Best time of the year to come out of training?

[Sorath]

Hi everyone, I was wondering around which time of the year it’s best to be in the job market after your training has concluded. I’m guessing around start or end of the year in order to give it time to land some interviews before northern summer?

I understand COVID is an issue now, but my question is regarding historically, how does the cadet job market move.

My idea is to start in February 2021 modular training (debt free; working+studying) and be finished around the beginning of 2024, I could compress the time frame a bit if it were a better idea to be finished before the Q4 of 2023 starts.

Thanks!

[parkfell]

I see you live in Spain. Unless the aircraft you intend to train in have air con, training between October and May would be best.
The summer heat can be oppressive without air con.
Light aircraft performance is better in cooler climates, less convective air outwith summer, and the possibility of better training conditions in the ME phase with icing and cloud to deal with.

Flying in cloudless skies might be ideal for the first 50 hours, but to become a “rounded pilot” you need exposure to weather. One advantage of training in temperate latitudes.

[Sorath]

Wow, thanks, never really thought about that in such big detail. I did a brief research just now and In Madrid unless there's a heat wave we barely go over 32ºC in summer, I believe it's... tolerable. In winter unless we get some northern winds down the peninsula be don't drop below 3ºC. There is also around 7 days of rain per month, from October till May, so I guess I'll have my fair share of "cloudiness" and icing conditions!


Average Temp in Madrid

Average Rainfall in Madrid



My real question was more... practical I guess. I just wanted to know around what time of the year recruiters would start interviewing cadets.

Thanks!

[PilotLZ]

It depends where you'll be applying to. Some carriers don't have any significant seasonal variation in numbers of flights. Charter and leisure ones tend to be busier in the summer, while for cargo the busiest time of the year is the run-up to Christmas. Recruitment policies also vary from company to company. Some carriers recruit with a longer lead time than others. For a charter job with a start date of 1 April or 1 May, one company will do the interviews before Christmas while another one will wait until February or March. So, I don't think that there's any "best" month to finish. Things line up differently for everyone.

[Sorath]

Thanks! I guess when the time comes I'll be aiming for LCC's in Europe, so probably being ready for recruitment before years end is the best? In order to go through all the interviews and TR training right before the job starts. Around easter or summer.

(This seem sooo far away...)

[redsnail]

Most airlines usually do the initial training etc over winter with the view to be ready to roll for the following summer. However, IATA et al aren't predicting much of a return to pre COVID times for a few years. Then again, who knows? If they're talking about Atlantic traffic, they could well be right. It just "depends". The biggest hassle for airlines in Europe is the short notice requirements to quarantine etc. The segment of aviation that is booming right now is private aviation. We're absolutely flat out.

So - personally, I wouldn't be planning on finishing any training before 2023. Instrument ratings are expensive to keep current.

[Sorath]

Thanks for the info! Yes.. my initial idea is to be out in the market by the start of 2024.

[TryingToAvoidCBs]

It's good to see you have a long term (realistic) plan. I started training in Feb 2008 with a plan to be fully qualified by the middle of 2011, and in a job by Dec 2012 at the latest. It seemed like a VERY long road. But life got in the way and I didn't end up finishing until April 2014. Applications didn't go out until July 2016 and got my first (and luckily only) job interview in Nov 2016. My issues were mainly financial but I thought 4 years would be enough to get everything done...I was wrong.

2024 is a very realistic timeline and should give you plenty of opportunity to see exactly how the industry manages to weather this storm. Be aware that when airlines do start hiring again there's going to be a LOT of people ahead of you and I would guess recruitment will be slow and steady to start with. You may wish to get into instructing while you wait. Either way, good luck and enjoy the journey, you'll only get to do it once.

[Sorath]

Thanks, it was hard for me to understand that the best (only) option is to get into, and come out of training with zero debt... It seems impossible at first but when you crunch in the numbers.. you start seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

Someone said "Very little are willing to live for some years like the rest won't, to live like the rest can't" I guess I'm willing to do some sacrifice. Hopefully the struggle won't be unbearable.

[parkfell]

The underarm test. Those who really want to go flying will stand the test of time and eventually do so.
Timing ~ not yet determined.
I suspect seven years or so from now, a significant mismatch between supply & demand will occur.

Ideal for those budding aviators due to sit GCSE this year or next.
Then ‘A’ levels, then higher education or equivalent.

[pudoc]

Most airlines recruit anytime outside of the summer period. Recruitment can be as early as October and as late as May. Not always the case though. I've seen charter airlines interview in the Spring, but the start dates were actually after the summer so the opposite of what you'd expect. Scheduled airlines with less of a summer peak will probably just hire you as they need you.

You could argue the sooner you finish means you won't miss out on earlier opportunities. But there are too many variables. My advice would be don't stress, don't rush and a finish around Q4/Q1 would be a nice goal.

P.s Great choice on going modular. Exactly what you should be doing when the industry is as it is. Having no debt too will really take the pressure off if you can't find a job right away.

[PilotLZ]

As our colleagues above said, please don't beat yourself too hard over missing any target. Many, many things can get in the way through no fault of your own. Bad weather, the aircraft going tech, the instructor falling sick, the CAA processing some paperwork slower than expected - this can all happen and it does happen to many people. Back in the day, I did part-time modular right until finishing the ATPL exams and hour building and then went full-time for the ME IR CPL with a specific time frame in mind. As hard as I tried to stick to the plan, I missed the target by 6 months through no fault of my own. A number of unfortunate events delayed things on multiple occasions. But do I regret it? Absolutely not as I found myself in an airline job within 3 months from crossing the finish line. Right now, all those hiccups feel like just another fact of life that doesn't matter any more than how I did in my driving test when I was 18. Back in the day though, it was really frustrating. So, be kind to yourself and accept that it's not a race to the finish line. You have a good couple of decades afterwards to enjoy all the joys and sorrows of flying and a couple of months or even a year are a negligible amount of time on the grand scheme of things.