I'm going to share something which on PPRUNE would be considered controversial, but that is my recommendation for the Generation easyJet MPL programme.
People tend to be overtly against the MPL programme however there are some key details people often gloss over when criticising it.
Most commonly, is the comments towards cadets being dropped during the pandemic. The points often raised are:
- MPL Cadets who had contracts with easyJet were dropped and left with a 'useless' license.
- MPL Cadets were forced to pay extortionate fees to switch to an (f)ATPL course.
The reality is this:
- As with almost every single airline, easyJet had to put a hiring freeze on during the height of the pandemic.
- easyJet did drop the contracts for all of their cadets, but reassured them that once hiring would resume they would be offered contracts and hired as SOs as planned.
- MPL Cadets were not forced to switch to (f)ATPL, and those who did not found themselves to be in a much better position and in some cases given priority when hiring restarted.
- Every single MPL cadet who was due to be hired before the pandemic, has been hired at easyJet or is very soon to be (barring those who withdrew/failed assessments etc.).
Please note, this information comes directly from the cadets themselves and current EZY pilots.
When it comes to the modular vs integrated debate, my read of the situation is that if you are dead set on the airlines - the MPL programme makes things much more competitive.
The MPL scheme, which includes the cost of the A320 type rating, is around £78,000. The typical cost of the A320 rating, if your airline makes you pay for it, costs £20,000+. The modular route in the UK can easily cost between £50,000 to £80,000. Of course, if you can do this abroad you can most likely do it all much cheaper.
Therefore, I believe that in this current market, if your priority is to work as an airline pilot, the EZY MPL scheme is by far the better choice. Not only is it financially similar in total cost, but it also takes as quick as 14 months from 0 to type rated and probably lies on the higher end of chances of landing a job at an airliner (when compared to going the ATPL integrated or modular route and applying directly).
Of course, you absolutely must be aware of the cons of the MPL - the fact that you will have to work for easyJet until 1500 hours (where the (f)ATPL can also become unfrozen). Therefore, I'd recommend having a contingency plan for a worst case scenario (e.g. easyJet going bust like flybe). Though the aviation industry is far from predictable however, easyJet has long been one of the most successful airlines in Europe.
All in all, I'd say whichever path you take you need to have contingency plans because none of the paths to the RHS can provide any form of guarantee. That said, people knock the MPL route but when it comes to easyJet - it works.