Advice sought about pilot training
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Advice sought about pilot training
Hello all,
I've been a firefighter here in london for nearly 10 years and am considering a career change
I have a few questions that i'd really appreciate soe awnsers too:
a) It seems like the best way to train is through a sponsorship program. Iv'e looked and BA, Virgin, Easy jet, Wizz air are not accepting applications at the moment. Will they be running these cadet schemes again any time soon? Am i too old at the age of 33?
b) If you went down the route of training with a school such as CTC, is it really true that 98% of their students get employment?
c) What can you expect to earn straight out of training?
I've been a firefighter here in london for nearly 10 years and am considering a career change
I have a few questions that i'd really appreciate soe awnsers too:
a) It seems like the best way to train is through a sponsorship program. Iv'e looked and BA, Virgin, Easy jet, Wizz air are not accepting applications at the moment. Will they be running these cadet schemes again any time soon? Am i too old at the age of 33?
b) If you went down the route of training with a school such as CTC, is it really true that 98% of their students get employment?
c) What can you expect to earn straight out of training?
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well ive spoken to someone at CTC and they have answered my questions - but i'd really appreciate a second opinion
a) Apparently there's not much difference in that a lot of sponsership programs require you to put up the money anyway. The guy i spoke too said i wouldn't feel out of place at 33
b) Apprently yes its true, 98%
c) Apparently you're looking at roughly 38k depending on airline. Although i didn't know that you will normally have to fork out another 30k for type rating
a) Apparently there's not much difference in that a lot of sponsership programs require you to put up the money anyway. The guy i spoke too said i wouldn't feel out of place at 33
b) Apprently yes its true, 98%
c) Apparently you're looking at roughly 38k depending on airline. Although i didn't know that you will normally have to fork out another 30k for type rating
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A general answer
The questions you're asking have been heavily discussed on other pages, I know it's a lot of reading but you'll save yourself a lot of time in the end.
Yes it's true that you will have to sort out your own finances for a sponsored training scheme. The EZY MPL for example will cost 110k but I believe this includes the type rating. The only exceptions appear to be BA who will secure your loan and Air Lingus who will pay for the entire training including accommodation and food.
As for the 98% success rate I don't believe that they count the cadets that complete training but fail to make the grade for their holding pool. Also I believe those who are not selected by an airline and don't make it out of the holding pool after 2 years and are subsequently dropped from the pool are counted in that statistic.
I recently observed a cadet who was about to start training within a month asking CTC on their Facebook page about the how to ensure he/she made it out of the holding pool as quickly as possible. Personally I thought that was something you ask face to face before you sign on the dotted line.
CTC are great at what they do but there are a lot of half truths that come from their employees and cadets. If you don't ask the right questions they won't give you the right answers.
Good luck
Ps. I'm not a CTC hater just calling it as I see it.
Yes it's true that you will have to sort out your own finances for a sponsored training scheme. The EZY MPL for example will cost 110k but I believe this includes the type rating. The only exceptions appear to be BA who will secure your loan and Air Lingus who will pay for the entire training including accommodation and food.
As for the 98% success rate I don't believe that they count the cadets that complete training but fail to make the grade for their holding pool. Also I believe those who are not selected by an airline and don't make it out of the holding pool after 2 years and are subsequently dropped from the pool are counted in that statistic.
I recently observed a cadet who was about to start training within a month asking CTC on their Facebook page about the how to ensure he/she made it out of the holding pool as quickly as possible. Personally I thought that was something you ask face to face before you sign on the dotted line.
CTC are great at what they do but there are a lot of half truths that come from their employees and cadets. If you don't ask the right questions they won't give you the right answers.
Good luck
Ps. I'm not a CTC hater just calling it as I see it.
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No, your not too old, plenty of people in their forties completing line training.
CTC are good at what they do and you are likely to get a job through them so long as you keep your end of the bargain - 90% avg in aptls, first series pass in cpl/Meir and you can keep a check on your character. However, there is no gaurantees and if the economy goes sour in the middle of your training all bets are off! Also, it is the most expensive way to complete your training.
You've a good career, I'd think long and hard about giving it up. Only do it if being a pilot is what you really really want. You also might want to look at the modular route to training, it might be more beneficial for some like you.
CTC are good at what they do and you are likely to get a job through them so long as you keep your end of the bargain - 90% avg in aptls, first series pass in cpl/Meir and you can keep a check on your character. However, there is no gaurantees and if the economy goes sour in the middle of your training all bets are off! Also, it is the most expensive way to complete your training.
You've a good career, I'd think long and hard about giving it up. Only do it if being a pilot is what you really really want. You also might want to look at the modular route to training, it might be more beneficial for some like you.
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My 10 cents:
I started flying a long time ago, such things like CTC did not exist, some airlines had their "Ab-inito"(now you call it cadets, sounds to "military" for me) programs, mainly for sons of fathers flying already for this airlines. Often it is still the case. Or you needed some political "push", of course from the right party. That's how it was, sometimes still is(not so many ab initio courses remaining now).
This was the cheap way to go into flying. Most of us, me included, had not the connections(or right daddy) to do that. So we had to do it the hard way - working(as you do), saving money for the PPL. Then going on, starting slowly CPL/IRF/ME, aside pulling gliders and on some stage, throwing all the money in the pot and go for 1 month to the states to fly a 40 USD/h Cessna to build hours.
After that, continue working, starting with the frozen ATPL course(I think nowadays you have to do probably other BS like MCC and other useful stuff ^^), keep on working and start to apply to everything that owns something with an engine and has wings.
If you get really lucky you get not hired by one of this crappy operators with one Cessna 340(because you do not know anyone who would open some doors for you) but some medium sized airline invites you for their selection process.
If you pass that(I got lucky here and landed my first airline medium jet job way back with roughly 250 hours piston) you fly for peanuts for a couple of years till you hit at least 3000 hours jet. Then you can start applying, most likely with little luck till you get your first command in your "starter airline". After that, 500 hrs command, providing market situation is good, you might have a chance to improve.
That is just the start of a long pilot journey, after that it got very interesting with a lot of up and downs(and ups, and downs,and.. get what I am trying to say?). I could most likely write a book, will probably do that after my retirement to survive my pension(moneywise).
That is the fate of a lot of pilots, except a few lucky(yes, I say lucky, not the best ones, because that what it is after all) ones that make it into some big carriers(and then life becomes boring again).
I do not say that I do not like my pilot life. I actually really do, have seen a lot of countries, lots of companies(too many, especially some I really could have avoided, not saying names here), lots of experiences. Meet a lot of nice people and some real assholes - unfortunaltey then you have to share a cockpit with them for a lot of hours which is not nice.
All in all the career of a pilot is interesting IF you don't choose to waste your live with some regional carrier and stick with them for ever. In this case it becomes more or less an office job.
If you go on and explore, then there is a lot of risk involved. But it widens your horizon(not always your briefcase though).
Be aware that the choice is risky, you might loose a big chunk of money and never get anything back in return except spending every year more money to renew a typerating and a class 1 medical.
I do not know what a firefighter in a big city makes nowadays, but I assume you will be down on your salary over the first few years till you make captain. Of course there is always a chance to make it into BA(longrange, as the more interesting - for a new pilot - shortrange is A320 only) and then get bored on flying a widebody and do most likely 3 landing a months(if at all, as the captain has to keep up his autoland and CatIII currency and taking away "your" landings). A320 would be a good start for a newbie - lots of sectors, tons of landings in bad European weather. The best school early at the career.
Hard choice. I am not sure, after all what I did and experienced I would really like to become a pilot again.
But if you do, do it step by step, keep your job and look around what comes up. Maybe getting some hints from some flightinstructors about small job openings, stuff like that. This fully integrated courses are a big financial risk and you do not know what comes afterwards. That's for kids with money or some real gamblers.
With 33 you did your fair share of working already and for sure you do not want to depend on someone to give(or maybe not) you a job after course completion.
I started flying a long time ago, such things like CTC did not exist, some airlines had their "Ab-inito"(now you call it cadets, sounds to "military" for me) programs, mainly for sons of fathers flying already for this airlines. Often it is still the case. Or you needed some political "push", of course from the right party. That's how it was, sometimes still is(not so many ab initio courses remaining now).
This was the cheap way to go into flying. Most of us, me included, had not the connections(or right daddy) to do that. So we had to do it the hard way - working(as you do), saving money for the PPL. Then going on, starting slowly CPL/IRF/ME, aside pulling gliders and on some stage, throwing all the money in the pot and go for 1 month to the states to fly a 40 USD/h Cessna to build hours.
After that, continue working, starting with the frozen ATPL course(I think nowadays you have to do probably other BS like MCC and other useful stuff ^^), keep on working and start to apply to everything that owns something with an engine and has wings.
If you get really lucky you get not hired by one of this crappy operators with one Cessna 340(because you do not know anyone who would open some doors for you) but some medium sized airline invites you for their selection process.
If you pass that(I got lucky here and landed my first airline medium jet job way back with roughly 250 hours piston) you fly for peanuts for a couple of years till you hit at least 3000 hours jet. Then you can start applying, most likely with little luck till you get your first command in your "starter airline". After that, 500 hrs command, providing market situation is good, you might have a chance to improve.
That is just the start of a long pilot journey, after that it got very interesting with a lot of up and downs(and ups, and downs,and.. get what I am trying to say?). I could most likely write a book, will probably do that after my retirement to survive my pension(moneywise).
That is the fate of a lot of pilots, except a few lucky(yes, I say lucky, not the best ones, because that what it is after all) ones that make it into some big carriers(and then life becomes boring again).
I do not say that I do not like my pilot life. I actually really do, have seen a lot of countries, lots of companies(too many, especially some I really could have avoided, not saying names here), lots of experiences. Meet a lot of nice people and some real assholes - unfortunaltey then you have to share a cockpit with them for a lot of hours which is not nice.
All in all the career of a pilot is interesting IF you don't choose to waste your live with some regional carrier and stick with them for ever. In this case it becomes more or less an office job.
If you go on and explore, then there is a lot of risk involved. But it widens your horizon(not always your briefcase though).
Be aware that the choice is risky, you might loose a big chunk of money and never get anything back in return except spending every year more money to renew a typerating and a class 1 medical.
I do not know what a firefighter in a big city makes nowadays, but I assume you will be down on your salary over the first few years till you make captain. Of course there is always a chance to make it into BA(longrange, as the more interesting - for a new pilot - shortrange is A320 only) and then get bored on flying a widebody and do most likely 3 landing a months(if at all, as the captain has to keep up his autoland and CatIII currency and taking away "your" landings). A320 would be a good start for a newbie - lots of sectors, tons of landings in bad European weather. The best school early at the career.
Hard choice. I am not sure, after all what I did and experienced I would really like to become a pilot again.
But if you do, do it step by step, keep your job and look around what comes up. Maybe getting some hints from some flightinstructors about small job openings, stuff like that. This fully integrated courses are a big financial risk and you do not know what comes afterwards. That's for kids with money or some real gamblers.
With 33 you did your fair share of working already and for sure you do not want to depend on someone to give(or maybe not) you a job after course completion.
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Hello all,
I've been a firefighter here in london for nearly 10 years and am considering a career change
I have a few questions that i'd really appreciate soe awnsers too:
a) It seems like the best way to train is through a sponsorship program. Iv'e looked and BA, Virgin, Easy jet, Wizz air are not accepting applications at the moment. Will they be running these cadet schemes again any time soon? Am i too old at the age of 33?
b) If you went down the route of training with a school such as CTC, is it really true that 98% of their students get employment?
c) What can you expect to earn straight out of training?
I've been a firefighter here in london for nearly 10 years and am considering a career change
I have a few questions that i'd really appreciate soe awnsers too:
a) It seems like the best way to train is through a sponsorship program. Iv'e looked and BA, Virgin, Easy jet, Wizz air are not accepting applications at the moment. Will they be running these cadet schemes again any time soon? Am i too old at the age of 33?
b) If you went down the route of training with a school such as CTC, is it really true that 98% of their students get employment?
c) What can you expect to earn straight out of training?
I am also in full time employment like you (Police) and started the change of career path in 2009 (I am also 33). I am now applying for jobs having gone down the modular route as
A) I could not afford the up front costs of the integrated route and
B) I did not want to leave my career without something else on offer.
I have by no means rushed my modular training (I was wanting to finish when the job market was better, which I think I have achieved), so do not be put off by my timescale. The modular route can be done much quicker, especially with your extra night shift study time..
At the end of the day it is up to you but unless you can afford and can take a long career break to go down the integrated path then I would be considering the benefits of the modular path in your position.
Just my opinion of course..
All the best,
Liam
