Sponsorship from BA

[Dead_Heading]

Hi- quite a common question, but here we go.
I have been very interested in flying all my life, and several years ago decided I wanted to be a pilot. I want to get sponsored after university, and am wondering what BA are looking for?

I am currently studying for my GCSEs (am doing 11), and am preicted mainly As and A*s, including A for maths and A* for physics, which are my favourtie subjects. After this I have applied to go to 6th form to study all 3 sciences and maths, and have been accepted. After this I hope to get an aeronautical engineering degree. I have my Silver and Bronze Duke of Edimburgh awards, am currently working on my Gold and also enjoy scuba diving. I have perfect colour vision, and require -3.25 dioptre correction in each eye, so I should be Ok for a class 1, as I have no other medical problems.

Provided I achieve the results I am predicted/hope for, do I stand a good chance for sponsorship from BA?

[A340_rulez]

I am also in the same position as you mate at exactly the same stage but to my knowledge (i have done a little research) BA no longer has a sponsership. It appears that since 9/11 or maybe prior to that, it was stopped.

Although i stand to be corrected.

A340

[Dead_Heading]

Really? I've been labouring under false pretences then. I'll look into other airlines sponsorship stratagies in more detail then. I had been in contact with BA prior to 9/11 and got a whole load of stuff on sponsorship, but nothing much on selection

D_H

[OBK!]

Dead_Heading

by the looks of things, you're talking about 6 years down the line until you finish uni...

Plenty of time for things to change.

[HZ123]

Both right BA stopped sponsoring about three years ago because there is a ready market in pilots as BA recruit them worldwide. I wish you the very best of luck as BA will be more difficult to get into as from Feb 2006 when flight crew are permitted to work until 60, whereas now they retire at 55 from BA.

[TopBunk]

My belief is that BA are looking at the business case for sponsorship, but if it is approved would take a different for from previously. Furture candidates may have to pay all the money themselves for the course but with a letter of promise from B that they would be employed subject to satisfactory results from the course.

[witchdoctor]

As far as I am aware, the last fully sponsored BA cadets were those who passed through Oxford Aviation on a course beginning May 2001 and they graduated around August 2002. There was another BA course behind them, but due to the events of 9/11 their sponsorship was pulled as they were still in the very early stages of the course.

After waiting approximately 6 months or so, all of those cadets who graduated began type-ratings for the 737 and Airbus fleets and are all still flying.

The short-term outlook is not good for any form of sponsorship, but in the medium and long term, as has already been said, anything could happen.

[scroggs]

This should be in Wannabes....!

HZ123 I think it could be worse than you suggest. All other British airlines allow captains to work to 60, but many allow pilots to go on to 65 in the right hand seat. The legislation I think you're indirectly referring to is intended to make it impossible to retire an employee simply on grounds of age, so you may find BA co-pilots going on into their 70s!

Now, if we can persuade the USA, France, Italy and (I think) Portugal to give up their unreasonable prohibition of captains over 60, there may never be another BA sponsorship!

[CaptainFillosan]

Points very well made Scroggs. Indeed, the latest 'news' coming out is that the countries you mention will not have a choice. It is EU legislation, and although France shows a remarkable level of intransigence by the time we get to 2006 it will fall in. Then people will carry on to whatever age they wish to work.

.........and, now that people are living in excess of 75 years for men and 80 for women the changes that come with it will be marked, and will have to be taken note of at the CAA, FAA and all other aviation controling bodies.

But I would bet that a retiring age of 70 for pilots will be fairly common in the airlines in the next 10 years.

[Jinkster]

D_H and others,

Best of luck with DoE. Get it completed and go down and meet the man himself in person - fantastic day out and you recieve a booklet on St James Palace - meet a nice celebrity and get a certificate :ok:

If you are still young - so I am told (stand to be corrected) the airline do love activities out of school such as Air Cadets etc etc.

Best of luck.

Jinkster

[Dead_Heading]

Cheers for the advice, The thread on Lufthansa looks interesting too. I've got about 5 years until I can/will apply for sponsorship, so I should be able to sort everything out.

[empty pockets]

dead heading:

6 or 7 years ago I was you - wanting to professional pilot and doing my research carefully [although I hadn't heard of PPRuNe back then!]. I got all A's and A*s at GCSE, A's at A level, and graduated from Masters in Aerospace Engineering last July.

Unfortunately whislt I was learning how to design aircraft there were those intent on flying them into skyscrapers, causing the airlines to pull all known fully sponsored cadetships. I'm now working as an engineer and working all the hours I can to save to go the self funded route. I reckon that if I save hard and invest wisely I will be in a position to pay for my training up front in 4 or 5 years. I will then be 27/28 - a full 10 years on from leaving school.

Whilst I'm the last person to deter somebody from attending university, think long and hard about your career goals before you apply. Unless your parents can support you financially [and in which case non of the rest of this really applies] you will have to take out a student loan. Assuming you get the minimum loan, for a 3 or 4 year course you will be borrowing £9 - 12k [I owe Tony and his cronies nearer £17k but my parents were far from well off]. This will cover your rent and tuition fees [currently around £1100 but set to rise to a minumum of £3k a year] and so you will need living costs on top. If you graduate withoout an overdraft you will be doing well.

I reckon that, at a conservative estimate, my 4 years at university cost me around £25k. I'd consider this to be fair value if I wanted to be a professional aerospace engineer, but I don't - I want to be a professional pilot. For another £5k or so I could have gone modular and gained an fATPL. Admittedly, I'd have no guarantee of a job, but I'd be a lot closer to my dream than I am stuck behind my desk at work.

I'm guessing that, like me, you want to do the aero degree as a back up plan for if the piloting doesn't work out and to gain a good alll round knowledge of aircraft and their systems. You will get taught all this via your PPL/CPL/ATPL theoreticals, and if you are determined enough you won't need a back up plan.

Think very very hard what to do when you turn 18.

On one hand you could do the degree and apply for sponsorships, which I intend to do once I have some financial stability. As is mentioned already, 6 years is a long time for the world market to settle down and for the industry to pick up again. You will be more mature than you were at 18, and that theoretical knowledge could go in your favour [well, heres hoping it is for me!!].

On the other hand you could have an fATPL by the time you are 20, and plenty of time to get your first jet job.

Anyway, heres hoping I bump into you at flight school someday soon. :p

Phil.

P.S. If you do go to uni, check out the University Air Squadron. It's the next stage on from the Air Cadets and they have lots of free flying on offer. A few of my coursemates enrolled as pilots and received £3k a year bursaries, and one of them is now training as an RAF fast jet pilot. The only downside is you have to demonstrate a committment to joining the RAF [My friend did this by signing a 16yr contract]. Senior officers and I agreed this is where I fell down, but fighting wars might be your bag so who knows...

[REvans]

Very well written post empty pockets, certainly made me think.

[boeingbus2002]

BA and many may have stopped their sponsorships, however keep your eyes open for other opportunites.
GAPAN have several on the go, at present only for PPL, FI etc. But last year they did have one for FATPL.
At Uni, look into the UAS. Have you considered military? For some, that has a greater appeal.
Many have been in your position. If you graduate with good grades, why not work for a few years and save to pay for your own training. This will also serve as a good back up if all goes t*ts up on the flying side (loss of medical, slowdown of induestry etc).

Best of luck though and keep trying. Everyone you speak to will say it is worth the struggle at the end!

**edited to add FlyBe sponsorship last year with Cabair too!