What some don't appreciate is that a type Theory course certificate (tuition cost £2.5 - £4.5K approx.) is worth little without the Practical certificate to go with it, and that Practical training is usually more expensive per day than Theory training, if and when you can find it.
Practical type training costs are up to £450 per day per person for a structured course, perhaps even more; this could mean £5K+++ on top of the Theory course cost, not counting accommodation, travel and loss of income.
A connie should not even contemplate paying for a Theory course unless it comes with guaranteed, good-quality, well-organised Practical training at a stated price, or there is a guaranteed job waiting which will provide the Practical training and assessments.
It is possible to buy Practical type training stand-alone on popular types at least, although great caution is needed when assessing the Part 147 provider, location, Pt 145 operator involved and the amount of care taken to deliver a properly structured course in total accordance with EASA Pt 66 and Pt 147, with good instructors and assessors. Beware cowboys; there are some dodgy schemes around.
And then there is the work experience requirement, as distinct from Practical Training, to be acomplished. This means normal full-time work on the exact type (airframe and engine) for which the rating is for, for a continuous period of 2 - 16 weeks dependent on previous experience and other ratings held. So a connie needs to be confident of obtaining that experience within the time limit before investing in the Theory and Practical training.
Last edited by ProfEng; 3rd December 2009 at 17:19.