Advise For Students
Transition Layer
I can answer the question as to whether someone goes to the top of the pile for interview selection for direct entry S/O or F/O in my company if they have a university degree. A few years ago I spent some time working in the Flight Crew Recruitment Department when I was off flying due to medical reasons. The very simple answer is no they don’t. Candidates are initially screened to make sure they meet the minimum educational background. If they do they are put into a pile for further evaluation. In determining whether someone now makes it to interview we grade the files on the applicants background, i.e., Military, major airline, corporate jet, regional airline, GA, turbine etc. We then look at there hours. At no stage do we grade the file based on educational background. Cadets are graded differently as we want to make sure that they can apply themselves when we send them to Adelaide.
There is concerted effort from levels of management well above flight ops managers to keep pilot wages under control. While at the end of the day flight ops will have the final say as to whether someone makes it into the company, they are under considerable pressure to keep the selection process as broad as possible. It makes no sense to favor pilots that have degrees to those that don’t when quite clearly the majority of applicants we see don’t have degrees.
I don't think anyone on these forums can answer that question, but I have always been led to believe that at QF for example, a Degree will have a positive affect on someone's overall "competitiveness", which of course takes into account all other factors including hours and flying background.
There is concerted effort from levels of management well above flight ops managers to keep pilot wages under control. While at the end of the day flight ops will have the final say as to whether someone makes it into the company, they are under considerable pressure to keep the selection process as broad as possible. It makes no sense to favor pilots that have degrees to those that don’t when quite clearly the majority of applicants we see don’t have degrees.
404,
Thanks for your quick reply and for answering my question from a CX perspective.
However, just one point...
I don't think I ever implied someone would go to the "top of the pile". I merely suggested that it could possibly make one candidate more "competitive" (to coin a QF phrase) than another, given similar hours/background/age.
A333,
I'd imagine that time would be the main issue, especially since the advent of the Cadet Placement Programme. If they were to complete a degree, then 2 yrs in "GA" (haha) you'd be looking at 5yrs from the time QF recruited them til when they would be ready for QF training. A hell of a lot can change in that time in terms of recruiting requirements. That's just a stab in the dark though.
TL
Thanks for your quick reply and for answering my question from a CX perspective.
However, just one point...
...as to whether someone goes to the top of the pile for interview selection for direct entry S/O or F/O in my company if they have a university degree
A333,
I'd imagine that time would be the main issue, especially since the advent of the Cadet Placement Programme. If they were to complete a degree, then 2 yrs in "GA" (haha) you'd be looking at 5yrs from the time QF recruited them til when they would be ready for QF training. A hell of a lot can change in that time in terms of recruiting requirements. That's just a stab in the dark though.
TL
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I think you guys have misunderstood me. When I said degrees were a waste of time (BAv), I was saying they were a delay.
Your first job is the most important in terms of building hours. If a degree does not help you in your first job, then why bother with it. Although again I say, it depends on each individual.
If you have got a lot of hours, you've most likely got the right attitude and experience to be flying in an airline let alone in the bush which is hard enough.
Now why delay yourself when you could get more hours during the 2 years, as TL you said.
Degree or no degree, in the end we all want to land a job in the airlines and I'm sure whichever we go, we will reach it with sufficient hours and experience.
Your first job is the most important in terms of building hours. If a degree does not help you in your first job, then why bother with it. Although again I say, it depends on each individual.
If you have got a lot of hours, you've most likely got the right attitude and experience to be flying in an airline let alone in the bush which is hard enough.
Now why delay yourself when you could get more hours during the 2 years, as TL you said.
Degree or no degree, in the end we all want to land a job in the airlines and I'm sure whichever we go, we will reach it with sufficient hours and experience.
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Degree, I don't think it will help. Who do you want in the seat when the **** hits the fan, a 200 hundred hour pilot with a degree, or some one with 5000 hrs plus in the book with bush and turboprop time in the regionals. You won't even get an interview with less than a 1000. And who do you think will get the job?
carro, with the degree you have, why not call CX or QF and tell them when you would like to start.
carro, with the degree you have, why not call CX or QF and tell them when you would like to start.
Last edited by Speedlever; 16th Jul 2005 at 12:18.
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God........has this hoary old chestnut risen from its lair again???
To Do List
1. Read requirements for job off website
2. Trundle off and do CPL at decent reasonably priced school
3. Do ME/CIR
4. Do ATPL subjects thence find job
5. Do Instructors rating just in case bush is not an option
6. Do/Finish off HSC subjects if relevant
7. Work arse off for an average of 5 years thence get into airline
8. Do a REAL managment degree if and when time allows (will come in handy once one gets sick of flying!)
Dont Do List
1. Get hitched!
2. Get kinda hitched
3. Variations of the above
4. Waste time going to Uni Flight Course
5. Think about getting hitched at point 7 or 8 in the To Do List
There you go my darlings.....how to become a sky god in one easy lesson!
Now.....I'm off to drink wine and dream about getting a paycheck!.....a paycheck.....what a novel idea.....right up there with .............lets see..........a paycheck......I DOOOOOOO know what one looks like!.......it's a square thing right?.......with writing or something.......has a raffia workbase or the such
To Do List
1. Read requirements for job off website
2. Trundle off and do CPL at decent reasonably priced school
3. Do ME/CIR
4. Do ATPL subjects thence find job
5. Do Instructors rating just in case bush is not an option
6. Do/Finish off HSC subjects if relevant
7. Work arse off for an average of 5 years thence get into airline
8. Do a REAL managment degree if and when time allows (will come in handy once one gets sick of flying!)
Dont Do List
1. Get hitched!
2. Get kinda hitched
3. Variations of the above
4. Waste time going to Uni Flight Course
5. Think about getting hitched at point 7 or 8 in the To Do List
There you go my darlings.....how to become a sky god in one easy lesson!
Now.....I'm off to drink wine and dream about getting a paycheck!.....a paycheck.....what a novel idea.....right up there with .............lets see..........a paycheck......I DOOOOOOO know what one looks like!.......it's a square thing right?.......with writing or something.......has a raffia workbase or the such
