Hi career2
I will try to answer a few of your points, firstly age 32 is not too old to begin training, depending on whether you train all the way through to CPL MEIR full time or part time you will be 34 – 36 when you complete training. Probably too old to ever make it as a long haul skipper on a national flag carrier airline but not too old to have a very satisfying and lucrative career.
Regarding availability of jobs, you can read about that on various threads on PPRuNe, to save you a bit of time:
There are very few jobs for low hours freshly qualified people and there are thousands of low hours freshly qualified people chasing those few opportunities. If you are exceedingly lucky you might land something but you need to be prepared for the possibility of finding an extra £30,000 or so to fund type rating and also be prepared to have travel to another country or continent to find work.
There might be a shortage of experienced senior Captains but there is absolutely no shortage of low hours people looking for work.
Do not believe what any training school tells you about the job market, they want your money, the truth is awkward for them and stands between them and your wallet. They won’t be any help to you when you’ve finished training and looking for work, they’ll be concentrating on signing up more students.
There are mentored, part sponsored and sponsored schemes out there, Aer Lingus and BA are both currently running such schemes. The BA scheme has just opened for applicants, I believe the Aer Lingus scheme is now closed for applicants and they are currently going through the candidate selection process. Depending on your nationality then Brunei and Fly Dubai also have schemes going.
There are ex pro sports people that have gone on to successful careers in the airlines, Tony Underwood (ex England rugby) started his flying career with Easyjet and I believe he now works for Virgin. Also I recall and ex Ireland rugby player (can’t remember his name) who went on to fly for Ryan Air. If you play sport at a high level (national, international or Olympics), are well known and have a good reputation then an airline might want to employ you and make use of the
PR value of employing you, I remember when Easyjet took on Tony Underwood the papers were full of the story. Probably not much
PR value if you don’t have a good sporting reputation, for instance if he did his training then David Beckham would have no trouble getting an airline job but Lance Armstrong might struggle!!!!!!
To offset the financial risk you might be able to earn from your sport during flying training by continuing to play at a pro level, coaching, writing for papers, magazines etc, tv/ radio commentary or writing a book.
However as for everyone committing to flying training, there are no guarantees, it’s a huge gamble and you should never gamble what you cannot afford to lose. If you’re married and/ or have kids you will also need the support of those closest to you during your training.
Hopefully this has given you food for thought, the final decision can only be made by you and I wish you all the best in whatever you decide to do.