going for self-sponsored, mainly due to the costs of simply applying for a sponsored route. (my parents are both separated and my mum's school may be closing this summer, which would mean redundancy for her with no pension or pay-off apparently). and with me being at uni, i have no real source of finance to apy for the tests and travel to these places.

does anybody know if the loans can be used to cover living costs and accommodation aswell as the course costs?

i'm just popping off for dinner then i'll finish reading the "is it all worth it?" thread, it seems to hit the nail on the head for me too

[scroggs]

If your mother remortgages her home to pay for your training, and relies on you to pay it back, could you stand back and watch her lose her home if you can't find the money? That's the risk you are taking by going this route. I would not risk my home for my child's ambition, and I would strongly advise anyone else against doing so.

Scroggs

[Skintman]

I have experience of helping to pay for my offspring to become a commercial pilot. This is s big committment for anyone to make and no one should risk their mortgage or anyone elses' mortgage on a dream. That being said, not many jobs are actually "a dream" like flying. Would we do it again - yes no question. If your good enough, get the money from parents, bank etc.

£60,000 fees for OAT
£20,000 spends, accommodation, medicals etc, etc
£20,000 SSTR inc accomadation

Yes he's paying us back and got a job on a big jet straight away, as most of his class did. Look at the OAT figures. OAT were very, very good at getting their graduates interviews and could not be faulted.

Salaries are still pretty good for new recruits and the we consider the costs as an investment.

Skintman

[bfato]

Interesting first post, Skintman. Someone more cynical might wonder if you're actually in North West Kidlington. But OAT would never misuse pprune like that, would they?

[sicky]

so you need to find £100k really?

remortgaging isn't an option afterdiscussing it with my mum.

a problem i have is in applying for sponsorship, it costs, and that money is wasted if i don't get it, which it's more likely i won't, than i will, being realistic. i could save the money and put it towards the training.

i am really wondering how realistic it is to be able to borrow or raise £100k. i wouldn't say it looks good at all to be honest.

i've read good and bad things about OAT on here, i really would not know which school to go to at all.

[bfato]

Sorry Sicky, you won't be able to borrow £10k let alone £100k without giving the lender security, something he can sell if (when) you fail to pay him back. Your mother is being very sensible in not putting her home on the line for you. You have to question the morals of a child that would let their parents do that for them, or the sensibilities of a parent that would agree to it.

Sponsorship or the RAF might be options. Try the GAPAN aptitude test perhaps. The application fees are far less than the cost of an integrated course. Or maybe study hard, work hard in a normal job, save hard and do modular stages as and when funds allow. Wish I could be more positive but that's the reality of professional flight training. If it were cheap and easy everyone would be a pilot!

[sicky]

remortgaging just came up in conversation really, it wasn't anything we considered seriousley.

how do most people fund it? can you only get the loans that the schools mention if you're on a sponsored course?

what exactly does the gapan test give me? i'll have a look on the site now if i can find it but how is it different to applying to a flying school?

[boogie-nicey]

Whatever you eventually choose to do, do so carefully as the figures here are indeed large. If anything take a year or 2 out and get some extra bucks in your wallet allowing you to take out a smaller loan if you have to). After all you're only 20 I'm sure you can use time to your advantage otherwise a wrong or badly timed decision at this point and you may never quite get 'ahead of the curve' for a long time.

Best of luck hope it all works out well :ok:

[sicky]

thanks :)

i know for sure this is what i want to do now, i just need to work out how i'm going to go about it, that's "all" lol. even trying to do my PPL this summer...i don't think i could raise the money for it without selling my car AND getting a job instantly

[bfato]

Good to hear the remortgage wasn't a serious consideration :)

People fund it by either borrowing heavily, with the debt problems we've discussed waiting to bite them on the arse a couple of years down the line, or by working until they've made enough money. The latter is the reason there are so many of us late 30-something wannabies on the forum.

The advantage of a GAPAN assesment is they're an indepenent, non-profit making organistion. They've nothing to gain by telling you that you're better than you actually are. The school aptitude tests are a little different. You go to them saying "I'd like to come give you £60k, do you think I'm good enough?"...

[sicky]

well i think my next step is to get my medical, that's probably the most sensible thing to do. i see why some people might do the gapan test, but without it getting me into a school its £175...theres pros and cons to it lol.

is it really that bad getting the loan? i mean...the way i live my life, if the loan is £720 a month, and most f/o go in at £30k a year, thats still about £2k a month. the way i live my life i could manage on £1k a month after my loan payment had gone out. looking at it that way might be naive and i may be missing some vital points, so please correct me if you need to.

can you only get these pilot loans on sponsored courses?

if not, do you need to be accepted on a course first?

[Grass strip basher]

£1000 a month doesn't go very far unless you want to live with your parents for the next 5 years.... rent and running a car will eat through a large slug of that...:uhoh:

[bfato]

Can't advise on how to get a loan since didn't consider it.

Keep in mind that loan repayments fall due whether or not you get a job. And getting an fATPL does not automatically get you a job. So you spend another £7k for an instructor's rating whilst you job hunt, and perhaps you find work PPL training. Earning maybe £10 per flight hour, call it £150 a week on average. It might just pay for food and petrol to the airfield, but what about your rent? How will you make those loan repayments then?

[sicky]

this is all starting to look very...very bad :|

having to raise enough for a PPL is going to be hard enough, and integrated seems the thing to do.

i thought the HSBC loan didn't start repayments until you had a job? i'm pretty sure i read that somewhere. i may have to find somewhere that does it cheaper then, or just keep applying for a sponsorship and give it my best shot. i really don't want to have to wait however many years it's going to take to save up that amount :(

[bfato]

How about giving modular another thought? You can do the PPL when you can afford it, maybe hour build on the cheap in exchange for washing aeroplanes, answering phones, hoovering the floor. Not glamorous but it'll get you closer to your goal. Where there's a will there's a way and all that..

You'd still need to save £20k to fund the CPL/IR and MCC but that's a lot less than £60k. And an awful lot less than £100k.

edit - but if I were your age I'd keep doing everything I could to get sponsorship too.

[sicky]

i really don't know which sponsorship(s) to apply for as i thought oxford was great but have read that it puts a good front on things.

if i can only afford modular, i'll have to do modular. i just really hope it wouldn't limit my job prospects.

i've been looking for a job at the airport as it is anyways, i applied for a luggage handling job but think i saw the advert too late, i need to know who flies from Newcastle and try and get myself a ground job. i applied for cleaning aircraft last summer but my college was shut so they couldn't get a reference.

i'll have another search about modular but does anybody reccommend a place to do it? i can obv do my ground school at bristol if i want to do distance learning if i go down the modular route.

also, does your first medical have to be at gatwick, if not where is a good place to go?

cheers for all the advice so far its been a huge help

[Charlie Zulu]

You'll probably find that ground jobs are usually via handling agents such as Serviceair. As for Newcastle Airport, I am unsure as to which handling agents are based there.

The initial JAA Class 1 medical must be carried out at the AMC in Crawley (about five minute drive from Gatwick Airport). Call 01293 573700 and choose the Medical option to book your appointment (you'll have to pay for it when you book the appointment).

When it comes to the yearly renewals, these can be carried out at your local AME (Aero Medical Examiner) who is usually a practicing doctor authorised to carry out Class 1 Renewals as well as intial and renewal Class 2 medicals.

The Class 2 medical is not sufficient if you are going commercial, you require the Class 1 medical. Don't expect to be able to pass an initial Class 1 if you obtain a Class 2, there are many more tests that the AMC put you through than the AME does.

[bfato]

How about a local airfield? If you can get free flying in exchange for doing donkey work then it all helps. No need to pay professional training rates until you have to.

Sounds like you've done a lot of background research already. Have you read Clive Hughes' book Guide to Becoming a Professional Pilot? Might give you a few more ideas if you haven't.

Good luck.

[sicky]

believe me...i've spent the last 2 or 3 weeks sat at my PC and on the phone, just looking into this whole thing, aswell as the time i spent before my CTC phase 2 researching it all and all the hours i spent before that. I'll try and get my hands on that book.

the main issue is just raising the money, as it is for most people. i think i'll ring up first thing on monday, and try and book a medical.

it makes sense to try and get a job at the airport doing groundwork, to get contacts aswell as experience at the airport but anything will do to raise some money. especially as there doesnt seem to be a loan deal for the modular courses. however, i had a quick search for serviceair or servisair and there was nothing useful. either there are no jobs right now doing groundwork or they're bloody hard to find! lol

the nearest real airfield to me is newcastle international airport!! there's a microlight airfield a few miles up the road, and then after that i think its RAF Boulmer or teeside/cleveland airports! certainly none of the smaller airfields around here, or i would have definately gone along to see if there were any jobs going.

it might be worth popping into newcastle airport and seeing if i can find a desk where they could give me some more info on groundjobs, such as if there is one "agent" like u said, they may be able to put me in touch.

another thing cropped up in conversation last night - releasing equity in the house!! that sounds as dodgy as remortgaging to be honest. especially as in the 9 years we've lived here the house has more than tripled in value.

it seems like, if i am going to be able to do this, i'm going to have to take the huge risk of getting the loan...somehow...and hoping that i get a job pretty sharpish after completing the training! i always try to go for 100% in exams as it is, but after seeing an application form for an airline where they ask your exam results, i'll definately be going out for 100% in everything and the loan will only spur me on even more than i already am!!

modular is an option, and like it's been said is a damn sight cheaper but it still needs to be funded somehow and i'm under the impression that the loan packages you can get are either only if you are sponsored? or only if you are on integrated?

[sicky]

i'm reading so many good and bad things about doing training here or usa, and all the different schools, its such a huge and complicated decision :{

[Bandit Man]

me too sicky. im thinking of giving the idea of pilot training up and sticking with engineering. i want to create a happy life for me and my hopefully future fiance, i want to be home as much as possible and have little financial or job worries. im thinking the best thing to do might just to get a regular 9 to five job (engineers earn a lot by the way) hopefully in aircraft design or similar and just learn to fly recreationally. maybe fly my future wife to the south of france for a week etc. learning to fly and maybe not getting a job souns so stressful. is it really worth it?

[sicky]

to be perfectly honest, from what i've looked into it, you're probably as likely landing a "good" engineering job as you are getting the job you want as a pilot.

they're both similar in the way that experience is key.

it's got to the point now where i can't imagine doing engineering anymore and i've got my heart set on being a pilot, as foolish as it may be.

it IS a bigger risk than engineering, especially financially. to be honest i really would have thought there would be a lot more airlines train their own pilots, or at least subsidise the cost, but just do what most do and tie thme down with a long contract. it doesn't seem to happen!

i'm determined not to do what you're thinking, i really don't want to give up. i hate giving up, i'm terrible at exams and at revising and making myself study, but i'm confident i can do it for this as i know a fair few basics and from what i've looked at it seems interesting and MOSTLY relevant ( i know not all is, not at first anyway) on the theory side.

the thing is it's all what if's, but what if you can't find an egineering job? my sisters best friend is just out of leeds uni with a 2:1 in english and is on less than my sister in a secretary job, where my sister works in a wetherspoons as a bar supervisor.

there's no guarantees whichever way you go there's certainly a larger risk down the pilot route, but if you pull it off, it'll certainly pay off big time, well i imagine it will.

it's all about taking risks these days. it just seems to be whether we're willing to take such a big risk, and whether we actually can!

ps a little reading up on the FTE site showed they're agreement with HSBC regarding a loan was secured on the parents' house, and no repayments are needed until 6months after training, or it may have been 18months after the loan date. either way...it's a time period to secure a job to pay the loan off lol.

my summary of what i've read so far is: OAT seem to be a bit snooty and sell it to you, training is good and they seem to have good industry links, but it's so expensive. Others like cabair and FTE offer good training at a cheaper cost but dont have as much of a "reputation" or "links" or they don't seem to "help" you get employed. OAT seem very bothered about their reputation so try to help you get employed from what i've read.

[Bandit Man]

as far as i see it there is no risk with my engineering degree. i mean sure i might not get a great engineering job straight away but i wont have a £60k loan to pay. im definatly gonna secure my masters degree and then maybe do the pilot thing. ive another 2.5 yeaqrs to go til i graduate anyway. Thinking about the whole pilot thing is so stressful. I want it to happen but even if i do get a pilot job im not sure il get the happy family life i want more than anything. My ideal job would be with flybe or bmibaby. i guess i have a long time to think about it anyway.

[scroggs]

Sicky, I see you've now put a post on Mil Aircrew asking about the chances of joining the RAF and then going to the airlines later. Be prepared for some robust replies!

The military - or at least some of those in Mil Aircrew - does not look particularly kindly on people who don't see it as a vocation. They would like their applicants to have lived and breathed military aviation since they were in nappies, and they will not tolerate anyone that suggests that a period in the military is a stepping stone to a future airline career. Fortunately, the recruiters are a little more realistic than that these days, but they still will not appreciate being seen as free training and not much more. After all, if you're going to put your life on the line for your country, you do need to have thought about it in some considerable depth first! You must understand that a career in the RAF, even on a Short Service Commission, is likely to take you to some very lively, and potentially fatal, parts of the world. I have lost a great many of my friends in the RAF, both to enemy action in times of war and the inevitable accidents that happen when you indulge in a high-risk occupation.

It's not an easy way out, believe me.

Scroggs

[boogie-nicey]

Be realistic and look seriously at what you wish to achieve and the resources available to you. It's all too easy for everyone to have the hero complex these days in terms of their own self belief, finances and expectations.

Yes we would all like to be able to walk into a shiney new car showroom and get the car we really desire but are prevented from going a step further than drooling at it through the windows by our circumstances. There's nothing wrong with that it applies to the vast majority of people out there (we're all the same boat).

The issue of modular is somewhat better than it's made out especially by the likes of the major FTOs. This is simply because it's an irritant and burden to them to facilitate such schemes in comparison to their own integrated schemes. Not to say integrated is bad in any way in fact it's fantastic but for most without a BIG financial net it's impractical and highly risky if things don't pan out (though there have always been some exceptions). Modular has a number of options and YES many pilots go this route and get jobs in the end. You can work arounf your training so that you've got decent money coming in and the more you make of your own back the less you have to borrow :) You also acquire work experience and skills as an alternative to flying (just in case). The modular route is also cheaper as a whole which can't be bad, saving all this money maybe you could step into that car showroom after all :)

The USA option is great too if you research it and then apply for a student visa with some work experience option i.e. the J-1 visa (I think or some equivalent). That way you can get your licences and ratings, get an instructors position and build some serious hours (can't be bad). Return to the UK get converted and end up with licences from both the US and UK and a whole bunch of hours.

BUT what you shouldn't do is get wrapped into the delusion that if you close your eyes all be okay and you'll just get through it. Whatever you choose do so with your eyes wide open and you'll ALSO see that alot of what you thought couldn't be done can be achieved with some practical planning.

Good luck with the PPL, remember you're only 20 so don't rush it just get the money for that primary step and quietly but studiously get on with the training.

Don't worry we've all been there.
Welcome aboard good to have you with us :)

[sicky]

Scroggs - just saw your post, and i did expect some people to take it the wrong way. Not to worry though, i know many people who have been in the RAF and stayed, and others who have been on the RAF and left, who never intedned staying their whole lives, but did see as something they'd love to try for a while. I spoke to an RAF careers adviser today, i didn't mention anything about civilian careers as i only really picked up a few brochures but he was very good about all that he said. Thanks for the warning though.

boogie-nicey, what you've just said is really great and a huge help. Last night i had a bit of a reality check, where i've been thinking about all this training and realised it's only 18months long if that. In 18 months time, i'll be 22, i'm not 21 until October.

What advice would people give if i were to say i was thinking about getting a job for the next year or 2, and saving up as much as i could to do my pilot training. Ideally it would be a job at the airport, and if i could raise £10000 - £20000 that would be a great start. Living at home would be a huge help aswell. By the time i start training, i'll be about 23 - still a good age to get into things?

Even if i work and save about £6000, i could do my PPL and it would give me a good stepping stone to take me further.

My plan is to go to the airport tomorrow, and see if i can find an information desk where i can find out how to apply for ground jobs there.

I have read a few things on here putting off the idea of USA training, but its so much cheaper, and as you say, you can convert and hold 2 licences. That would give me the option of working here or in the USA surely? If the conversion is hard, so be it, the training itself isn't so easy anyway so it's all going to be hard work whichever way i do it, a little more won't kill me.

It's good to hear some positive comments on modular, i'd love to be able to do an integrated course, and it's my goal, so let's hope i can save enough to justify a loan for the rest!

Thanks again for some great advice and i'll try andfind more info on the USA training, just out of curiosity now!

[mcgoo]

you don't need to convert if you do JAA training in the US, also it is very unlikely you would get a job in the US unless you have family there.

[sicky]

is that just the way it goes over there?

[mcgoo]

yes it's very difficult for english people to work in the US, if you were irish you would find it easier or marry an american gal.

[sicky]

Now that's confusing!! Marrying an american girl can be done ;) lol, but how is it easier if you're Irish?

[Skintman]

bfato - a bit harsh and cynical against me. I was just passing on my recent experience. I have no axe to grind with OAT or any need to praise them. I have no connection with OAT whatsoever, just the experience of seeing the bills for fATPL and SSTR. This is what it costs and virtually all the class got jet jobs very quickly. I'm not remotely connected to the industry, just helping to fund it !!!!

[scroggs]

is that just the way it goes over there?

To obtain airline work in the USA you generally have to have a permanent residence visa (the 'Green Card'). To be eligible for a green card, you either have to:

a) be in a job that there are no suitable US citizens eligible or qualified for.

b) be one of the 10,000 or fewer people who qualify annually by very significant investment in the US economy

c) be a 'Special Immigrant'

d) be lucky in the annual Green Card Lottery (but UK doesn't qualify generally as it has too many successful immigrants annually)

e) be adopted by US citizens

f) marry a US citizen

g) have a parent or sibling who is a US citizen

For more information, see here (http://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/)

Airline work is not given to temporary residents, though flying instructor and similar work may be. It is not easier for the Irish - except in that a greater proportion of Irish nationals have relations who are US citizens.

Scroggs

[sicky]

Thanks again Scroggs, America is a place i've always wanted to go, so may try and do my PPL out there if possible. Doesn't look like i could get a job based out there, not unless Jessica Alba reconsiders :E

[sicky]

Is it possible to study the theory, maybe as distance learning, all at once, first thing, and then just do all the flying together, or is there a structured route which should be followed? For example, i've never flown, but could i do my theory, then start from a PPL once my theory is complete? I imagine there will be PPL theory, then the CPL groundschool once i start that training, but it's worth an ask.

Also, i'm a little uncertain on this - if i do my PPL abroad, is a PPL the same everywhere, or would it need to be converted if, say, i did it in the USA?

On an integrated course, is the groundschool taught in classrooms, or is it just like distance learning except there are peope nearby anytime you need help?

[mcgoo]

As I said in an earlier post, if you do a JAA PPL in the US you won't need to convert. I believe some integrated courses do all the groundschool first but if you are doing the modular route you must hold a PPL before you can do the ATPL exams.

[sicky]

Sounds good, cheers. It just registered with me that you said JAA PPL and not just PPL!

Are integrated schools doing their groundschool in classroom taught sessions?

[scroggs]

Sicky, you need to do a bit more reading - and understanding - and a bit less of the scattergun questioning; you are about 50% of all the traffic on Wannabes just now! Go back to the sticky thread at the top and read through all the links carefully. As you come up with a question, look and see if it's already been answered before you post another one. If you do feel you need to ask another question, try and find a thread that already covers the subject you're trying to find out about.

Alternatively, I could just stick all your questions into one thread!

Scroggs

[sicky]

Sorry Scroggs, i'm just trying to get my head around the whole thing and work out the best way to do it. I've read most things and only ask a question if i'm genuinely confused, and usually do a quick search but i'll have a better look in future :ok:

[sicky]

Was just wondering really...

I plan to go on to do an integrated course. While i'm working to save up towards my training, if i were to do a groundschool course, such as the BGS self study course, what would happen here?

If i completed this course while i work, and went on to do an integrated course...is it possible? What would happen on the integrated course?

Just wondering out of interest really, more than anything, if it's possible and realistic, then i may look into it some more.

Thanks :)