Hi,
Times are tough at the moment and decisions are always difficult. My belief is that if you really want something, work hard and be persistent, as opportunities are out there.
I trained at Stapleford which is a really good school, everyone I know who went through Stapleford have ended up with good jobs. The instructors at Stapleford are great and I am glad that I chose them.
I really enjoyed my IR on the DA42 and made some good friends.
Don’t choose a particular training organisation based on a promise to find you a job, you may be disappointed. You are going down the Modular route so I would choose an organisation such as Stapleford rather than others with large numbers of integrated students as you may find that you are less of a priority and will always come second to the integrated students. I know of people who went to the better known organisations, were let down and ended up at Stapleford, who enabled them to realise their ambitions.
Don’t forget you will need to pay for an MCC course after you IR and that extra £12k could be better served going towards a type rating and you may also need to pay for your base training which can cost £2500+ depending on the aircraft. Times are hard so networking is very important. Try speaking to operators before making your decision.
You have to think of flying as a business. You are investing in your future so plan where you want to go Airlines or Biz Jets. To be very general and I am not putting down airlines but the best way to describe the two is as follows.
Airlines are similar to a bus or train service, they have a set schedule, carry large amounts of people and your working life is pretty stable. You will build hours quickly, however as they are large companies, it may take longer to move up the ladder. You will have little to no direct interaction with the passengers and you will be more of a systems monitor/operator, having less time to hand fly the aircraft.
Biz Jets are a VVIP Chauffeur service, you will be responsible for keeping the aircraft presentable, providing the highest level of customer service possible, you may be required to carry out a drinks service during the flight, depending on passenger requirements and on the aircraft type.
Initially plan to fly aircraft like the Citation Bravo, Excel, Mustang or CJ series. Flights can be adhoc so you will need to be flexible as you may/will be needed at short notice. You may spend more time down route and fly fewer hours. You may have the opportunity to visit more varied airports, have more freedom and opportunities to hand fly the aircraft.
The two lifestyles are different and If you are interested in flying for an airline try getting a job as cabin crew as this will give you a good idea of the industry.
For biz jets try doing some safety pilot work on twin pistons or try to get a job in an FBO, as you will be around like minded people and in the right environment.
Most biz jet pilots train with Flight Safety, could not tell you much about airline training other than try to get on a course which will offer you operational experience as it will help.
Becoming a flying instructor at one of the training organisations would be a good move as it will improve your general handling and command skills. I would advise keeping your MCC skills current, when the time comes to move into a multi-crew environment MCC is vitally important.
I wish you all the best of luck.