Originally Posted by
JohnDYT7
Hi All, I've only just stumbled across the TUI cadet programme, saying applications may reopen in 6 weeks 🤞🏾. I was considering applying for the Leading Edge Programme back in December before the TUI one was announced, but decided against it due to the cost of the application stages. I am currently on a gap year with an offer from Uni of Southampton for aerospace engineering, but have also always wanted to be a pilot. Stuck being indecisive, I do Hope TUI reopens their applications though as I'd have nothing to lose applying for their programme
I’ve been in a similar situation to you. Wanted to be a pilot ever since purchasing FSX back in the day. When I was 17-18 (23 now) myself and my mum (low income single parent) went to view open days at Middlesex etc to see the airline with Bsc programs, one of the big ones was L3 with Middlesex - my mum saw how much I wanted it, and she was prepared to sell her second house and remortgage her current one. Seeing her in this situation made me quite apprehensive, and for that reason decided not to Persue it. I then went on to travel for three years or so; it’s really ironic because where I worked over in New Zealand, was next to the airport where l3 students would fly Into, so it kept me in the loop so to say.
anyway, fast forward, I’ve just got onto my first year course, I’m halfway through it. I’m doing it because I had too, the only subject I ever enjoyed doing was maths. So that’s what I’ve gone and done. Little to my knowledge, I hadn’t really heard much about skyborne and l3, and how their courses now are only around 100,000; and you can get about 40k knocked off. Anyway, I was on flight sim a few months ago and my mum comes up to watch me, she says do you really want to do this flying. I said to be honest, yes trying to hold back emotion because all I do is dream about being a pilot.
so, we have a talk, she says well let’s be serious and get it sorted . She’s happy to remortgage/sell her second house - we only need £60,000.
i now have a confirmed place at an ATO on an integrated program, and couldn’t be happier.
my advice for you is, only you know what you really want to do. People have different hurdles, mine was the funding, but I sat with my mum and we talked about it. Figure out what your hurdles are, and try and talk and overcome them.
I’m not going to lie, having a degree is a good thing, a lot of the ATO’s offer degrees with their course, so why would I continue with the Bsc in Maths. I’m not motivated enough; I knew either way, no matter what age I’d always aim to be a pilot, I’d have to use inheritance. Knowing all I wanted to do was become a pilot, made me so unmotivated to do a Bsc degree in something other that pilot training.
anyway bro, do what you gotta do - a lot of people say go get a degree in whatever it’ll look good - of course it will, but for people like us who aspire to be pilots it’s different. A huge part of uni is motivation to study, and passion for the subject - If you don’t have it, you will fall back.