what do you think?
 

Okay, here's the plan. I'm 17, 18 next month and i'm in my second year of A levels, i'm not going to uni because theres nothing i want to do there. So i've decided that i'm gonna go into a plumbing apprenticeship, save up around £10,000 a year out of about £15,000 a year. And live at home so i dont need to pay any mortgage or pay that much rent. Its a rough plan right now. But if i can save up to 10 grand a year for around 3 or 4 years then i've got at least £30,000 to put towards flight training plus i've always got the plumbing to fall back on if the pilot thing goes wrong.
Like i said its a bit rough but i would like to know what you guys think of it.

cheers.:}

I think you are going for the first thing that sounds like it will make you money. Plumbing was last year's goldmine - now we have been relieved of the shortage largely by quality Polish plumbers.

If you are clutching at straws on what to do post-school, take a good look at what inspires you and are good at, and go for that instead.

You also won't save £10k a year from a £15k per year salary once you have taxed it.

PS - don't use words like "gonna" on this site - write properly or you'll be massacred by the grammar police.

Flying is what i want to do.
But i have no money to do it. So plumbing is my way of getting the money to afford the flying or at least get closer then i already am. If i cant fly as a career then i at least want to be able to fly as a very expensive hobby. I've chosen plumbing instead of working at a supermarket or anything else to earn the cash because i'll learn valuable skills and i'll gain 1 more qualification instead of mindlessly stacking shelves for several years.

Would it be worth trying t get onto one of the inegrated courses at 18? Many of them can offer loans off the back of your acceptance onto the course? Okay so naturally you'll have to pay it back, but at least you can pay it back with your flying rather than you plumbing salary??
Food for thought, and with the money involved, rather alot of food!

Kind Regards

CR

:ok:

Thats great but the whole idea of the plumbing was so that by the end of the training i would have something to fall back on and i wouldnt be in that much debt, if any.

You've got the right idea, especially getting some training for yourself - just that I think your estimates of your savings are too high, and that plumbing is not the money-spinner it used to be.

Perhaps choose something in which you aren't essentially going to be on call at all hours - tube driver comes to mind as highly paid, and low-houred, though I'm sure the competition is high.

haha i checked tube train drivers job out. Apparently it can get quite depressing staring into blackness for hours on end. They work unsociable hours, and they work by themselves.
Although the pay is from £25 000 to £30 000 a year, so pretty good.
But not for me.

May I be as bold to suggest you go for aptitude tests before you embark on your plumbing career which you seem to be choosing just to fund flying?
I wouldn't want to spend a few years doing a job that at the end of the day I was doing to raise funds.... just to find that i did not have the skills required to train as a pilot:sad:

Staring into blackness for hours on end isnt for you...... Uh oh, no long haul overnighters for you my friend! What about staring into blueness four hours on end?????

:ok:

I agree with some of the above, having something to fall back on is important? but is plumbing what you really want to do?

Perhaps you are discounting University too soon because your thinking about getting into flying asap and 3/4 years at uni is too long. I know that feeling I was there 3 years ago, but here I am at uni, loving it and it's probably the most valuable experience I have had, let along it gives me something to fall back on.

Also..
Have you looked at getting a loan?
Look into it before you waste your life as a plumber....
It may mean you get into the skies a lot sooner than you hope!

At least if you went to uni you get a higher level of qualification (degree), which airlines like more then a apprentice plumber.

mr.tos..
Good point but would I be correct in thinking that really UNI is more useful if you want a fall back 'cushion'.
Whilst obviously airlines are going to look at the whole age / education / maturity level thing... I would have thought a lot depends on your flying ability and how well you do during training...:cool:

Take the plumbing career into consideration but have back up plans as well.

I have in region of 50 odd hours flying and ideally a commercial pilot is my dream job but there are many ways to get there.

Loans
Write to airline companies asking for work experience, and who knows they may take an interest in you (there is no harm in trying)
Military

Most people work a none aviation related career and decide later on to do there ATPL training. As for myself, a military career seems to be going well and would love to get in, however I am considering using my A level grades to help land a job as an estate agent. I believe I have got the right characteristics for that job and it will certainly make getting on the property ladder a lot easier with the input of parents.

Try getting some flying lessons in while finishing your last year of school, from that you can finalise your future career plans.