I am 36 years old and have been trying to save for years to undertake my ATPL. I was almost there in 2001 and then bottled it immediately after 9/11
(yeah, I know - Gutless wimp)
Through no fault of my own I do not have access to parental funds nor can I raise the necessary funds for an Intergrated Course through bank finance. Therefore, I will have no option but to go the modular route especially as I have a wife and young daughter (who are wonderfully supportive)
I have spoken to the Careers Service at OAT and they were very honest (and I commend them for that) about my age on graduation being an issue.
I see my only option is to get my licences as cheaply as possible and then pay out for a Type Rating and possibly some F/O line experience.
I know that "Self Funded Type Rating"
is a swear word here, but for some of us older dreamers, it would seem to make sense to pay £40k for licences and Type Rating and, possibly, some F/O line experience rather than risk spending £62k (or £100k if you count loss of earnings) to come out with low (albeit excellent) hours and have to compete for jobs with a load of 23 year olds with their nuts on fire (this is a compliment by the way) and a £25k bond in their pocket. The airlines will only give a stuff about our maturity and life skills if we can reduce their risk by knocking on their door with a Type Rating.
Just thought I would bounce that out and see if anyone had any thoughts or similar experiences.
Cheers
Phil