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Old 10th Nov 2017, 09:57
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gfunc
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: EGNM
Age: 43
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Hi Platinum503,

I did the Wing Alliance APC course this year, thanks to them I am now waiting patiently to start an Airbus type rating with a UK airline.

A year prior to this I did a MCC/JOC at Simtech, but I chose to do the Wing Alliance course even though I already had the piece of paper due to (i) skill atrophy (ii) their connections/track record and (iii) feedback from interviews that told me I needed to work on my non-technical skills.

Although at the time I thought the Simtech course was great, the Wings Alliance course is a level above in my opinion. My feeling in hindsight is that my Simtech course was essentially ticking the boxes of the legal requirements and training to pass the Ryanair sim assessment, whereas my Wings Alliance course was comprehensive training to be a first officer. I'm not knocking Simtech as it's very clear that is what they are selling you, and it works well for many people. The WA course included a lot of training in the non-technical skills and interview techniques that are essential for a numpty like me passing HR-led selection.

Perhaps one of the best things from my perspective is what comes after the course is over, where the staff at WA maintain personal contact with you and point you toward opportunities. The team there work hard to get the best for you, if you've studied with BGS you'll be familiar with the open, friendly culture - it's not a sausage factory owned by a multinational that is interested in increasing shareholder returns per unit. From what I understand, they have different relationships with various airlines and they are sometimes asked for pilots, or can endorse/tag your application in an open recruitment call. In my case, I believe their recommendation was instrumental in securing an interview and the non-technical training I received was essential in the selection process. I know for a fact that if had got to the selection day without the WA APC I wouldn't have got anywhere close to the last stage.

They are still in their early days, but they have been very successful thus far in getting people into airline jobs and are still growing. I couldn't recommend them enough. Feel free to PM If you have specific questions.
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