Originally Posted by
TheManFromThatPlace
If you look at recent photos on their FB page you will see the CPL/IR holders that went through the course recently...the majority are in the ctc uniform. What does that tell you? That they haven't (yet)got a job.
I'm highly critical of a lot of the integrated courses and the FTOs, (as well as the kids who throw their parents money at a course like that with no consideration for the implications, and the parents who allow them to do so)...
but... in fairness to CTC, (and I asked this question of a friend who finished this year), the graduation they had (where most were in CTC uniform rather than airline uniform) was for all people who finished training and had completed their MCC in 2015. Once they finish the MCC then they are eligible to apply for airlines through CTC.
Assuming they are offered an airline selection day immediately upon applying, they usually have to wait a few weeks between being given the date and actually attending. Then assuming they are successful, they have to wait for the next type rating (and easyjet themselves now apparently have their own hold pool of CTC pilots who have passed EZY selection and are just waiting for a type rating date).
The wait from being offered a type rating date to actually starting may be a couple of months, setting up a big £30,000 loan for the type rating can take a number of weeks. Then the type rating itself is 2 months. You don't get your airline uniform until you're at the induction with the airline itself.
So that is potentially up to 6 months from finishing MCC to starting airline type rating. And I wouldn't expect it to be less than 4 months at an absolute minimum, assuming you have £30k ready to pay and get lucky with the dates.
So only people who finished their MCC by June could be expected to be at an airline and in uniform by December. Apparently of the ones still in CTC uniform, most of them had offers or start dates for type rating with the likes of easy, monarch, thomas cook and flybe. There were people who had no good news even after 6 months of waiting and applying though, but these apparently were the minority.
Having said all that, and made myself feel a little bit sick defending them, they are a business and they only care about profit. Much like airlines. They spend a hella lot on marketing, both advertising and marketing employees, so expect to be drawn in by all the shiny wonderful dreams they sell. And take it with a pinch of salt.
I would say if you are unsuccessful for one airline course, apply for another, and another. I believe you usually have to wait 6 months after failing one before you can reapply for the same one, but I think you can apply for the BA FPP, EZY MPL and Virgin MPL within 6 months of each other. Not 100% sure though.
But it's better to wait a year and be on an airline course with a guaranteed* job at the end rather than finishing then having to do the hardest part of all which is securing a job.
* Even on an airline scheme, the job is not guaranteed by any means. You have to meet all required standards throughout training. Only once you complete your line check are you "secure" as it were. (And even then you're still only as secure as any other pilot, if you consistently don't perform then you're at risk. But by the time you pass line check you're not likely to develop consistent problems that weren't already noted and fixed during line training) If you don't meet the requirements though, you'll get chopped. Apparently everyone knows someone who has been dropped by an airline, at all stages of training. I don't, but then I don't know many people from these schemes.