EASA ATPL (A) Theory Course - School Advice

[MZulu]

So, I have been a PPL(A) holder for a couple years and I want to proceed to an ATPL(A) license, so I am currently looking for a school to start my ATPL(A) Theory and I would like some help.

- Do the airlines care if you chose a "Distance Learning" course or a "Presential" course?
- Does the school matter (when it comes to getting hired)? Would you rather a cheap small school or an expensive but more well known one? Something in between? - In the end of the day the exams you are going to do are exactly the same, so, does it matter!?

-Are there any "reference schools" in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal/Spain)? Sevenair (Portugal)? Nortávia (Portugal)? Aerodynamics Academy (Spain)?
What about other countries?

[paco]

No
No

Price is not a standard by which to judge.

[VariablePitchP]

Originally Posted by MZulu

So, I have been a PPL(A) holder for a couple years and I want to proceed to an ATPL(A) license, so I am currently looking for a school to start my ATPL(A) Theory and I would like some help.

- Do the airlines care if you chose a "Distance Learning" course or a "Presential" course?
- Does the school matter (when it comes to getting hired)? Would you rather a cheap small school or an expensive but more well known one? Something in between? - In the end of the day the exams you are going to do are exactly the same, so, does it matter!?

-Are there any "reference schools" in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal/Spain)? Sevenair (Portugal)? Nortávia (Portugal)? Aerodynamics Academy (Spain)?
What about other countries?

The airline cares what the bit of paper you unfold from your A6 plastic wallet says on it, not the quality of the instagram photos you take during training.

[MZulu]

Originally Posted by VariablePitchP

The airline cares what the bit of paper you unfold from your A6 plastic wallet says on it, not the quality of the instagram photos you take during training.

So, for Airlines, BAA training/CAE Oxford/ Lufthansa Academy (examples) = Small/Unknown school!? No difference at all?


What would make the real difference for Airlines? Previous Experience/Flight Hours? ATPL exams average score? Bachelor Degree? Letter of Recommendation?

[Speed_Trim_Fail]

Originally Posted by VariablePitchP

The airline cares what the bit of paper you unfold from your A6 plastic wallet says on it, not the quality of the instagram photos you take during training.

For some airlines first time passes and average matters, through which school you achieved them is immaterial however.

[VariablePitchP]

Originally Posted by MZulu

So, for Airlines, BAA training/CAE Oxford/ Lufthansa Academy (examples) = Small/Unknown school!? No difference at all?


What would make the real difference for Airlines? Previous Experience/Flight Hours? ATPL exams average score? Bachelor Degree? Letter of Recommendation?

How short of pilots are they? If very short, nothing really.

If short, experience will be the biggest thing. If you scraped 75.01% on your ATPLs but have 5000 hours P1 A320, you’ll be fine. If you’re fresh out of school, those grades might, *might* be an issue. So get good grades, that’s 90% down to you, 10% down to the school.

Only time the school matters is when you’re on a tagged scheme, but then you’re on a tagged scheme so have no choice anyway so a minor point

[paco]

This thing about first time passes and high grades is to help the poor clerk in the office who has to screen out hundreds of resumes. You could be the best pilot in the world, it wouldn't matter.

[Speed_Trim_Fail]

Originally Posted by paco

This thing about first time passes and high grades is to help the poor clerk in the office who has to screen out hundreds of resumes. You could be the best pilot in the world, it wouldn't matter.

Precisely. When you have 1000+ near identical CVs from wet CPLs for a low hour NTR position you need a way to filter, and a way that is implementable by HR. ATPLs and first series passes are often used, but - in my experience - too many cadets say “The grades don’t really mean whether you’re a good pilot or not and the interview and sim will show what I’m really made of”. That may well be true but you need to get there first! With nothing else to go on bar a licence ATPLs and series passes may at best be an indication at how well you will do during the “drinking from a firehose” that a type rating and OCC can be. Critically however, as you point out, it is simply a way to get down to a semi manageable number of CVs.

It is no different to a graduate scheme asking for a 2.1 or first - plenty of perfect applicants may have a 2.2 or a third, but there needs to be a bar somewhere because you can’t interview everyone, let alone run expensive sim assessments for everyone.

For what it’s worth I will always recommend Bristol GS as cost effective and excellent training.

[rudestuff]

Originally Posted by paco

This thing about first time passes and high grades is to help the poor clerk in the office who has to screen out hundreds of resumes. You could be the best pilot in the world, it wouldn't matter.

Shag the clerk. 👍

[rudestuff]

In all seriousness, the best way to get your CV on top of the correct pile is to put it there yourself. I know loads of people who have played the long game and got hired in a non-flying airline job, then applied for a cadet position as a known quantity.