PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - FTO styles - too militaristic and conformist?
Old 29th Jun 2006, 11:52
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Wee Weasley Welshman
 
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: England
Posts: 14,998
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Speaking as someone who was once an instructor in Jerez.

I observed that some students had an expectation and attitude that was in stark contrast to those held by many staff.

Many instructors had enjoyed a high quality grammar school education and/or a service career. Usually they were over the age of 40. Times have very much changed in the sphere of education and this shows.

Both a high quality education and a service career can be in a broad sense characterised as instilling discipline and decorum. From standing up when a teacher enters a room, to saluting, to polishing ones shoes. Due defference and respect for rank and experience is something (sadly, I think) lacking in many schools and young peoples lives today.

Instead there is a culture of consumerism, of rights, that all must have prizes and that no individual is better than any other. That nobody can shout at you and that the school fails you and not the other way around. That anybody purporting to be an authority figure is likely considered a bully.

So what you have is a clash of cultures between the life experience of the staff and that of the students.

Sure, its the 21st Century and yes you are not in boarding school or the armed services. So undoubtedly this should be borne in mind by the staff. But similarly the student should aspire to be something more than just a customer buying a service. You can learn a lot from some of those slightly crusty old sticklers with their curiously polished shoes and short back and sides. If nothing else I can assure you that a great many of the Captains and Training Captains in the airline you aspire to join are just like them. Better learn how to make them like you..

I went to a bog standard comprehensive and never got further with the military than the UAS system and the Air Cadets. Nevertheless I once had a student (self sponsored, Integrated) who crashed through the briefing room door, shirt un-ironed, 6 minutes late for his briefing with a piece of toast in hand. He was genuinely gob smacked to be told that I was unimpressed and had bumped his flight to the last slot of the day and given 'his' aircraft to another student. He took his indignation straight to the CFI and demanded better customer service. The CFI bumped him off flying for two days and never did recommend him to an airline after graduation.

Treat every day of training like its a job interview and you won't go far wrong.

Cheers,

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