Aer Lingus cadet program 2013
Join Date: Oct 2012
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I as a pilot feel insulted that other professions are considered superior specifically in a pilot selection scheme. It's ridiculous.
do the moral thing and start gathering the funds for flight school yourself. Don't skip the queue.
Are people not allowed to choose to follow other career paths later in life? Perhaps they are even those people who looked at the option of doing their own modular training and the chances of employment afterwards, and chose not to?
Perhaps the cadet scheme exists to attract those people who can bring other things to the table than those with a CPL ME/IR and a couple of hundred hours. If they wanted those people, I'm sure they'd open up recruitment positions to suit. You conveniently overlook the fact that many applicants, and most successful applicants, of such schemes have flying or relevant work experience in one form or other, perhaps even a licence of their own.
It reminds me of those people who stupidly choose to buy a house in the boom and are now rewarded with mortgage relief. Mistakes are not there to be rewarded, they are meant to be acknowledged and learned from.
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Its pretty much official that the modular route is dying, unless you want to go pay to fly and not earn a single penny from it.
TeaTowel I must admit I agree with pretty much everything you have said, its one thing wanting well educated people to apply for these schemes and that requirement is to be expected, but what they are doing is pretty much writing people off who have got flying experience (same with the easy scheme), why do they do this I do not know. And like you said all this does is invite people who have got degrees, never wanted to be a pilot in their entire life and can't get a job doing what they may want to do, apply for this and end up flying an A320.
TeaTowel I must admit I agree with pretty much everything you have said, its one thing wanting well educated people to apply for these schemes and that requirement is to be expected, but what they are doing is pretty much writing people off who have got flying experience (same with the easy scheme), why do they do this I do not know. And like you said all this does is invite people who have got degrees, never wanted to be a pilot in their entire life and can't get a job doing what they may want to do, apply for this and end up flying an A320.
Join Date: Apr 2013
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Well surely...because they're businesses, and if they're able to quality control the individuals working for their company before they even begin training, well...why wouldn't they?
Join Date: Nov 2012
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It will be a waste if you're only use for it is to tell people you have it. I was accepted into Mech Eng myself a few years ago. It was either that or pay for flight training and work over the next few years. I assumed I would be at an advantage to get a flying job then and my Mech Eng classmates would get Mech Eng jobs. This little scheme has obviously left me confused as I can't even apply for it and my Psychiatric Nurse friend with a fear of flying can.
There is the idea yes that you have a fall back qualification but how much do you think it will be worth in 10-20 years down the line if you lose your medical or what not. Much of your acquired knowledge will have been forgotten about in the meantime, and fresh grads will be ahead of you. Especially in I.T. to all you I.T. grads out there. That industry moves too quick.
There is the idea yes that you have a fall back qualification but how much do you think it will be worth in 10-20 years down the line if you lose your medical or what not. Much of your acquired knowledge will have been forgotten about in the meantime, and fresh grads will be ahead of you. Especially in I.T. to all you I.T. grads out there. That industry moves too quick.
Join Date: Nov 2012
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I just don't want to see people who have degrees and have no-longer any interest in what they're in have advantages in life. It demonstrates an ability to to learn complex stuff yes, while also demonstrating the ability to fly the wrong heading and not admit, and then try and use it to ones advantage.
Plenty of folk I've spoken to, who have applied for sponsored schemes in the last couple of years, seriously considered self-sponsored flight training at some point in the past, but either considered it too much of a financial risk or weren't in a position to fund modular or secure a loan for integrated courses (either through their own income or family support). Getting in to another career in the meantime doesn't seem like an illogical thing to do.
Personally, I would only recently have been in a financial position to self-sponsor flying training, despite having wanted to do it for years. Others would have been able to do it an an earlier point. Either way, it's still far more of a gamble than a tagged/sponsored scheme.
The point being that studying or working in another area doesn't necessarily show any lack of passion for, or commitment to, aviation. In some cases it probably shows that they can take a measured view of the risks involved in different types of training schemes.
Join Date: Nov 2012
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The point being that studying or working in another area doesn't necessarily show any lack of passion for, or commitment to, aviation. In some cases it probably shows that they can take a measured view of the risks involved in different types of training schemes.
I wouldn't want to see current Uni students or some one only out a few years who just saw the ad in the paper one day like last time. And yet they have an advantage over flight students.
Join Date: Jun 2007
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I agree, it is very frustrating how these threads, which are primarily to exchange thoughts and information on the application processes for various airline schemes are so often hijacked and diverted into discussions that have often been done to death on other threads.
Join Date: May 2013
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Guys I think this thread is getting a little bit sour. Everybody will have both strengths and weaknesses in their applications. It's up to each individual to do the best with what they have and hope for a good outcome. It's extremely competitive but you've got to remember that they're open to taking on cadets straight from leaving cert which means they may have no flight training at all and certainly no degree. We don't know how it's going to work out or what exactly the company is looking for. Psychometric testing will do a lot of the leg work anyway and we're all on even footing for that 
Join Date: Nov 2012
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Apologies if things went a little off-thread, although it IS definitely useful to be able to explain (particularly if you're applying for one of these schemes as one of the older candidates) why you didn't begin some sort of training at an earlier point. At the interview stage they will almost certainly ask why it's taken so long, why you elected to go and study (or work, or travel, or whatever), and what have you done to further your career and show your interest in becoming a pilot. If you clearly haven't thought this through then I can't imagine you'd get beyond that point. It would probably become apparent quite quickly if you had applied on a whim and couldn't show a genuine interest in or knowledge of aviation, so really you'd think that candidates for sponsored schemes are going to have to demonstrate the reasoning behind whichever approach they've taken up until this point.
Have I dragged it back on-topic?
Have I dragged it back on-topic?
Join Date: Dec 2010
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ATPL Exams
As far as I'm aware, if you have sat more than 3 ATPL exams, you are not eligible for the sponsored cadet scheme, though I may be wrong (I was once)...
And, the email address is '[email protected]'
And, the email address is '[email protected]'
Join Date: Jun 2007
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As far as I'm aware, if you have sat more than 3 ATPL exams, you are not eligible for the sponsored cadet scheme, though I may be wrong (I was once)...
Join Date: Aug 2009
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It would be interesting if they made the cut-off 3 ATPL exams. I'm not sure that anyone takes them in batches of three. Four to six or more at a time seems to be the norm, so three passes would be a 50-75% pass rate which one would hope is not what AL would be looking for.
Speculating on what the recruiters are looking for or not is almost certainly a waste of time and the mix of who does get through will probably not be seen as those who do will be too busy training.
Personally I see it as a positive that AL are not automatically barring those who have shown a level of motivation already to achieve their goals and likewise, there are certainly some competent individuals who have never thought of flying, or didn't have the resources for whatever reason to even start, who will make excellent pilots and also deserve the opportunity.
Speculating on what the recruiters are looking for or not is almost certainly a waste of time and the mix of who does get through will probably not be seen as those who do will be too busy training.
Personally I see it as a positive that AL are not automatically barring those who have shown a level of motivation already to achieve their goals and likewise, there are certainly some competent individuals who have never thought of flying, or didn't have the resources for whatever reason to even start, who will make excellent pilots and also deserve the opportunity.
Join Date: Nov 2011
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I agree that 3 exams is a really odd number, surely its more of a positive to have passed 7,8,14 (Whatever) than to have passed 3. I e-mailed recruitment about having done more than 3 exams and they said to enter it into the free space below.
No point crying over it I suppose, what is done is done.
No point crying over it I suppose, what is done is done.
Join Date: May 2013
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Hello. I'm having a little trouble the with Page 2 of the application, "Education Details." I'm currently waiting to sit the Leaving Cert for the first time this year and I am unsure what to put in the Education Detail fields since I have not completed the exam yet or received results. It is also confusing on if it is asking for a full examination or specific subjects. If anyone could offer help please reply, thank you.
Join Date: Dec 2010
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contacttower118.2 : I'm not certain, but, It's unlikely (in my opinion), that they'd take cadets that had already taken their ATPL exams, because, after they have an ATPL, they're eligible for direct entry, rather than AL investing 50,000 EUR into a student that's already spent 20,000 getting to where they are now...