CATS -London Met - BGS (merged)

[mi2ka.finland]

Hi,


I am now in the position to enrol on a distance learning ATPL course at either London Metropolitan or CATS. Why not Bristol? Well, realistically I can only take 2 consecutive weeks off work – hence Bristol is out of the question.

So to anyone that has recently attended either CATS or London Met – What are your views on them?

I would prefer to have printed notes as I find them easier to study from – What are the notes like? Did you require any further study notes?

If I’m looking at enrolling on course with printed notes I am more inclined towards London Met as I can pay by instalments. If I do not require printed notes, the CATS online course is very competitively priced. That’s where I am getting stuck on which school to pick – There’s no way I can afford to pay more than £1000 in a one off payment.

A further point to note – I live on the South Coast and work in South London so visiting London Met University is easier than CATS.

Any hints on which to pick would be greatly appreciated.

Miika

[sion22]

Did you know that you can print the CATS study guides off?

Or buy the books piecemeal as you require them?

[fanda78]

CATS

I plan to start with CATS in January and bought Cabair notes plus using Paco s book for quick ref.

[mi2ka.finland]

I've had a look at the CATS online demo notes, they were good but impossible to print off (without doing print screen etc...) Are the actual paid for notes online easily printable and are they relatively to the point?

Also how do I go about getting notes from other schools i.e. Cabair?

Thanks

[122.85]

I am currently with CATS 10 done 4 to go and cannot recommend them enough. They have been really supportive and professional throughout. So far I have a 95% average and am no genius but just followed the plan CATS set out. You can always pick up notes off of Ebay or I know CATS now also sell books for the course (£600 I think so cheaper than OA etc).

Good luck with whoever you choose.

Matt

[Rat Catcher]

I used CATS and just printed what I needed, no complaints and helpful when needed!

[mrwilko]

They've also just moved into smart new offices / classrooms in Luton.

[FANS]

In terms of printing CATS material off, i.e. is it in PDF/is it easy to simply print off whole sections or does it need to be done window by window?

Cheers

[Rat Catcher]

FANS, I just printed the page I needed although that was almost a year ago, not sure if it's changed and sorry, can't remember if it was PDF or not! I think that fact may have got lost along the way somewhere or converted in to a Lambert's Conical Projection
All the best with those exams guys, no matter what you hearthey can be done!

[Pitch+Power]

CATS all the way...

The price cannot be beat.. it is true you will not be spoon-fed, but my questions were always answered.. and they were pleased for you to pop in for a chat/questions etc.

I appreciated the flexibility of their course.
Up to date study guides.. which you can always just buy the few you really feel you need.. although the book format is great for the library at home..!

New location looks good and more accesible

[Turkish delight.mmm]

The only reason pilot white is so happy with cats is down to the fact that he only paid for a distance learning course but still arived at the door every day to sit in with the guys who paid for in-house training.
so you might not be getting the whole truth from his recommendation.
Fair is Fair....Just letting you know the truth, My experience with them was far from good.

[mi2ka.finland]

Thank you for all the comments above. I am however going to throw one more question at everyone – what is the distance training offered by Cabair like? In terms of notes, revision week and help if required

Initially this school didn’t interest me as the price was relatively high but they have now dropped the price considerably.

[jv2379]

CATS, London MET or BGS

I have seen articles where people have ask whether to go to CATS or London Met for their ATPLs.

I'm thinking of going to BGS and would appreciate any feedback on how they compare to CATS and London Met.

[AvGus]

Paid the £999 (in those days) for the CATS online course, too mean to pay the extra for the notes (£400 I think), bought a £22 HP printer from Argos which came with 'Smart Web Printing' software, paper £3odd/500 pages from Tesco, Tesco inkjet refill kits x2 @£6, hey presto at least £350 saved. Read through the notes as I printed them then reread the hard copy after printing each subject. Splashed out £50 for the Bristol QB for phase 3.

[Cirrus_Clouds]

Why don't you do what I did and go to a "Flyer Exhibition" and speak to the schools themselves and compare each of their study material, you'll always get people recommending one school it seems - Bristol. I also visited the colleges and I narrowed my choice down to either between Oxford or Bristol. I eventually went with Bristol. Bristol's material was well presented, in colour, rather than in cheap looking black and white newspaper like text and simple diagrams - but each to their own.

I find that "visual" diagrams help me learn rather than just reading plain text. Bristol gives you 3D detailed animations for topics and a massive Question Bank; they managed to find a balance for me and ticked all my boxes.

Also worth noting that the course structure for each is slightly different. Bristol only provide distance learning, whilst CATS/OAA/London Met. provide full time courses as well.

So, over to you.. go and see these colleges personally and decide from there....

[b.a. Baracus]

Can anyone help with a question regarding atpl ground school?

I am looking at CATS as it would fit better with my full time job, do you have to complete in 9 months or can you space it out over a longer period?

Any help would be much appreciated.

[Dane-Ger]

The 9 months is just a guide, you can take longer if required (up to 18 months I believe).

[Cirrus_Clouds]

Yes exactly. I'm working part-time and have picked up the pace on module 1 since around september and hoping to get exams done around Feb/March.

I'll be using quite a bit of the 18 month duration as there is no rush at the moment, but got to be careful to ensure I get module 2 complete in time with no re-takes. Easy saying this I know.

[Pitch+Power]

You have the CAA 18 month time limit from taking the first exam to the last.

CATS will be flexible with your online access, and as long as they stay informed of your progress, will not shut you out of the system til your all done.!

[FANS]

Does anyone have any views on Cabair distance learning?