We now have a new DFO at MK. Maybe he will make the selection process more fair. Maybe guys with experience will get a chance at some point or maybe not. However, I feel this is a good chance here for Mauritian wannabees to learn something right now. The last thing we want is the next generation of Mauritian pilots going down the same path as the old ones who are now struggling with their careers.
I think going for a selection to check suitability for an airline position would be a good first step. Taking a DLR test would be a good way forward since LT are set to handle the upcoming selections but that's just one way. There are loads of selection tests out there. I think it is the logical step to make sure you are suitable for a career in the first place before splashing the cash.
Second thing is make sure you have the Maths/Physics bit!! Don't pretend like you didn't know it because no one will be sorry for you later and no one will be able to help you either.
You have been warned.
Training is expensive. Go for the right stuff. Go for truly high standards. Not some organisation where the marketing team is the only part of the setup with high standards. Don't let any school sell you something you don't want. You are paying for the training, you decide. Always read in between the lines with training schools. They are all excellent with hundreds and thousands of years experience if you listen to them.
Check for employment beyond training, see how the school is doing. Visit them. Check their amenities. Accessibility to operations room, crew room/planning room. Ease of access to flight planning tools. See if you will be well fed on campus if you're going for full board accommodation. Because of our multi-cultural society food can be a big issue for many of us abroad. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of you being well fed during training. It is a very demanding phase that shapes the rest of your career. Think about it logically.. You didn't suddenly decide to starve yourself to death when you were about the take HSC exams, did you? Check the distance to the nearest supermarket and how to get there. If it's Africa you're considering, then above all that you have hygiene, water supply issues you need to address before hand.
Make a shortlist of training schools and visit them. Know where you will be going. Select a school where you will enjoy the training, where you will truly grow/develop as a pilot.
By doing the above you will already be putting the odds in your favour whether it is MK who employ you or some other company.
And after you have done all that, now that you have your frozen ATPL and shiny new wings feeling as good and proud as ever, be prepared for it to be a long tough path to a right hand seat in any company. You may have to wait anything from months to years before you get a chance. If you have the passion and dedication, you will eventually find your way. But there will be no guarantees ever. MK will not owe you a job ever, nor will any other airline. As a Mauritian it is much harder than for South Africans, Australians, Europeans, Americans and all. We are a tiny dot on the map after all.
Get your parents to read all the stuff on here too. They are in general your best allies!!
If by 2016-17, we start having a pool of the highest standards and people meeting all the basic requirements, MK will never be able to do to you what they have done for so long to fellow Mauritians.