Originally Posted by
04jharrison
Maybe I can help. I was an integrated student (FLYBE MPL) that has since gone modular (thankfully).
Your question is complicated to say the least, before starting the whole manner of training is that complicated it can be difficult to wrap your head round it. When I started in the FLYBE MPL for instance, I did so on the advice that it was a guaranteed job at the end of it... we know how that turned out. There were also other issues, first of course the cost, but also the expectations, I was 27 when I started the course, with many other cadets between 18-23... they expected students to complete their ATPLs in two sittings... for some this is fine, for others like myself when you're a little older and out of practice its a tall order. Finally, there is also the issue of licensing, an MPL is useless if for instance your airline (Monarch / Flybe) go bust, yes there have been instances of these students being fed to other airlines right away or after covid, but I also know cadets who paid 100k+ and now have useless licences they can't afford to convert. They're now stuck with the debt without jobs that can pay it back in a reasonable time frame.
I got lucky... I left the MPL course before Flybe's collapse, mainly due to my issues with the ATPLS as mentioned above. From there I completed the ATPLS myself, hour build in the USA (Far more fun and cost effective, no paying for landing fees!) I then got my ME/IR CPL in Poland before the Brexit cut off (also a god send as I saved a fortune), finish with UPRT at Fowlmere in April and APS MCC in June.
So... to answer your question what's the job market like? --- Frankly a piss take. All the airlines are doing currently are; hiring ex-military (500+ hour pilots), soaking up the Covid Job losses (some lucky flybe cadets) or poaching off of Ryanair and Wizz.
The poaching is unlikely to cease, Ryan air training is top notch and pilots there often want to move to better T&Cs at other airlines asap. This means the 30K type rating at Ryan is likely here to stay, the same goes for Wizz and their bond but terrible pay. Thanks to a lack of regulation in this area airlines are free to benefit from the budget airline profiteering from their own cadets/staff... providing a constant supply of recruits to each of the airlines, whilst taking on virtually no risk to themselves for training low hour pilots, who have already paid a fortune.
Finally there are the new schemes they're all running, they are a gambit for the future, they know they cant poach off Ryanair and Wizz forever, and so are planning ahead... in a manner which again creates the least risk to themselves and with the odd exception pushes more costs onto the cadets, such as requiring an integrated course certificate instead of modular.
So either you get lucky and you get a place on a tagged integrated course and the airline doesn't go bust / there isn't another global issue. Or you go modular and suck it up and pay Ryan or take a couple years of horrendous pay at Wizz. You're spot on though seeing this before committing!
My recommendation, try for the over-subscribed courses at BA/Air Lingus but failing that go Modular, save your money for the Ryanair type rating and hour build in the states for the enjoyment, experience and its cost effective nature! Also... vetting schools is a big must, ive seen some shockers and heard of even worse.
Good luck!
This is very insightful, thanks for posting. I take it then that lots of modular students are using the Ryanair route to reach 500 hours and become eligible for the low hours hiring routes that seem to be open at most other airlines right now. I guess that would be a good argument in favour of following the lowest cost modular route possible (as opposed to paying the "whitetail" schools a premium for the later phases to get introduced to recruiters). Presumably Ryanair couldn't care less about where you trained, if you're not good enough you fail the type rating and lose your £30k, no skin off their nose!
It does make a lot of sense actually. Ryanair get a regular flow of pilots willing to work hard for low salary and paying for their own training, the other airlines get to take on pilots fully trained with a bit of experience.
My only query would be how this is working given the EASA/CAA split. It sounds like you avoided this problem due to timing. I think somebody wanting to follow this route now would need to make sure they did EASA qualifications to be able to qualify for a Ryanair programme. I did notice in a call recently that BA have changed their requirements so that EASA licensed pilots can apply on the basis that their licenses would then be converted (not sure on the details for this, doesn't directly apply to me so I didn't pay full attention). Perhaps this is a direct response to having issues poaching Ryanair/Wizz pilots. Makes me think I should maybe save money on training schools and invest the extra £5k or so in getting a dual license.