TCA with OAT

[Eddy]

I've been invited to the assessment day with OAT for the TCA scheme next month. Should I be delighted? Is everyone invited, or have I overcome a hurdle?

Anyone else invited?

:ok:

[davepearsall]

If I wasyou i would be delighted!

[Hookerbot 5000]

Read the following threads:

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=231123&highlight=Thomas+cook

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?threadid=184244

Good luck.

[TurboJ]

I've been invited to the assessment day with OAT for the TCA scheme next month. Should I be delighted? Is everyone invited, or have I overcome a hurdle?


Does it matter? Who cares? You have an interview with a major airline who fly big jets so get on with it and stop moaning.

[hollingworthp]

TurboJ - unfortunately it is not quite so clear cut (otherwise it would be as obvious as you state). :p

Stage 2 is not an airline interview but aptitude testing with the FTO prior to short-listing for airline interview, and I suppose Eddy wants to know if he has indeed achieved something by reaching stage 2 (which he has :D) or whether everyone who applied gets that far (which they don't).

[Mr_Turner]

Hey guys, just to ask a quick question i have also been asked to the next stage of the thomas cook scheme, though i have also applied for the BA City Flyer scheme.

Only problem is the dates are the same, 16th and 17th of July.

Can i please ask which of the two if im lucky with BA would you guys chose, cheers.

[Eddy]

Wow! TurboJ, thanks for that delightfully informative and civil post. You truly are a man of words.

I wasn't moaning - merely doing what hollingworthp observed - checking whether Stage 2 actually meant I'd passed an initial selection process. Seems I have. I am, as a result, not only stunned but delighted beyond belief.

It's a sorry time when one cannot ask a simple and innocent question without being treated to such a diatribe - particularly on a forum where, surely, we all have the same goal!?

If I ever fly with you in the confines of a flight deck, I'll be sure to consume the most noxious curry the evening before. That'll be a treat for you.

[TurboJ]

Ok - Eddy - So I was to the point - Sorry if I upset you :{

However, what do you want - a public pat on the back for getting through Stage 2 ? Well done, you have done REALLY well to get this far;

If your ambition is to get a RHS job with Thomas Cook be in no doubt you have got a long way to go yet, and likely to meet people who will upset you far worse.

But all the best and let me know when you have the curry and I'll join you to pat you on the back for all the hard work you will have done !! :D

Mr H - thanks for the info....

[ppl_student]

Mr Turner, TCA... no contest really! Much more established and the money is better!

[Eddy]

TurboJ, you didn't upset me - just amazed me that one could offer such a sarcastic and unhelpful response to what was an honest and innocent question. I've got thick skin - not least because of my love for pies - so please don't fret. Upset me you did not.

I don't want a public pat on the back. I was just asking whether Stage Two was something that people are selected to attend or whether it was something that all applicants were invited to. I have my answer.

[Peter O'C]

Mr_Turner,

As far as problems go, your situation is quite a nice problem to have!

I will be at OAT for TCA stage 2 also; maybe see you there.

Good luck whichever one you choose :)

Peter O'C

[Marvo]

Umm, the phrase " Sour Grapes " springs to mind.. Glad you got your answer Eddy.

[Eddy]

Thanks, Marvo! More like you wouldn't go a miss!

[TurboJ]

Eddy - Its not sour grapes - just being a devils advocate - very happy in my current RHS - I wish you all the best - you will enjoy OAT

[Tommy' C]

Eddy, well done! You should be very pleased indeed...
I was too young to apply for this particular selection but hopefully next time!

Can anyone inform me with aid of a link to the BA city flyer scheme? Not signing up just interested to read,

Cheers

[honkster]

How do the following 3 schemes compare:
CTC / TCA with OAT / FTE

i.e. which one is considered to be the best. In a nut shell, can some one please explain the pros and cons of all 3.

Much appreciated:ok:

[aftab]

Tommy C
Link to BA Cityflyer scheme is no longer there, as it is now closed for applications, but you may find the bottom two links of interest.

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=280314

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=256109

[Blinkz]

honkster, the best is the one u actually get accepted onto, I don't think anyone can be picky about it :}

[honkster]

Blinkz, I have been offered a placement with 2 out of the 3, but still considering going for the OAT TCA scheme in 2 weeks as I THINK (in my humble opinion) that is the best scheme. I am however not as knowledgeable as I really should be with all of the schemes, hence my original question.

So can someone please enlighten me of what they believe to be the pros and cons of all 3 schemes (i.e. FTE / CTC / OAT TCA).

If given the choice, which scheme would you all go for?

[Adios]

For someone in their 20s and single, first choice might be OAT NetJets. I know you didn't ask about this one, but others may be interested in how people will rank it. It's the best pay of the lot (I have been told gross pay is almost £50K and net pay is over £40K in year one), NetJets funds the Type Rating and a £60K loan can be repaid in six years due to the tax relief and you can still live comfortably on the rest. If you are married and/or have kids, the six on five off roster pattern may not suit you. This job seems the least likely to get boring or monotonous, but if you don't thrive on chaos or can't be flexible, maybe scheduled airlines are best for you. The idea of flying such high performance jets and the mix of IFR and VFR destinations seems like it would be both challenging and fun. I also think NetJets is the least likely to suffer in an economic downturn and the most likely to win new business if there is another massive terrorist attack, resulting in better job security.

Next for me would be Thomas Cook through OAT. The pay is not as good as NetJets, but still good and you can pay off a £60K loan in seven years due to the tax relief. TCA funds the type rating and it's on a 757. 10 Years to command indicates a stable workforce with very few voting with their feet. They also made the list of top 20 companies to work for in the UK a few years ago.

Next would be CTC. I put it lower than the OAT offerings because it locks you into the airline for quite a few years, while the OAT one's don't. You could leave NetJets or TCA after a year or two with no bond and all you would lose is the tax relief. The upside to CTC is you can get an unsecured loan. If you can't swing the OAT programmes due to not having loan security, then move CTC to the top of the list. The pay resulting from CTC is much lower than the OAT offerings, so if you can fund OAT, it's the better way to go.

I would put the FTE programme last. This is based on my understanding being that all the airline helps with is the MCC/JOC. If they fund the Type Rating too, then I'd probably have to rank it about even with CTC unless there is a bond. I don't know as much about this one, so maybe others will provide info that could move it up the list for you.

My ranking is based on having security plus some cash available. Others will see it differently based on their financial circumstances.

[TurboJ]

I also think NetJets is the least likely to suffer in an economic downturn

I think you may be misguided. What is the first thing to go in an economic downturn. Maybe the private jet?

And at the end of the day, any airline offering part or full sponsorship should not be turned down. Only if you have a choice to make, having had a number of offers of sponsorship should the pros and cons be considered.

[honkster]

TurboJ, if you had read my previous question you would have realised that I do have 2 confirmed offers, with the potential of a third. That is why i was asking about the pros and cons.

Thanks for your opinions Adios. That aside TurboJ, if you would like to add anything with respect to what you consider the pros & cons of the aforementioned schemes, then that too would be appreciated.

[TurboJ]

Honskter - I was making a general comment - not aimed at anybody in particular.

At the end of the day it depends whether you want to fly corporate or airline - there are fundamental differences between the two including aircraft, rosters, lifestyle etc.....it entirely depends on the individual as to what suits their personal circumstances - you can make a career with NetJets, Thomas Cook, BA CitiFlyer etc....

TJ

[Vee One...Rotate]

You could leave NetJets or TCA after a year or two with no bond and all you would lose is the tax relief.

Just for information - last year's TCA scheme does include a type rating bond. It's worth £12,000 over the first two years of employment i.e. if you finished the rating and left TCA after one year, you'd be liable for £6,000 towards the rating.

Still a deal that favours very well against the other schemes out there though.

Good luck with this year's scheme guys,

V1R :ok:

[Adios]

Vee One,

Oat has never mentiioned the bond, but as you say, it is much shorter than the commitment one makes elsewhere, so learning of it does not lead me to change my earlier ranking. I would not be surprised if NetJets uses a type rating bond, though Oat says nothing of that either.

TurboJ,

I think NetJets owners are less likely to suffer in a bad economy than the customers of scheduled airlines will. I would not be surprised if many of them invest in Hedge Funds to take advantage of downturns. More importantly though, they have signed a five year contract and they will pay the fees whether they fly or not. I know what I would do if I was one of them and was paying regardless.

Finally, I don't think NetJets owners are completely immune from downturns, just less so than the standard Ryanair, EasyJet, ThomsonFly or Thomas Cook customer. I doubt Warren Buffet would have bought the company for Berkshire Hathaway if it couldn't make money in both good times and lean times, as that is what he does best.

[flyingkangaroo]

I have been accepted to go through for stage 2 and have been studying my butt off! :eek:( Maths - have not used algebra etc for years!) Could anyone give me some tips on what standard to expect? (ie. will there be anything like Linear Interpolation on it!!!!!!!!):{ Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

[BusinessMan]

flyingkangaroo,

I wasted hours relearning the GCSE maths syllabus before going to OAT. There's nothing really complex like calculus. If you want to score well then get into long multiplication, division, addition, subtraction and your tables. Most of the Qns are situational and it's about being able to see the 'quick route', though some you do just have to slog through working out with pen/pencil and there is a little algebra (I think... sorry been a while!).

Try the following in your head...

"Aeroplane uses 42 litres of fuel to travel 120 miles at 500mph, how far will it have flown by the time it has used 350litres?"

If you got it then you should do pretty well.

One answer (you can do it different ways but I'd recommend this)...

The 500mph bit is deliberately irrelevant so ignore it. 42 & 120 are both divisible by 6, hence 7 litres takes you 20 miles. 350 litres, would you believe it, is divisble by 7, hence 350/7 = 50 so 50 x 20 = 1000miles. Easy, as long as you've stopped and thought long enough to realise that and you know your tables.

Enjoy and good luck! (though not too much as I want minimal competition for stage 3 slots thanks ;)!). Cheers, BM

[flyingkangaroo]

Thanks Businessman, also was the test multiple choice?

[Vee One...Rotate]

Adios,

Just to give you a source, the bond info was passed onto one of last year's successful candidates at the TCA interview stage.

flyingkangaroo,

The best place for info on what to expect during selection is OAT's forums (there's a link from their homepage). Don't worry about the maths - it's a decent level of speed and accuracy at the basic operations that'll get you a good score. It's not multiple-choice - you'll enter the answer in a box on the screen.

V1R :ok:

[flyingkangaroo]

Thanks for the info, feeling more confident and looking forward to next week! :ok:

[pilotho]

Just would like to find out if anyone has been schduled to head down to Oxford on the 18th of July. If so, PM me and lete gather and explore the place!

[randomair]

The bond only applies to direct entry pilots, not cadets.

[Vee One...Rotate]

randomair,

Have sent you a PM.

V1R

[flyingkangaroo]

Just wondering if anyone had their Aptitude test today, any tips as Iam due to take mine on the 18th!!!:ok: