I have read with interest all of the above abck door adverts for OAT and CTC but time for a reality check! I visited OAT as most freshers do before investing in such a gamble. My experience was a farce, my meeting was late, then wholy uninterested, a simple "theres the price, we are the best". There was no effort to sell the establishment. Having been in sales myself, anyone about to spend 60K plus would think twice under these circumstances. I chose to modular my training through Bristol who were excellent, best groundschool notes coupled with OAT superb, almost word for word exam feedback meant anything short of first time passes with high average grades unthinkable. I just read the notes then learnt the poetry, call it what you like but this ended in my total training from start (0) to finish (MCC) cost just £32500 including all CAA fees, half the price of OAT. Not bad (saved money that could buy type rating with change, if I were mad enough). The trick is to pass the flight tests in minimal time, first time. Anyhow as far as what the employment market looks like for graduates of one place or another, think first why some schools are so much more expensive for what is essentially less hours flying yet have so called deals with airlines. Certain airlines are very shrewed when it comes to making money as we all know, I would love to know how these arrangements work. Not beyond the bounds to think that if I were a large expensive school trying to justify my existence other than by name I might pay money or offer some similar training incentive to an airline to recruite some of my students, seemingly everyone is a winner, the school get a reputation as a good place to be seen, the airlines make money and a few lucky pawns get a job. I work for a well known large UK based airline where alot of the pilots worked through the ranks of PPL hour building CPL etc including years of instructing, yes there are a very few lucky low hour guys but they are the minority. As the CAA/JAR standards clearly state, once a student has met the required standard they are awarded a CPL etc regardless of how they trained, the paper looks the same or our most of the pilots in my company poorly trained because they worked hard and saved cash?? Don't think so, just in the right place when the market dictated. This may sound like a lecture but aviation is only run for the purpose of making money, if they can't make from pax they will make from students, please someone tell me another industry where one would be expected to pay so much to work where even the body set in place to regulate (CAA) profits from you?? Good luck with the search, age is not a factor, ability and common sence plus your own gut instinct. Advice always has an opinion.
