ATP Scheme (easyjet type rating and line hrs)

[al1975]

just joined this forum to find out what the job hunting folk like myself thought of this new scheme offered to train at easyjet. for those who have not come across it before, its done through a company called airline training partnership and is advertised heavily on pprune.

you pay for type rating and 150 line hours with the prospect of joining easyjet or another associated airline. to me who has been looking for work for almost a year it seems like a good option and maybe time to bite the bullet and pay for a type rating.

seems like a similar setup to that at ryanair. has anyone else joined or is already on the course? what was the assessment like and did you have to pay for it?

any info would be much appreciated for this out of work and very depressed pilot!!!!!

cheers

[jkl]

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=328340

[al1975]

that thread does not give any indication of what the selection is like or the debate in terms of paying for a type rating in the current climate. just seems to be easyjet guys with jobs bashing this scheme down. i can understand them being a bit annoyed but where else am i meant to start my flying career? im sure there are wannabes like myself considering this as a chance at a job.

[al1975]

if someone was to go for this i would have thought that with a type rating and line hours done they may be ahead of incoming ctc guys. surly employing the ATP guys would be cheaper for easy in this tough time for airlines?

i dont know this cos i have not yet heard from anyone who has gone for selection or anyone who is on the course.

[BerksFlyer]

The line hours won't be THAT useful. It is only 150, and the usual required amount of hours is 500. Also it will effectively limit your possibilities because you will only be attractive to airbus operators.

i can understand them being a bit annoyed but where else am i meant to start my flying career?

There are many ways to start your career. You don't honestly think everyone else pays to work do you?

Look outside the box. Go to Africa, look at turboprop operators, go to other parts of Europe, become an instructor. There are more airlines than just the well known ones.

This isn't the same as the Ryanair offering. The Ryanair scheme is better than this because:

1. it is cheaper
2. you actually have a job at the end
3. you get paid (albeit poorly at the start)

[Husky One]

You need to look harder guys. This is just a revenue earner for Easyjet. You can get the rating for half this cost in europe. Chances of getting a job at the end = very very slim.

[modern monkey]

Don't pay easyjet 30grand to work for them, you spineless muppet. There are many way's to get on in the airline industry without paying 30grand to work for easyjet.

taken from dictionary.com:

job:1.a piece of work, esp. a specific task done as part of the routine of one's occupation or for an agreed price: She gave him the job of mowing the lawn. 2.a post of employment; full-time or part-time position: She was seeking a job as an editor.

So do you want a job / career, which is something you actually get paid to do?

If so then go out and get one and don't entertain the money grabbing, fool exploiting chancers that are running this scheme.

Or are you in this game because "it has always been your dream to fly"?
If so then give Jimmy Saville a ring instead. Piss off and stop turning my profession into some kind of playground for kids with rich daddies / trust funds to come and "play aeroplanes".

These kind of schemes and the idiots who pay them lip service are ruining the industry.

[Strato Q]

Modern Monkey - grow up, he was just asking for some advice in these difficult times. Try and engage your brain before you post again!

[modern monkey]

My brain is fully engaged thankyou very much. Its the people who entertain these ridiculous "pay to work" schemes that need to engage their brains.

I don't care how hard times may be, the very principle of paying an airline to work on revenue gaining flights is rotten to the core and reeks of sickening desperation. I stand firm in my conviction that those who do so are not professional pilots, but hopeless dreamers, who through their actions compromise the integrity of our profession.

[al1975]

wow!!! what a mature response. do u seriously think that posts like this are going to make these SSTR schemes go away.

no matter how much you dislike it this scheme is out there and im sure the organisation in question will manage to fill the posts on offer.

my question was aimed at unemployed pilots disillusioned at the lack of opportunities at this present time in ''your'' industry. and i wondered if anyone on pprune had been for the selection process.

unfortunately times change and at present things seem to be heading in this direction. was hoping for a valuable debate not a slanging match.

[BerksFlyer]

do u seriously think that posts like this are going to make these SSTR schemes go away.

But this isn't just an SSTR, it's the line hours that are causing the problem amongst pilots.

[G SXTY]

surly employing the ATP guys would be cheaper for easy in this tough time for airlines?

Indeed it would al1975. And following your logic through to it's conclusion, once your 150 hrs of line training are completed, do you think it would be cheaper for Easyjet to give you a job or take on another person who's prepared to pay for the privilege of sitting in the right hand seat?

Can you see the problem?

[al1975]

so does that mean that you believe easy are taking hrs away from employed pilots for these kind of students to complete their 150 hrs. i was under the impression that fo's at easy were being overworked. also its only 32 students over the period of a year i think. not that many hrs going to atp students when comparing to total flight hrs at easy.

would be interesting to hear from someone who is on this course. are these students being treated fairly when on the line training seeing as they are paying for the experience.

[al1975]

that is a good point g sxty. have seen the advertising say that this is only for 32 pilots though. however if easy are making money out of this they will probably continue with the scheme. but if easy want to continue to make money in this way as ryanair does then the students following this course must get employment. it will not work otherwise.

[G SXTY]

A proportion of them may get jobs, but nowhere is it guaranteed. And the way the job market is going, I'd say the prospects are looking bleaker every month. Are you prepared to bet another £30k on top of your training costs that you'll get a job at the end of it?

By paying to fly for EZ you give them a commercial incentive not to employ you. Why should they when there will no doubt be a queue of people prepared to pay them?

As for the scheme not working if people don't get jobs at the end of it - I suspect there are more than enough desperate wannabes who are prepared to roll the dice and convince themselves it will work out for them.

I never thought I'd see the day, but Ryanair's scheme looks positively attractive by comparison.

[modern monkey]

By paying to fly for easyjet, you are by definition taking work from other honest, professional hard working pilots. If their pilots are overworked then they need to take on more paid pilots.

[jkl]

Flying Clara, Whilst I admire your optimism you are a little naive in that you do not realise there are no jobs at the moment.

It doesn't matter how many hours you have on type there are no jobs at easy so you are quite likely to find yourself with 150 hours on type & looking for employment elsewhere. I hope you consider this carefully before jumping in to this scheme.

[al1975]

flying clara, would really like to hear your experiences with the selection at atp. cheers

[BerksFlyer]

Clara,

While easyJet only want 50 hours, most airlines want 500. So when you realise that there aren't any jobs going, good luck with the search...

actual easyjet hours with easyjet planes, routes, slots, passengers, SOPs

That'll be something to tell your girlfriends won't it. What a day out

Creating easyJet revenue and hence easyJet profit. Even more profit seeing as you are kindly offering to cover the costs of the captain, and effectively being the highest paying passenger on board. easyJet are more like easyProfit with people like you.

I hope you're happy when you're in the aircraft knowing that you're keeping a professional pilot sat at home twiddling his/her thumbs.

What are the merits of this scheme to you? Why not go to Ryanair where they actually offer you a job? Is it because you like the pretty orange?

Or even better, why not go out and do some flying for money. Build your hours and experience the proper way without having to buy your way in. Too much like real flying?

[wbryce]

seems like a similar setup to that at ryanair.

Far from it. This makes RYR's route attractive IMO.