With some trepidation I'm going to wade into this debate...
Having done the selection processes for CTC, OAA and been around a lot of the top modular schools from Bournemouth to Scotland in my quest to find the best place to continue along my training from PPL level I have come to some conclusions. I have spoken to a lot of students both current and former and taken opinions from a vast number of instructors and flight school managers as well. I have had a variety of opinions on modular vs. integrated given to me often opposing but all with their own merits.
For the purposes of this post Integrated effectively means OAA, CTC and FTE (I know there are others like Flying Time but I don't know much about them) and modular means the well known schools like PAT, BCFT, Stapleford, Multiflight, ACS, Tayside, Airways etc. There are of course the modular routes at the Integrated schools as well like Waypoints and Take Off.
I have come to the conclusion that it is very difficult to generalise but if one is going to I think the following...
Among the big operators there does seem to be a preference for integrated training. As to why is this I got a variety of opinions from simply that the airlines like a known product to the view that the old 'self improver' route is still tarnished as being a bit haphazard in the terms of what it turns out, sometimes very good pilots who have excellent handling skills but sometimes a complete loss of flying discipline and procedure.
The view that I have developed though is that the larger airlines have simply got into the habit of taking integrated out of convenience. It is easier for them to approach integrated schools for chunks of low houred cadets rather than go to the hassle of doing public adverts. I know this happens sometimes like for Aer Lingus or the Jet2 apprentice scheme recently but there are often thousands of applications for a tiny number of places. Of course some modular candidates will get into these but simply due to the numbers it is unlikely more than a few will from either background. If you have been to one of the big three schools though you potentially have access to airline assessments that are not available to schools without airline connections.
Ryanair of course have taken many modular in the past but now that CAE have Oxford and a number of other schools in their collection I fear that Ryanair may find it easier to simply take direct from them rather than reopen their public applications page. This is just my guess though I am not trying to purport this to be fact at all
So IMHO integrated is better for a quicker route into a large operator.
Now a lot of is often made of the fact that modular can be a route into smaller operators and instructing. This is no doubt true and some smaller operators do indeed prefer modular for the reasons that are well debated on here. However my basic problem with this as an argument for modular in general is simply that there are far fewer smaller operators out there and far fewer aircraft to go around. A large airline will have about 12 or more pilots per aeroplane and a fleet of at least 50 aircraft. They just out number the smaller operators by a long way. The same argument is true about instructing, yes it can be great to do but not everyone can do it because there simply would not be enough instructing jobs to go around!
Now some modular schools do have good airline connections. For example the two well known Scottish schools have an excellent track record with Loganair and a few other smaller operators but the numbers they turn out are quite low. That has no doubt been a great route for some but the numbers again suggest that for the average ab initio student, all other things being equal integrated has greater chances of success.
As far as the finances are concerned the debate is well versed on this. The only thing I would add is that it seems to me that airline recruitment is now rather polarized between integrated cadets and 500hrs+ on multi pilot aircraft (high quality 500hrs not P2F!). Just look at BA CityFlyer, easyJet, Jet2 and all the others who have recruited this year, they all want MPA time and sometimes above a certain weight. This can be great for some small turbo operators wishing to move on but for people who went instructing to build experience this is a frustrating state of affairs. Thousands of people apply to these adverts so for some with 500hrs+ turbo time for example this can mean quite a long wait on comparatively low pay. That is just something that needs to be weighed against the likely large operator pay, the cost of type ratings at some larger operators and debts from integrated. As you can see there are arguments both ways on the finance side of things and it is impossible to generalise on that one...
The final thing I'd say is about the training environment itself. For younger students the integrated environment can offer a more coherent setting in which to study and absorb information. It is more 'school like' and the experience of being around your fellow students all the time is of course going to be beneficial for many people especially if one is not so good at self motivation. Now some modular schools are very institution like as well but tend to be smaller so do in general require more self motivation. That is more of a personal preference thing though...
Myself having said all of the above may well actually continue modular. I have seen OAA and CTC and all they have to offer but ironically CTC's modular option may well be the best option out there for my current situation. It has the option to apply to the ATP scheme that while might mean a long wait is a good path in I think to the airlines. I also feel that as a PPL who has been around the GA scene for a few years now I'm better placed to search out those 'smaller operator' jobs should the airline dream not work out than say someone who does not know the scene and just wants to be a jet pilot.
I know it may seem a bit bizarre to contradict my assertion that integrated is better for jobs but I mention my own situation to emphasise that everyone's situation is different and may require different solutions to the same end point.
What I have written about integrated/modular in this post is the advice I would give to someone who came to me with little or no flying experience and wanted to be an airline pilot. If they have the money and are suffering shiny jet syndrome go MPL or if not successful with that (as most are not simply due to numbers) go integrated.
Apologies for the long post but having done my PPL in 2006, having watched the industry since then and met countless different people who have given me the entire spectrum of views and now after doing other things and uni for four years I am finally looking for the dream I thought I might have something to contribute.
Last edited by contacttower118.2; 11th Aug 2013 at 11:19.