Flight Training Options for Ex-Pats
Salut!
So since this is the French forum, you'd think I would be writing in French. Unfortunately, despite being a French citizen, I've lived abroad my entire life. My conversational French is still fluent because that's all I spoke at home during my youth. My reading and writing skills have suffered considerably as my entire education has been in the US system including university. In short, I'm a Frenchman with a relatively poor grasp on my native tongue.
I've been working as an engineer in Canada for over two years now and have come to the realization that a cubicle is not exactly where I want to spend my time over the next 40 years. I won't really get into the details of how/why I want to get into commercial aviation, but suffice it to say that having grown up traveling very frequently, I simultaneously developed a fascination with flight. As such, I've been researching my options with regards to obtaining an ATPL or even an MPL (although as I understand it, the MPL has yet to take root in France).
As far as I can tell, in France, there are three avenues: ENAC, Air France's Cadet Program, and self-development. I presently lack the financial capability to fund my training, and am accordingly considering applying to either ENAC or Air France. That being said, I would imagine that ENAC, being a state institution, does the vast majority of its training in French. As this training is of a technical nature, I am concerned that I lack the technical vocabulary and reading/writing proficiency required in a professional environment. Coincidentally, this is why I haven't returned to France to work; I fear that I lack the vocab/reading/writing skills necessary to work as an engineer. I'm slightly more optimistic about Air France's Cadet Program as I know they do English testing, and as an international organization, they may be more likely to train the cadets in English.
I suppose I'm looking for some insight as to whether an ex-pat with a conversational grasp of French can successfully apply and pass either the ENAC or Air France programs. Additionally, I've been thinking about training in the UK instead, but have yet to find any schools/programs that would finance my training. There are several schools that offer bonds/loans but they seem to require a mortgage on UK property as a guarantee. Any help would be truly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Alex
P.S. I turned 27 this Jan, and according to Air France's website, "Vous devez avoir moins de 27 ans". Any thoughts on how flexible they might be on this?