I totally agree with Cutoff. The training is on the whole a great experience (obviously there is a bit of exam stress), but as he says it is all laid out in front of you. You know pretty much what route you will take PPL, ATPL exams, CPL, IR, MCC. After that you do finish and think crikey now what!
Which is where I am now. Basically you can send out CVs and fill out the online forms by the hundred and hope you get lucky (if you’re an integrated student you might, that’s might be put forward for some interviews). So if you get lucky you might get a job straight off.
If like me and you don’t you have to get a regular job to live off and weigh up your options, which are as I see it…..
1. Stay current and keep applying hoping to get lucky – this is not really adding anything to your CV in terms of hours but I guess you never know.
2. Do an instructor rating – quite costly with very poor pay although a good way of building hours and I think it is looked on quite favourably by recruiters.
3. Try to get a job (unpaid) towing gliders /dropping parachutists – I am attempting this at present. As a means of building hours.
4. Type rating – very costly and a big gamble but if it pays off then your laughing, if it does not then you are in deep debt. Also comes in many forms the completely random off the cuff type rating, the SSTR linked to an airline i.e. Ryan Air and the ones where you buy hours as well like Wizz Air through Storm Aviation (costs a fortune but afterwards you have 500 on a jet and your off).
Basically it is pretty tough going as everyone believes they will get a job straight off no matter what they say and the reality is that the low hours job market is extremely competitive.
Rolls your dice takes your chance