Thoughts on Air Cadets & CCF (UK)

[FlyingSportsman]

Wondering if anyone has views on how CCF/ATC would affect your application to say a BA FPP Scheme, would you expect it to be taken into consideration; or rather just discarded?

[Blighty Pilot]

It won't physically make a difference to your application but what the ATC/CCF does do is give you some excellent life experiences to talk about and give examples of. The activities that the ATC/CCF give you access to will provide you with a wealth of experience, maturity and discipline which are all good qualities required for a career in aviation.

[4015]

BP pretty much covers it.

Merely saying you are/ were in the ATC/CCF will score no marks. If you can use your experiences whilst there to answer interview and application form questions, and in turn use your experiences to show the qualities they are looking for you'll be golden.

[magicmick]

The 2 replies above are spot on, at interview you would have something to discuss with the interview panel and examples that demonstrate certain qualities that the panel may be looking for.

Also of value are any Duke of Edinburgh Awards, as well as giving you good experience and teaching you how to handle certain situations well, possibly under pressure, if you do land that elusive first flying job you will have something interesting to talk to the Captain about rather than the latest PS3 game/ acne cream.

[chevvron]

All the better if you can get on a Gliding Proficiency course as you'll have flown solo.
I remember one trip I did with BA, I'd flown with the captain 3 years previously in a Chipmunk as he was an AEF pilot in his spare time.

[Arkwright]

I haven't recruited for a while now, but ATC, CCF, DofE and gliding experience on your CV would mean you would have passed my first CV sift.

There are so many CV's out there with just the minimum hours from your course. Anything which makes you standout is worth including.

Good Luck!

[BUGS/BEARINGS/BOXES]

One of the first competencies we mark you on in the interview is motivation. You need to show a defined interest. The CCF or ACO is exactly the sort of thing we look to see. We would then like to know how far you got. What rank did you achieve, did you complete the BTEC? Did you apply for a gliding scholarship etc.
You experiences on wing training weekends, camps et al will be extremely useful for answering the trickier questions in our competency framework.
We often find those who are younger, yet have done well through the CCF/ACO DofE, to have better life experience and maturity than some of the older candidates.
I dont know about the FPP competency markers, but one of their previous off shoots used a framework marker system that we inherited and still use, albeit adapted for our needs. As a CI in my spare time at my local Air Cadet SQN, i can tell you that if motivation leadership/team work are still in the framework, you can generate some great examples through your time in the organisation.

[BerksFlyer]

The interviewers were very interested in my ATC experiences during the final FPP interview. Do as much as you can with it.