Change of Career?!
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Change of Career?!
Hi all
I am completely new to the whole flying game (indeed, only have my first lesson in a couple of weeks).
I currenly work in finance in London (yawn yawn I hear), am 25 and am bored with what I do.
Flying has always been something that I wanted to do but lack of funds, time or circumstance has meant that I have not, until now got round to learning.
My question is I would love to be an airline pilot (like so many) and am considering jacking it all in, begging for some money from the bank and training myself up. I will of course also apply to any sponsored / easy Jet type schemes that are out there.
Given my age and the fact that I have zilch experience do you think I am mad in light of the current job climate? Even if I were to train myself up am I likely to get any sort of job with little hours?!
Any comments or advice would be much appreciated!
I am completely new to the whole flying game (indeed, only have my first lesson in a couple of weeks).
I currenly work in finance in London (yawn yawn I hear), am 25 and am bored with what I do.
Flying has always been something that I wanted to do but lack of funds, time or circumstance has meant that I have not, until now got round to learning.
My question is I would love to be an airline pilot (like so many) and am considering jacking it all in, begging for some money from the bank and training myself up. I will of course also apply to any sponsored / easy Jet type schemes that are out there.
Given my age and the fact that I have zilch experience do you think I am mad in light of the current job climate? Even if I were to train myself up am I likely to get any sort of job with little hours?!
Any comments or advice would be much appreciated!
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roberand
Flying tends to be a vocational thing, and you won't really know until you've tried it, so I wouldn't go making any big plans until after your first flying lesson.
Skysheriff has a point too, flying is an excellent hobby, if you can afford it. Alternately, if you're good, you work hard and have a dash of luck, you can turn it into a profession, and thus get paid to do your hobby.
Your age isn't too much of a handicap, but you haven't a lot of time to waste, given that it would take the best part of a couple of years to 'get yourself trained up'. Hopefully by then the lull in the industry will be over, and you'll be in with a decent chance of a job.
Best of luck, and enjoy your first lesson.
Flying tends to be a vocational thing, and you won't really know until you've tried it, so I wouldn't go making any big plans until after your first flying lesson.
Skysheriff has a point too, flying is an excellent hobby, if you can afford it. Alternately, if you're good, you work hard and have a dash of luck, you can turn it into a profession, and thus get paid to do your hobby.
Your age isn't too much of a handicap, but you haven't a lot of time to waste, given that it would take the best part of a couple of years to 'get yourself trained up'. Hopefully by then the lull in the industry will be over, and you'll be in with a decent chance of a job.
Best of luck, and enjoy your first lesson.
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I have no regrets about getting my
and I started later than you..................
see here
Enjoy what you do for a living, if you don't you'll regret never having taken the chance. How much do you want it...................?
PP
useless professional license
see here
Enjoy what you do for a living, if you don't you'll regret never having taken the chance. How much do you want it...................?
PP
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roberand
PP is right, life is too short to end up 60 and wishing you had done things differently, "you only get one shot" as they say.
I'm even older than PP and only qualified in December 2002, but despite no job yet and a pile of debts,
1. I'm proud to have got my licence,
2. I WILL get a job, and after all, flying anything has got to be better than being stuck in an office.
There are jobs out there you just have to look very hard and have luck on your side. Two bits of practical advice - choose your route very carefully, there are lots of options so get as much info as possible and try to speak to people who have done it the way you think might suit you. Also, try and get a few hours under your belt before committing vast sums of money - after months of groundschool but just five hours of actual flying one of the guys on my course found he hated it after all...
Good luck and enjoy...
oap
PP is right, life is too short to end up 60 and wishing you had done things differently, "you only get one shot" as they say.
I'm even older than PP and only qualified in December 2002, but despite no job yet and a pile of debts,
1. I'm proud to have got my licence,
2. I WILL get a job, and after all, flying anything has got to be better than being stuck in an office.
There are jobs out there you just have to look very hard and have luck on your side. Two bits of practical advice - choose your route very carefully, there are lots of options so get as much info as possible and try to speak to people who have done it the way you think might suit you. Also, try and get a few hours under your belt before committing vast sums of money - after months of groundschool but just five hours of actual flying one of the guys on my course found he hated it after all...
Good luck and enjoy...
oap
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Hi Roberand,
First of all good luck on your first flight, I'm pretty sure that you will enjoy it. Regarding your question as to whether or not you should change carreers. I'm not to familiar with flying in Europe, I learned to fly in the US. I believe it is much cheaper here in the States. The biggest considerations, I think, are how much are you willing to sacrifice (financially, emotionally) and how badly do you want to fly for airline? No doubt this can turn out to be one of the biggest gambles in someones life. Unless you are fortunate enough to get into an Ab Initio scheme or the military, it means that you will need to pay for your lessons yourself. Flying jobs aren't that easy to come by right now especially airlines, but there are some bright spots at least in the States (jet Blue, Air Tran, ATA , and some others are hiring). I know several European pilots that got their training in the US and managed to secure jobs as flight instructors in the US ( the typical route for aspiring airline pilots here), and some have even been hired with Regional carriers. Its a long road with lots of sacrifices, but well worht I think. Good luck.
First of all good luck on your first flight, I'm pretty sure that you will enjoy it. Regarding your question as to whether or not you should change carreers. I'm not to familiar with flying in Europe, I learned to fly in the US. I believe it is much cheaper here in the States. The biggest considerations, I think, are how much are you willing to sacrifice (financially, emotionally) and how badly do you want to fly for airline? No doubt this can turn out to be one of the biggest gambles in someones life. Unless you are fortunate enough to get into an Ab Initio scheme or the military, it means that you will need to pay for your lessons yourself. Flying jobs aren't that easy to come by right now especially airlines, but there are some bright spots at least in the States (jet Blue, Air Tran, ATA , and some others are hiring). I know several European pilots that got their training in the US and managed to secure jobs as flight instructors in the US ( the typical route for aspiring airline pilots here), and some have even been hired with Regional carriers. Its a long road with lots of sacrifices, but well worht I think. Good luck.
For now just blow six grand or so on a PPL and an IMC rating.
This will do several things:
a) Let you find out out your aptitude for the job - your instructor will be able to tell you if you have the ability to reasonably complete professional training.
b) You will find out if your perception meets the reality of flying and flying procedurally in crap weather. For some people the perception is way out and you don't really 'get it' by going for a couple of sunny trial lessons and grinning.
c) If you do decide to go for it the PPL and IMC hours and experience all count and are excellent building blocks towards your CPL. You may well have found an excellent school/instructor in the process and if you haven't you'll at least have a better idea of how to pick one next time for your CPL module.
d) You can complete the PPL and IMC without having to jack in your current career so its all upside and no downside. By going a little more slowly like this all thats going to happen is you have more time to save and the market for hiring new pilots will improve.
Good luck, it was the finest life decision I ever made at the age of 24 when I resigned my desk job. Now on 737's and loving it bigstyle at 28.
WWW
This will do several things:
a) Let you find out out your aptitude for the job - your instructor will be able to tell you if you have the ability to reasonably complete professional training.
b) You will find out if your perception meets the reality of flying and flying procedurally in crap weather. For some people the perception is way out and you don't really 'get it' by going for a couple of sunny trial lessons and grinning.
c) If you do decide to go for it the PPL and IMC hours and experience all count and are excellent building blocks towards your CPL. You may well have found an excellent school/instructor in the process and if you haven't you'll at least have a better idea of how to pick one next time for your CPL module.
d) You can complete the PPL and IMC without having to jack in your current career so its all upside and no downside. By going a little more slowly like this all thats going to happen is you have more time to save and the market for hiring new pilots will improve.
Good luck, it was the finest life decision I ever made at the age of 24 when I resigned my desk job. Now on 737's and loving it bigstyle at 28.
WWW
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All - thanks very much for your words of advice!
As you say, I will definitely see first if the 'idea' of flying that I have in my head matches the reality before committing to any significant change.
Since sponsorship schemes only usually recruit until the age of 26 then I don't have much time to get a significant number of hours under my belt beforehand.
However, will have a few lessons, see if I like it and go from there!
Thanks again...
As you say, I will definitely see first if the 'idea' of flying that I have in my head matches the reality before committing to any significant change.
Since sponsorship schemes only usually recruit until the age of 26 then I don't have much time to get a significant number of hours under my belt beforehand.
However, will have a few lessons, see if I like it and go from there!
Thanks again...
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The answer to your question depends on a number of things. What do you do in banking?
My experience was that at 25 your earning power is beginning to ramp up. This can then pay for your PPL/IMC and hundreds of hours. You can then choose aviation later in life (I got burnt out this year and have just started ATPLs at 31).
The risk of doing it now is that you could be throwing away a good banking career for several years and lots of money, in order to end up an unemployed pilot.
If you're not really getting anywhere with banking though you might just as well take the plunge.....
My experience was that at 25 your earning power is beginning to ramp up. This can then pay for your PPL/IMC and hundreds of hours. You can then choose aviation later in life (I got burnt out this year and have just started ATPLs at 31).
The risk of doing it now is that you could be throwing away a good banking career for several years and lots of money, in order to end up an unemployed pilot.
If you're not really getting anywhere with banking though you might just as well take the plunge.....
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Similar situation
Hey roberand,
Your circumstances are very similar to mine - I'm also 25, and working as an investment banker in mergers & acquisitions. I've always wanted to be a commercial pilot too, and not a day goes by without me watching the aircraft approach Heathrow over Canary Wharf wanting to be up there.
Slight difference, I've a PPL and have been flying since 13, something I do as regularly as possible. I've also been tempted to jack all the finance thing in and try for sponsorship/take out a loan to pay for myself. The issue is the job market/lack of sponsorship at the moment; I'm not too comfortable giving up a well paid job which has huge earnings potential (as has been said above, the salary increases expotentially from now until 35ish) for a career which at the moment is (a) huge risk and (b) relatively low paid. So for the moment, I've resolved to continue to work in the City (which after all isn't TOO bad), continue private flying, and pay for myself when I can afford it and am more finanacially comfortable (I realise this may not be for a decade). I know I'll probably never get to the LHS of a BA 744 this way (which has always been my aim)..but there is so much more to commercial flying, which if necessary you can buy your way into (e.g. I quite fancy short haul, high freq flying). And this way, (1) I'll always have something to fall back on and (2) As much as I've always REALLY wanted to fly commercially, something at the back of mind says "can I really do it for 30 years and still be stimulated by it?" So I guess I'm going for the best of both worlds...if I make it!!!
Tricky situation....good luck with it!! Feel free to PM...
Your circumstances are very similar to mine - I'm also 25, and working as an investment banker in mergers & acquisitions. I've always wanted to be a commercial pilot too, and not a day goes by without me watching the aircraft approach Heathrow over Canary Wharf wanting to be up there.
Slight difference, I've a PPL and have been flying since 13, something I do as regularly as possible. I've also been tempted to jack all the finance thing in and try for sponsorship/take out a loan to pay for myself. The issue is the job market/lack of sponsorship at the moment; I'm not too comfortable giving up a well paid job which has huge earnings potential (as has been said above, the salary increases expotentially from now until 35ish) for a career which at the moment is (a) huge risk and (b) relatively low paid. So for the moment, I've resolved to continue to work in the City (which after all isn't TOO bad), continue private flying, and pay for myself when I can afford it and am more finanacially comfortable (I realise this may not be for a decade). I know I'll probably never get to the LHS of a BA 744 this way (which has always been my aim)..but there is so much more to commercial flying, which if necessary you can buy your way into (e.g. I quite fancy short haul, high freq flying). And this way, (1) I'll always have something to fall back on and (2) As much as I've always REALLY wanted to fly commercially, something at the back of mind says "can I really do it for 30 years and still be stimulated by it?" So I guess I'm going for the best of both worlds...if I make it!!!
Tricky situation....good luck with it!! Feel free to PM...
Last edited by easyflyer; 23rd Jun 2003 at 22:10.
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Some good advice above..I'd be inclined to suggest you do a PPL first then review the situation. If you're in a job that you can easily walk back into then perhaps a full course is an option but there are a lot of approved course guys out there still looking for employment. Many of them are considering paying a further 20K to put a rating on their licence to try and boost the job prospects. There are also a lot of unemployed airline crew out there too.
I'm not trying to put you off but you need to have your eyes wide open to embark on a flying career at the moment. You could also consider the instructor route which would enable you to keep your bank job.
I'm not trying to put you off but you need to have your eyes wide open to embark on a flying career at the moment. You could also consider the instructor route which would enable you to keep your bank job.
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Hi again
Once more....thanks all very much for your advice. Like you all say I won't do anything life changing just yet until I have found out if it is for me.
However, I guess there is nothing to stop me from applying for any part-sponsored type schemes out there in the meantime(although they are of course few and far between and highly competitive!). Given that you usually have to be under 26 then it really is now or never with regard to these.
If nothing comes of that then I will still definitely get my PPL and see what my options are from there.
As for the moment, passed my class 2 the other day and just got the intro pack through from the flying school.....am therefore well excited and can't wait!
Cheers for now......!
Once more....thanks all very much for your advice. Like you all say I won't do anything life changing just yet until I have found out if it is for me.
However, I guess there is nothing to stop me from applying for any part-sponsored type schemes out there in the meantime(although they are of course few and far between and highly competitive!). Given that you usually have to be under 26 then it really is now or never with regard to these.
If nothing comes of that then I will still definitely get my PPL and see what my options are from there.
As for the moment, passed my class 2 the other day and just got the intro pack through from the flying school.....am therefore well excited and can't wait!
Cheers for now......!
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I would love to be an airline pilot (like so many) and am considering jacking it all in
