If you would like a couple of discussion points to have handy for the interview, to show how keen you are, you could mention an organisation known as CAA International, (CAAi if you really want to sound all trendy) and two companies called Baines Simmons Ltd and Avisa Ltd.
CAA International manages, remarkably, to be entirely separate from the CAA; ("it's a limited company, old boy") but with its entire capital funding supplied from the fees and charges received by the CAA. As such, it is quite acceptable, says the CAA, for it to compete with the Training Organisations regulated by the CAA. However, when it comes to the regulatory requirement (enforced by the CAA) to have Part 147 approval to run exams, we suddenly find that CAA International Ltd
is the CAA, and thus as a Regulatory Authority does
not need to have Part 147 approval to run exams (in Dubai, for example)! Ain't life marvellous?
Your interest in Baines Simmons and Avisa will show a praiseworthy awareness of your career planning. These companies, each one an independent commercial entity, are owned and staffed pretty much entirely by ex-CAA employees.
So it follows with total logic that they,
and no other commercial training organisation ("can't possibly get involved in the commercial market, old boy") should benefit from the CAA's munificence in passing over a huge swathe of training contracts either for the CAA itself, or for its "independent but wholly-owned" associate CAA International.
After all, it behoves those who will join Baines Simmons and Avisa in the future to make sure that these businesses develop nicely now, doesn't it? I think it's called "pension protection".
Amazingly, the CAA is unashamed about this arrangement, so corrupt - and totally illegal for more than one reason - that the stench goes out into space. See their website:
CAA International (CAAi), a wholly owned subsidiary of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, is pleased to announce the signing of Training Licence Agreements with Avisa Aviation Safety Systems and Baines Simmons Ltd, which will see both parties formally providing CAAi quality assured training to the aviation community.
Under the new licensing agreement Avisa and Baines Simmons will each deliver specific licensed course titles such as Human Factors and Part 145 in various locations both in the UK and worldwide.
Not a mention of the keen interest that CAA employees have in both companies.
Other training organisations need not apply; "for God's sake, that might take business away from our future employers, are you mad? Have another cup of tea."
What a lovely bunch of coconuts, to be sure.