Drop out of A levels - start working at PPL?
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'Good part time job' - Per-lease. 
Ok, I've been slowly doing it for years thanks to mum and dad, but after my first solo, I worked my arse off in Sainsburys at weekends and in the week to pay for the PPL, on top of college, and I still managed to finish my PPL shortly after turning 17, Satisfied my social life, Paid for a first holiday alone with friends, and have done 13 hours in the 6 months post qualifying. Not alot, but it's kepy me happy.
What difference would dropping out of college done?
Stick at it, I, and others on here are in the same boat, theres only 5 months left of your second year at college. Look forward to the last education bound school summer holiday of your life, and then crack on with the working/flying.
Sound
Put.
Ok, I've been slowly doing it for years thanks to mum and dad, but after my first solo, I worked my arse off in Sainsburys at weekends and in the week to pay for the PPL, on top of college, and I still managed to finish my PPL shortly after turning 17, Satisfied my social life, Paid for a first holiday alone with friends, and have done 13 hours in the 6 months post qualifying. Not alot, but it's kepy me happy.
What difference would dropping out of college done?
Stick at it, I, and others on here are in the same boat, theres only 5 months left of your second year at college. Look forward to the last education bound school summer holiday of your life, and then crack on with the working/flying.
Sound
Put.
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Student88,
I've got friends who are NATS controllers and every single one of them has a University degree. I'm not saying you need a University degree, but if I have a big pile of applications on my desk and I need a reason to cut the numbers down, what chance do you think those with no qualifications have?
My high school friends who left school and education early on are doing nothing with their time. One of them works in a Spar earning £100 a week, one of them is a bus driver, one of them works in the local corner shop and another one works in a Call Centre arguing with customers all day.
I've got friends who are NATS controllers and every single one of them has a University degree. I'm not saying you need a University degree, but if I have a big pile of applications on my desk and I need a reason to cut the numbers down, what chance do you think those with no qualifications have?
My high school friends who left school and education early on are doing nothing with their time. One of them works in a Spar earning £100 a week, one of them is a bus driver, one of them works in the local corner shop and another one works in a Call Centre arguing with customers all day.
what chance do you think those with no qualifications have?
I don't have A Levels.
Fingers crossed..
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How about talking to someone about changing your subjects and your difficulties, surely they will listen and be reasonable about it, as long as you're up-front, honest and willing to do something about it to help yourself and have the right attitude. If you have same attitude you have at the moment of just giving up because it's too hard, you're not going to get anywhere with the ATPL and may as well just forget about it. Harsh words, but you need to hear the truth of what is required of you in this industry. ATPL theory is not a walk in the park (unless you're a genius like me, which you aren't) - so if you can't handle this, you've got tough times ahead.
Do something about it and work with your teachers rather than giving up.
Do something about it and work with your teachers rather than giving up.
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Thread drift...
Student88, are they still using those dreaded cube nets on the first stage selection?! I made it through to the final stage a couple of years ago, but unfortunately fell short of the mark at that point. Make sure your heart's in it, because this was my downfall.
Best of luck to you
Student88, are they still using those dreaded cube nets on the first stage selection?! I made it through to the final stage a couple of years ago, but unfortunately fell short of the mark at that point. Make sure your heart's in it, because this was my downfall.
Best of luck to you
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I pretty much totally screwed up at school. Was doing Biology, Maths and Chemistry. Dropped biology as hated it even more than the other two and left school with a D in Chemistry and an E in Maths, went to Uni, amazingly I got into one. Did that for a few weeks then dropped out. Could not get a descent job and spent the next two years working in factories trying to scrape the cash together to fund some training, living with parents. On minimum wage this was going to take a long time. Nothing worse than working in a factory for 12 hours from 6 till 6 overnight. For those two years I thought **** pretty much every day, if only I had done better at school, gone to Uni, joined the RAF (got a flying scholarship, passed the aptitude near the top of the applicants and was told to come back after uni, join the UAS and I should be ok) but as had only a D and E at the time had not really proven myself. I am not stupid, well not mentally inadequate, just didnt care when I was at school so didnt put in the effort.
Eventually my dad decided to help me out and I ended up two years after dropping out of Uni in the states doing my training. If he had not done that I would still be in some ****ty job in the UK and by ****ty I mean ****ty, one I had was shoveling **** out of a filtration tank at a waste treatment plant during the filter refurbishment :-( I am lucky that he stepped in.
So after I got my FAA ME/CPL/IR I managed to find a job in a 206 and 7 years later after working in some of the worst places in the world, Kabul, North Africa etc I had managed to amass almost 3000 hours mostly in twin turboprops. I am now holding sandwiches and babysitting the Airbuses for Cathay as a second officer, not complaining, the pay and housing are pretty good and it is a good company compared to most.
So as you can see it is possible (was possible) without good academic results. If I could do it all again I would try
hard at school as could be so much further in my career than I am now. Looking back I have enjoyed all the flying I have done and all the places I have seen and lived but without a doubt I would have rather got good grades and found a job in the right seat of an A320 or 737 10 years ago as now would have been a Captain with them or FO with the likes of VS or BA. You cannot find a good job with low hours and having done **** at school, that is a fact, I know. You can find a job (could) and then get enough experience working your way up through single pistons, twins, turboprops to make it to a descent company but trust me it is hard. Eventually companies don't care about how you did at school as it really is not important if you have proven yourself in other ways, didn't even come up, the D and E at A-levels during my CX interview. It just takes a lot of time and effort and luck to make it not be a problem anymore. The decision you are making now will affect you for the next 5-10 years and maybe I was lucky to get that first, second, third, fourth, fifth and now sixth flying job, I dont know, could have just been right place and right time.
Good luck either way. Think you need it either way in this industry, especially now and how it seems to be going.
Eventually my dad decided to help me out and I ended up two years after dropping out of Uni in the states doing my training. If he had not done that I would still be in some ****ty job in the UK and by ****ty I mean ****ty, one I had was shoveling **** out of a filtration tank at a waste treatment plant during the filter refurbishment :-( I am lucky that he stepped in.
So after I got my FAA ME/CPL/IR I managed to find a job in a 206 and 7 years later after working in some of the worst places in the world, Kabul, North Africa etc I had managed to amass almost 3000 hours mostly in twin turboprops. I am now holding sandwiches and babysitting the Airbuses for Cathay as a second officer, not complaining, the pay and housing are pretty good and it is a good company compared to most.
So as you can see it is possible (was possible) without good academic results. If I could do it all again I would try
hard at school as could be so much further in my career than I am now. Looking back I have enjoyed all the flying I have done and all the places I have seen and lived but without a doubt I would have rather got good grades and found a job in the right seat of an A320 or 737 10 years ago as now would have been a Captain with them or FO with the likes of VS or BA. You cannot find a good job with low hours and having done **** at school, that is a fact, I know. You can find a job (could) and then get enough experience working your way up through single pistons, twins, turboprops to make it to a descent company but trust me it is hard. Eventually companies don't care about how you did at school as it really is not important if you have proven yourself in other ways, didn't even come up, the D and E at A-levels during my CX interview. It just takes a lot of time and effort and luck to make it not be a problem anymore. The decision you are making now will affect you for the next 5-10 years and maybe I was lucky to get that first, second, third, fourth, fifth and now sixth flying job, I dont know, could have just been right place and right time.Good luck either way. Think you need it either way in this industry, especially now and how it seems to be going.
Last edited by SloppyJoe; 5th Jan 2010 at 15:29.
As the appalling spelling and grammar of this thread goes to show, education is like totally dumbed down these days. A couple of grade B A-levels are going to get you precisely nowhere. Neither is the horrendously expensive 3 year degree in Pointlessness at Sheffield.
Do not persist with education whilst unfocussed and immature.
What you, I, or anybody else understands at your age is that you are still a caterpillar until your late twenties.
You may think you have a plan for your future. What you're suited to. What you aspire. You don't. It will change.
Your innate qualities might lend themselves to commercial pilot. They may not. To throw money at it now is unwise. You won't do anywhere near as well per £ as you will do if you spend the same £ in your late 20's. It seems a long way away but it really isn't.
Young people are routinely separated from £ by flying schools by means of airline pilot imagery.
My advice for now.
Well.
Be young, bugger off out of the recession riddled West, go to Thailand, South America, wherever, have a lifetime of amazing experiences whilst it doesn't matter then come back.
At the moment you're unemployable.
For any job.
WWW
Do not persist with education whilst unfocussed and immature.
What you, I, or anybody else understands at your age is that you are still a caterpillar until your late twenties.
You may think you have a plan for your future. What you're suited to. What you aspire. You don't. It will change.
Your innate qualities might lend themselves to commercial pilot. They may not. To throw money at it now is unwise. You won't do anywhere near as well per £ as you will do if you spend the same £ in your late 20's. It seems a long way away but it really isn't.
Young people are routinely separated from £ by flying schools by means of airline pilot imagery.
My advice for now.
Well.
Be young, bugger off out of the recession riddled West, go to Thailand, South America, wherever, have a lifetime of amazing experiences whilst it doesn't matter then come back.
At the moment you're unemployable.
For any job.
WWW
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WELL......This is my advice being 19 and have been through what your experiencing. NEVER give up i came out with appalling gcses and FAILED miserably at my first year of AS (uuu) with one re-take in math’s (A).Thankfully.
Once again NEVER give up .I had retaken. Today i ve got offers from UCL ,LSE,CASS.Yes if you care to notice there all top unis i never gave up i tried and tried .Sweat,blood and tears throughout!....enough about me now.
TRY harder with your studies and never give up. Ride out this ridiculous recession...and once you’re more mature make your own judgment whether the aviation industry is for you.
Finally....
GOOD LUCK.....with whatever you do..
ba038
Once again NEVER give up .I had retaken. Today i ve got offers from UCL ,LSE,CASS.Yes if you care to notice there all top unis i never gave up i tried and tried .Sweat,blood and tears throughout!....enough about me now.
TRY harder with your studies and never give up. Ride out this ridiculous recession...and once you’re more mature make your own judgment whether the aviation industry is for you.
Finally....
GOOD LUCK.....with whatever you do.
.ba038
Do the A Levels. Do NOT turn your back on education at 17 years of age with the current economic mess. Unless daddy has 60 odd Grand in the bank he can give you for flying, do your A Levels and go to University. I regrettably dropped out of school after my GCSEs.
After dropping out I got into a trade for a few years before deciding to do my Helicopter PPL. I went to Florida in 2008 with a lovely loan for 6 weeks to accomplish exactly that. After returning back to the UK with a plan to hour build towards my CPL while working, I was told by my employer there wouldn't be any work for about 2 months or more. Work did crop up but only here and there throughout the year. Due to this I didn't get to fly very much because I had to pay the dam loan plus run my car. Now I am 23 and back at college doing an Electrical Engineering Diploma before progressing onto University all going well.
Anyway as I said get your heads into them books and do the A Levels. This is one piece of paper you need for gaining entrance to Military flight training. I've always dreamed of flying a Chinook for the RAF but it won't happen now because I was silly enough to leave school early and not do better.
You can do Aerospace Engineering Degrees at University now that includes pilot studies towards a frozen Fixed Wing ATPL.
Aerospace Engineering with Pilot Studies: BEng (Hons) ~ Undergraduate degrees ~ The University of Liverpool
Jumping into the Aviation world without a backup is a big gamble. Even though I have a Pilot Ticket already the flying is being put in second place for now.
Also just to mention lastly, some airlines run a pilot cadet scheme. Any of these programs will require the applicant to hold some nice academics on paper.
I know you are young, I was that age 6 years ago and just wanted to drink and party every weekend. I HATED studying with a passion but now I am back at college after toooo long I am loving it. Don't do what I done, get your education first then worry about being up in the clouds.
Good Luck with whatever you decide
Dave
After dropping out I got into a trade for a few years before deciding to do my Helicopter PPL. I went to Florida in 2008 with a lovely loan for 6 weeks to accomplish exactly that. After returning back to the UK with a plan to hour build towards my CPL while working, I was told by my employer there wouldn't be any work for about 2 months or more. Work did crop up but only here and there throughout the year. Due to this I didn't get to fly very much because I had to pay the dam loan plus run my car. Now I am 23 and back at college doing an Electrical Engineering Diploma before progressing onto University all going well.
Anyway as I said get your heads into them books and do the A Levels. This is one piece of paper you need for gaining entrance to Military flight training. I've always dreamed of flying a Chinook for the RAF but it won't happen now because I was silly enough to leave school early and not do better.
You can do Aerospace Engineering Degrees at University now that includes pilot studies towards a frozen Fixed Wing ATPL.
Aerospace Engineering with Pilot Studies: BEng (Hons) ~ Undergraduate degrees ~ The University of Liverpool
Jumping into the Aviation world without a backup is a big gamble. Even though I have a Pilot Ticket already the flying is being put in second place for now.
Also just to mention lastly, some airlines run a pilot cadet scheme. Any of these programs will require the applicant to hold some nice academics on paper.
I know you are young, I was that age 6 years ago and just wanted to drink and party every weekend. I HATED studying with a passion but now I am back at college after toooo long I am loving it. Don't do what I done, get your education first then worry about being up in the clouds.
Good Luck with whatever you decide
Dave
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UPDATE - Things are looking slightly more positive. I'll stick at it and see how this year goes, hopefully will stay on for A2 next year!
Thanks very much for all help and support!
Much Appreciated
Thanks very much for all help and support!
Much Appreciated
Originally Posted by scratchingthesky
Is there anyway you can get extra tuition from your tutors or even pay a private tutor to help you through and improve your grades.
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MikadoTrident ..... Good man. You're making the right choice. 
Work hard, there is time for flying later. Trust me. I'm an old(ish) git and air traffic controller. Gonna start flying again shortly.
Work hard, there is time for flying later. Trust me. I'm an old(ish) git and air traffic controller. Gonna start flying again shortly.
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am glad you've decided to finish your studies. much like your studies, being a pilot is about staying committed to your craft and not giving in when it gets a little tough. good luck!
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what about gcse's
what about gcse's. i am 14 yrs old and next year i want to start my ppl training but are the gcse very important towards my airline pilot dreams or are they just important exams which have no connection toward my dreams.
thanks
thanks
PB95 - make sure you give your GCSEs 100% effort and attention. Under no circumstances should you not bother with them. They're reeeeally important.
Most employers these days ask for a minimum of GCSE English and Maths, and that's for a job in Sainsbury's.
S88
Most employers these days ask for a minimum of GCSE English and Maths, and that's for a job in Sainsbury's.
S88
