BA requirements?

[fabbe92]

Hello again guys! As you may know I am currently studying at a upper secondary school in Sweden. This school is very unique compared to other swedish school since it gives you a special english program. In normal schools you study english A, B, C. A and B are the swedish requirements in order to become a pilot. But at my school you get A, B, C, D, E and Cambridge english. Infact I have the requirements needed to apply for any university in the english speaking world, I want after graduation. Infact there are no english courses to study at university because you get it all at this school. And since BA is my dream airline and it doesn´t have to be BA I would like other uk airlines or even Cathay/Singapore/US carriers.

The thing now is that I don´t like the school so much so I am thinking of changing to a normal swedish school. What comes with this is that I only get english A, B and C. I will get the highest grades since I am very good at english. But I am affraid that if I go to a normal school which doesn´t have this special english, I will have a disadvantage when applying for BA in the future? Is this true? Do BA and airlines look at which courses you have studyed or do they do a test on you to see how god you are in english?

What do you think? Is it a disadvantage to change or doesn´t it matter att all?

Because I have the feeling that if you go to a normal Swedish school, you will not get a career outside Sweden and that is my dream. My present school is specialised in preparing students for foreign studies since it cooporates with organisations in the US and the UK. It allso cooporating with Cambridge and Oxford University.


Cheers:ok:

[HM001]

Ok,

If you can speak English to a good level it doesn't matter if you have a "qualification" in it...You will have to do an English proficiency test as part of your frozen ATPL now if I am correct.

BA/Cathay/Easy all clearly list their entry requirements on their websites so look at them for the most ACCURATE info for applying rather then asking here and receiving a selection of opinions and facts which in the end are impossible to differintiate (sp) between.

Best of Luck

[fabbe92]

I have read their requirements. They require fluid and dicted english.

So it all depends on the tests? So they don´t look which english courses I have attended?

If it depends on the tests, I could change school without a problem right? Or do you reccomend me to stay in my present school?

[EYXW]

You will be tested to ensure you reach ICAO level 4 English by most airlines/FTO's I believe. If you can hold a conversation in English with someone else who doesn't speak English as a first language you should be at this level already. Your written English already seems at or above that required.

As for making recommendations upon your education there won't be many on here qualified to answer - from your post your written English at least seems pretty good already - if the only reason you are at the current school is for more English it may not be necessary but then I would go speak to your parents/teachers and friends before committing.

[HM001]

The aviation language is English, therfore your ability to speak/write it is proven in the fact that you an get an ATPL, you will have to speak coherently and clearly and as well as write it. As it's not your mother tongue then logically is expected not to be 100% perfect. As correctly pointed out you will be tested by ICAO/EASA themselves to ensure you meet a standard of English that will be acceptable for a pilot.

Your training concerns will be from a personal level studying subjects that academically you will enjoy, and have a good grounding in maths and science (predominantly physics).

As for actual aviation training, you want to ensure you learn at a good pace and are able to pas your ATPLs, CPL/IR..

Interviews and airline requirements can span and look at many criteria from life experience and personality traits through to aquired personal qualifications. Many airlines have different criterias and tests.

Don't try and tailor yourself around one airline but more look to what you do best and apply it to being a suitable pilot.

[preduk]

I'm going to stress, just like HM001 has said, that you shouldn't be aiming for an airline.

You should be aiming to become the best pilot and let them choose. Most people recommend doing some flying that keeps you interested, flying with BA for the rest of your career could end up making you bored and tired of them by the time you get into your 30s or 40s.

Keep yourself open to any airline, I would easily and happily fly for an airline doing islands flights because it would be a huge amount of fun.

[johnnyDB]

You can have all the english skills in the world, if suck in the sim, then that's that.

[mad_jock]

I wouldn't worry to much about it. If your spoken English is anything like your written (which I might I suspect is better than mine) you will breeze any interview.

I haven't spoken to any scandihooligans, from the hard working ramp rats to the pilots, that can't speak more than acceptable English for working in the UK.

I have met and worked with many swedish Pilots and they haven't been to any special English schools. They do more than ok at talking the knickers off any available native speaking female they come in contact with.

Just don't pick up a yank accent from films.

[fabbe92]

I really want to speak with british accent but I speak with perfect American accent. Everyone does that from my generation:cool:

[fabbe92]

Just checking to be sure. So the requirements in order to work for a big airline in Great Britain like British Airways or Virgin Atlantic, is to pass their tests of course.

But I have heard that many foreigners like swedish guys fail these airlines english tests. Is it the level 4 ICAO tests or are they very hard for foreign pilots?

Because if they are level 4 ICAO then I would not have big trubble passing them since I can write like I do? I mean I would have to improve my spelling a little bit and of course I talk 3 times better than I write.

Cheers and sorry to bring up my old topic:ok:

[wobble2plank]

Can't be too difficult, we've got loads of 'Scousers' (Liverpudlians) in BA! :}

[Vems]

English isn't my first language as well, but I have no problems with studying, understanding and talking, well I'm trying to talk clearer ! :p

You don't need any special qualifications from what I know, some airlines may require them.. but hey..

I wouldn't aim straight for airlines to be honest with you. Did you consider maybe instructing at first? You would get experience, your english would improve by talking to different students trying to explain stuff(?) and you would build up your hours and I guess, instructing would look good on a CV, correct me if I'm wrong :)

Good luck!

[fabbe92]

Yeah but you guys don´t understand. I speak very good english and I have the highest grade in the english we learn in school. But as I give up the special englis school which prepares you for working in the UK/US, so I can go to the school which gives you flight training, I am affraid that when I am 30-40 years old and have my 5-7000 hours and apply for the job at BA, Virgin, Lingus, Thompson etc, I will fail the tests since I can´t speak or wright like a native englishman.

So I can comunicate very good with english people and even people who are from another country so we have to speak english. My writting is understandable as you can se and I need to improve my spelling a bit. But my talking is about 6-7 times better then my writting.

But if I understand it right you don´t need to be as good as a native englishman in order to work for a big english airline. They just require that you can comunicate whith your crew and passengers without a problem?


Thanks!

[HM001]

To answer the question AGAIN.

Your English must be good enough for you to understand /be understood by your colleagues, ATC etc etc etc.

YOU WILL BE TESTED FOR IT AS PART OF YOUR FROZEN ATPL (ENGLISH PROFICIENCY)

There is a VFR communications exam as per your PPL and an IFR comms exam as per your ATPL (VFR cooms was just dropped from ATPL syllabus)

Inidentally I am not a native Englishman. The flight school I attended had students from all over Europe and none of them put so much emphasis on this.

There are people from numerous countries working in numerous UK airlines including BA/Virgin.

If after 5000 hours you still can't speak a reasonable quality of English despite the English Proficiency Test, then there is something very worrying about the fact you were able to accumulate the 5000 hours in the first place!

Seriously this non-stop asking about an "English Language Qualification" is just ridiculous and quite franky the qualification itself is unecessary.

You clearly can speak and write English to a good standard, and your enthusiasm shows that this will improve not that there is much room for improvement from what I can see now stop worrying.

[fabbe92]

Ok now I understand. Thank you very much for the help and hope to see you in the sky someday!:ok:

[Vems]

You'll improve your english during training and your first few jobs. Don\t worry about it! because right now, you're making big fuss about nothing.

[fabbe92]

I don´t want to start a big mess again but I just got a little question and I don´t want to start a new topic about this.

In Sweden We read foreign languages of course. English is obligatory but then you can chooze between French, German or Spanish. There are 7 levels of language. You read level 1-2 in the lower level of school. In the upper secondary level you read 3-7. So Here I am in the first year of the upper secondary level and I have read two years of french in the lower school. Level 1-2. I got the hightest grades and I understand the basics pretty good. So here I have to chooze if I should continue whith french to the level 7 which will give me a special good point that is necessary to apply for university, and of course I allready have the basics. But I am interested in opening me up for the big airlines and I know that Lufthansacityline hires low hour pilots (when the market is very good) and if you pass the DLR. So should this against the odds, happen, I want to be ready.

So here is the deal. I could chooze to continue with the french which would be good for university studyes, Its easier than German and I will be very good at it since I will read all the levels. So whith this I can work for Brussels or Air France for example, in the future. I could allso chooze to quit french and start reading German from the basic level-1. This will not give me all the levels and it means that I have to take german classes after I have completed my upper 2 education.

So what do you recomend, Go for french or change to German? Which is the best for a pilot anyway, and what is the best for my needs?

Of course AF and LH are a long way ahead but I want to be ready for the interview when I am 30-40.

Maybe LH is a better airline than AF and maybe its best to take German? There are many more interesting airlines in Germany as well.

[Vems]

I'm at similar age, planning my future is well, but not for the next 20 years :\

THE LANGUAGE USED IN AVIATION IS ENGLISH. Keep improving your english. French is good, German is good. Although personally I would choose french, I have studied that along with english and it's a pretty simple language ( I'm very good with quite a few languages actually, somehow they get into my head quickly ). Don't plan your future up to the time you're 40. For God's sake, you're 16 and you have your whole life ahead of you. ( So as myself )
Don't plan to work for BA, Lufthansa, Quantas or any other airline yet.

Just fly, enjoy and when the time comes, make the tough decisions. The training is the best part of your life as a pilot, at least that's what everyone tells me, so make the best out of it! By the time you're 40, you may give up flying because .. for whatever reason, so don't make these all huge plans yet. Take care on your PPL exams, study hard and try to get the best results. When you'll be nearly finishing PPL, start to look for a school in which you're going to do your ATPL's. Build up your hours, gain experience, and I'll say it for the 90th time. ENJOY FLYING!


Ohhh!

Vems.

[OMDB30R]

Fabe92

Its great to see that your are doing your research, but I see on other threads you are asking about joining Thomas Cook, Ryannair, Air France and Lufthansa etc etc.

Its a very competitive market out there, so you may not get the choice you want.

My advice is rather than jumping ahead of yourself, is for you to concentrate on finishing school first, then start worrying about which airlines you want to work for.

Good Luck

[fabbe92]

Thats exactly what I am doing mate. I am concentrating on school. So her I am whit the paper that I have to fill in and give to my teacher. They wonder if I want to study French or German. And that makes me think of which is the best option. I am not going for just one airline. I will send out cvs to every airline in Europe when I am done with training:ok:

But Since LHcityline hires lowhours that would be a nice job if I see that the market is good when I graudate. There are allso many more german airlines than french.

And Lufthansa probably has the best pilots in the world since they have the hardest tests. No yoking about the lufthansa being the best. But I am just concentrating on school and I have to make a choice here. Its simple German or French. Which is best for a pilot career in Europe.

Hey I finally managed to decide on the Integrated vs Modular so this one here should be a peace of cake:}

:ok:

[OMDB30R]

I would probaly say German then, as you quite rightly pointed out, there are more German Carriers then French, and plus SN Brussels like you to be fluent in both French and German.

Swiss insists on willingness to learn German, so German does sound a better option, but ultimately its your choice.

Good Luck again.

[Propellerhead]

TheBadger:

How come every single one of your 9 posts has included a plug for the same website? You wouldn't make money out of it would you? I don't care if you want to plug your website, but why do you pretend that you are a satisfied customer?