Paul,
Thanks for your reply to this. Don't get me wrong, when I visited the seminar I was very impressed and had pretty much made my mind up to train at OATS. Although it is more expensive than other schools I thought the extra training, sim time + the brand name on my CV would be cery beneficial (aren't I a sucker for a marketing ploy! )
. As i'm sure you can understand, everyone wants the best possible chance of getting a job at the end of their training and it seems to me that now at OATS it means trying to get onto the partnership programme. What worries me, apart from the extra 11k + living costs, is that if I or any one else is not suitable for the partnership programme then surely the airlines involved in the scheme will be looking at graduates of the ATPL course as second class. If they are part of the scheme then it makes sense they will take pretty much only graduates of the partnership scheme. I'm sure in some cases (which it could will be in mine) it is not lack of aptitude or qualifications but the inability to raise the 70k + needed to get on the scheme, especially at the age of 22.
I personally think this scheme is something that has been a long time coming for pilot training and OATS should be applauded for making it happen. What I would like to know, that isn't forthcoming on your website, is the exact details of the HSBC partnership (something mentioned but in no way made clear at the seminar), how much can be borrowed and the age at which you envisage the average person will start this course, because as a 22 year old graduate, my bank account reads a long long way short of 70k.
Cheers.