Do you really think your going to finish and get a flight instruction job and a career? I don’t see that attitude at all, especially here on Rotorheads. Be ready for tough times, sacrifice and heartache. That’s just the realitly of it.
I don't believe i gave that impression in my post at all. The discussion was about whether training in the US under the J1 scheme was somehow naive, and simply throwing away money.
I'm well aware of the difficulties. But, J1 is still my best option. I could do my training in the UK and then hope to find an instructing position (after making up the 150 hour shortfall before doing the CFI of course - another £30k) or I could budget to be able to live without work cheaper in the US and hope to find a position in a much larger industry.
I'm under no illusions about the sacrifices I'm making either. I'm funding my training using equity from my house, enough to get me through CFI and IR if need be. And yes, I will probably still struggle afterwards. But then I'll be in the same boat had I gone a different route.
I think that many of the "old timers" have an unnecessarily dim view of wannabes' expectations because they don't believe we'd willingly go into this with our eyes open, and that we must be the poor victims of someone's rose-tinted advertising campaign. But for those of us who desperately want to do it, yes we are! I've spent 8 months researching, talking to people, reading hear, scouring the net. I know how difficult it may very well be. And I *still* want to do it, one way or the other.
So, my choice comes down to this:
Train in the UK to CPL at cost of £45k. Build 150 hours, cost of £35k, do CFI £9k, try and get a job, plus IR at £30k. *Hopefully* I might be able to get an instructing job while pounding the North Sea with resumes. That's a £119k outlay.
Or, take advantage of the J1, if only for the cheaper costs:
JAA+FAA CPL+CFI at £32k, CFII £5k. Hour build while looking for work within the second year before doing a JAA CFI, worst case 150 hours paid with no return: £15k, JAA CFI £5k. Total £57k.
Am I really naive to want to go to the US to do it? And the reality of job shortages are the same no matter how I choose to go about it.
Si
I missed out the IR from the US options, adding £5k (all prices from memory), but it's still financially the best option.