I am aware that there are many unemployed pilots, and I know some of them. Three of my instructors in my current airclub are fully qualified wannabe airline pilots, two of wich graduated from the ENAC. However I will get my fATPL regardless.. That is the sort of irrationality that comes with passion.
I understand you're working for BGS.
Regarding the theory, I will most probably go for a French school.
Obviously, I will ask for english books and tests. The only loss when compared to an english ground school will be the mandatory two weeks of on-site training : not in immersion across the channel
It is nice to have someone point out so early in the process of becoming a pilot the importance of soft skills. (2)
Thanks for clearing up the "competency based" thing. I passed a competency-based interview with CTC-EZY without knowing exactly what it was (but failed the group interview(1))
In my opinion, soft skills are the most prominent if not the only skills assessed during interview, I'm telling that from my engineering experience (2). So I reckon basically everybody should work on them. However (1) is the sign that I in particular should work on them !
Comment (2) : If anybody had told me no one cared about my technical skills during an interview I would have prepared for my engineering interview differently.. But that's a whole other subject.
Things I imagine would be positive points for an FTO regarding pilot soft skills :
- Instructors letting students take responsibility an truly train them for a captain position at the maximum of the legal possibilities. (ie on a single pilot aircraft)
- Training in small groups of student. Maybe a daily study of the weather conditions in the morning, preparing the airplanes and hangaring them, backseating and flying different branches of a bigger navigation flight
- Like you said introduction of MCC concepts as soon as possible
I've looked at the wings alliance website.
Could you single out any school among these ?
It is very difficult to make an informed choice. Most of the time I will only get one or two reviews. Like this guy told me aeros were the leaders for modular training. The next one told me aeros were a catastrophy and recommended DFAS.
It might be very difficult to go and visit them. Even more so to really evaluate them. That would require backseating for at least a flight and spending at least a day on the facilities..
This seems interesting :
https://www.wingsalliance.eu/training/apc-application/