Porridge, et al,
Fair points.
But, I have been researching the FTOs for the last 5 year an I am neither any closer to finding the money to pay for any of them nor any closer to finding which one provides more chance of a job (and preferably not a TP job, as much as I would like one, paying 18K a year!).
There are about 4 or 5 big name schools I have been watching and NONE can (are willing to) give you a percentage of how many jobs gained versus how many pilots trained. Absolute figures, yes - in which case OAT comes out best.
Sure, don't fall for the marketting hype, and I am sure OAT is at the top of the board when is comes to marketting, but few others even seem willing to give the basic figures on job prospects. There may be a certain amount of sour grapes on here by folks unable to pay Oxford's prices and feeling, rightly or wrongly, at a dissadvantage. How many of the posters on this threat have attained fATPL and gone onto an airline job?
At the end of the day I am sure a trainee from any school can be the best there is....but if that school doesn't give you access to the job, then why go there? The hype might well work both ways - it attracts trainees and it also attracts airlines, in the same way Oxford, Cambridge or Eton attract both. You might not like it, but business works that way.
Ultimately, only one school has offered attractive sponsorship positions so far and that for me counts for a lot as it is the only way I could possibly undertake training.