Originally Posted by
Richard Kenneth Reed
Sorry just to be clear are you saying the MPL students who are doing the integrated course have preference or the ATPL white tail students have preference over someone who is on a modular course?
There used to be a pecking order. The most lucrative students get the most attention, and down the ladder it goes.
The MPL students were the top (self-sponsored MPL with the orange airline). They got the lion’s share of attention and resources. It was no holds barred to get these people finished on time.
This was followed by the fully-sponsored Middle-Eastern cadets (the Middle Eastern airlines know their cadets struggle with training, so they give very generous time frames to complete their training).
Then followed by the “tagged” ATPL cadets (on a self-funded ATPL course but have passed an airline selection prior to starting, have a conditional job offer, and wear an airline lanyard).
Then the ordinary self-sponsored integrated ATPL students. During the flying stage it was very common for you to be removed from scheduled flights at a day’s notice, and your flight given to one of the above “higher priority” students. The same with losing your instructor, aircraft, etc, to the above folk. Horrifically frustrating when you’re already months behind schedule as it is and you keep getting leapfrogged.
The bottom of the bottom are the modulars. Even the self-sponsored integrated ATPL lot get it better than them. But, they pay the least money, so that’s what it’s all about.
But for the jobs at the end, a few times a year airlines will recruit through the school. This can be as many as 6 in a year, to as little as none. The orange airline used to come in around twice per year to recruit (and take a dozen or so self-sponsored folk who weren’t already tagged). These tend to be schemes with expensive self-sponsored type ratings (£38k for EZY, etc), as the respective school also provides and sells you the type rating.
But yes, the integrated students got first dibs, and if they couldn’t get enough interest for the particular selection then they’d invited the modulars. (And even if you do apply to and get a job outside of they school’s schemes and off your own back, the school will still take credit and use you as a statistic and advertise that X amount of students went to Y airline.
Back to topic, yes, it is a bit ropey for new pilots looking for first jobs at the moment. Thomas Cook was a big hit to the UK market, as 600 experienced Airbus drivers were suddenly in it. Ryanair closing recruitment late summer didn’t help either (4 out of 5 of my flight school mates went to Ryanair). It goes in peaks and troughs, and I would say it’s half way down one. EZY will always recruit, but they do it primarily through the big schools where it’s lucrative to all involved. Jet2, TUI and BA tend to want experience (barring apprentice scheme). Wizz and Lauda will need base moves to Europe. flyBe and Eastern are recruiting, but as far as I know Loganair aren’t.