Interviews, jobs & sponsorshipDo ya feel lucky, Punk? Well do ya? If so, here's the place to swap the hot gen on who's sponsoring or employing, their selection criteria, and where those oh so elusive first jobs can be spotted in the wild. Watch out for the tumbleweeds...
This is the first time that APEM have recruited a cadet pilot so I assume that further cadet recruitment will depend on how well/ badly this recruitment goes and will rely upon further development and growth in their fleet of aircraft and airborne surveillance business. There is a link for a ‘frequently asked questions’ document on the cadet vacancy page, perhaps your query is answered in that document, failing that the document does detail a recruitment email address to send your queries to, not sure if this is the email address that you have already tried with no success.
Failing that, on the left hand side of their web page is link to a team list of all employees with their email details so you could send an email direct to the chief pilot or possibly one of the HR team. I imagine that the answer would be that they don’t know if they’ll recruit further cadets but keep an eye on the vacancies list where future cadet requirements will be listed. The reason I suspect that you will get this answer is that several months ago I contacted their chief pilot directly asking about pilot turnover and short term future requirements and I received a very polite reply inviting me to keep an eye on the vacancies section of their website.
Smaller operators like this have a problem with their pilots leaving once they gain experience. That's the nature of the beast. The catch 22 for these operators is that experienced pilots, the ideal candidates, won't apply and inexperienced pilots need more training and will move on as soon as they can. On top of that pilots want to fly, not do all the other dogsbody work.
I'd say you'd be lucky to keep a pilot for three years in those situations. That in my opinion is why they came up with this cadet scheme. They'll get at least three years out of him or her (although it will probably be a him) and when he's not flying he will be used to carrying out other duties.
Hi Mike, your air cadet time will stand you in good stead with many organisations (not just APEM) both in and outside aviation, it all depends on the individual in charge of recruitment but faced with a large pile of CVs all from people with PPL and 100hrs you need to make yours stand out from the others and cadet membership will definitely do that for you.
Most teens have not done an awful lot with their time other than A levels and flying training so to have been a member of any of the military cadet organisations, to have played sport at a reasonable level (county level etc) or maybe to have travelled with a rucksack and a tent for a few months will get your CV noticed and pushed to the top of the pile.
The subject of military cadet forces was discussed on a thread some months ago and 2 contributors who were both involved in recruitment for airlines stated that membership of a military cadet force would get a CV through the first sift and on top of the pile for interview and assessment.
If/ when you get to interview the cadet force time will give you something to discuss with the interviewer and when they ask the dreaded ‘tell me about a time when…..’ questions you will have real life examples to regale them with.
As regards enthusiasm, you can be fairly sure that all applicants will claim to be enthusiastic about the job.
Good luck with the remainder of your flying training and A levels etc and if APEM do take another cadet later then I wish you well with your application.
was an Air cadet for a few years, camps, gliding scholarship, sports and team building all did me in good stead, ok my interview was for engineering not flying, but still.... over 400 applicants I got 1 of 16 jobs and I’m a thicko!
It will be an amazing gig for the right person who doesn't mind jumping in and doing anything thats asked. I would expect you will get some cracking flying and provide you with bar storys for the rest of your career.
MJ is absolutely correct about the nature and diversity of the flying that APEM conduct. As just one example someone who did their CPL at the same time as me ended up flying for them (he’s not there now) but one of his first jobs with the company was to catch a commercial flight to Naples with another APEM pilot, pick up a new Vulcanair MEP survey aircraft from the factory and fly it back to UK, took them about 9 or 10 hours with fuel stops en route. The bar story generated by this trip was so good that at the time one of the monthly pilot magazines dedicated a few page article to it. However as MJ states such experiences are not for everyone and will only be savoured and enjoyed by an individual with the right outlook and attitude, so make sure that you enter the scheme with your eyes wide open.
It's absolutely true that having the right attitude is a great help in these jobs. I know from my own experience that choosing a pilot to suit your operation is harder than you might think considering all the CVs you get.
It's hard to define but you know when you see it and if they can fly well (surprisingly not always a given), you've found your pilot. But you can go through a lot of people to get there.
No doubt the successfull candidate for that job will tick all those boxes.
I don’t work in recruitment (god forbid) but I can imagine that when faced with a mountain of CVs for one job you have to be pretty brutal in the initial sift and then you get a very brief interview/ assessment to decide which complete stranger you’re going to trust with your expensive aircraft. I don’t envy anyone that sort of decision.
decide which complete stranger you’re going to trust with your expensive aircraft.
and customers. Even after lots of training, sending him out on his first unsupervised flight was like sending a student out on his first solo. If either the boss or I smoked we'd have burned a pack each by the time he landed back.
I guess when you get into an aircraft and see someone that you recruited up front you must question your thought processes when you recruited them. Definitely time to chuck away the glass and swig straight from the bottle!!!!
I've read all your posts in relation to this discussion, and to some extent, some of you are correct in your assumptions about the 'need' for this company to bond young and inexperienced pilots.
I am talking from first hand experience here, and it is not sour grapes for me as I am very well established in aviation now. I implore anyone considering this as an option to further their flying career to think very very hard. The company in question need to 'bond' as they cannot retain experienced pilots, as they are able to display strength of character and take a stand to say no to flying in inappropriate conditions. I cannot stand by and watch keen wannabes see this as an answer to their lack of opportunity in aviation today. Please steer clear of this 'offer' there are other options, ones which will not bind you to a company that is not interested in your personal development at all; they are purely interested in getting their pound of flesh.
It angers me that they now position themselves as assisting young pilots get a foothold in the industry. Trust me, this is not their motive. Stay, stay away. If only this company would have listened to past employees, they may not have found themselves floundering for people to stay with them. It's simple, 'Treat people as you expect to be treated', that way respect is developed in both directions, loyalty is established and trust earned, it's not hard, however, some people are just greedy bullies and cannot learn this simple lesson.
Good luck to all those fighting to get a break in this business, it is eventually worth it, but not via opportunities like this.
Hi Backontrack, those are some pretty serious allegations, that’s not to say that I don’t believe you and I’m sure that you’ve grabbed the attention of anyone that has applied to the scheme or is considering making an application. Can you elaborate a little bit on your post with examples or experiences, obviously without getting libellous or compromising your identity?
Well done on getting established in aviation with a different operator, no mean feat in the current climate.
Tell them to poke off if the wx is illegal and then they fire you and you won't have to pay the bond off. And all it will cost you is the price of a BALPA membership
