Gents,
Appreciate all the information posted in this thread, it is invaluable to a newcomer such as myself (long time viewer, never posted).
I seem to get the feeling most people are pro modular route, as they do not see the added value of paying an extra 20K or so to go integrated. My personal situation has led me to this thread with a question...
If money isn't the main driver behind the choice to go Modular or Integrated what is the best method to take, if the desired goal is to work at the airlines as soon as possible.
... What I've gathered so far... Modular is a lot cheaper and is much more flexible around where you train, the quality can be hit and miss and ultimately there isn't the pressure of having to pay the additional 20K or so for going integrated at the big three schools.
I've got two assessment days coming up, one at OAA and one at CTC for each companies Integrated zero to fATPL course. I'm not totally convinced this is the right way to go, as ultimately you come out with the same bits of paper at the end of each course (Integrated or Modular). The only gains I see for integrated are: Full time and focus on the training in hand, Airline preferred training (so I've read), and a higher possibility of a job since some of the airlines are exclusively selecting low hour pilots from their respective preferred FTO.
With that in mind - I'm 20, hold a PPL, have a good backup career and a good wedge of savings to help me should I be waiting a while for an interview. I'm looking at the next step and can't really find the answer that will influence the decision. Which method would you advise?
Thanks!