IR Training - 1 week on, 1 week off
 

I really want to complete my training while maintaining a full time job though it may be difficult to justify a slug of 7 or so weeks for the IR rating. I'm thinking of training 1 week on, 1 week off (ie day job), to keep things ticking over at work. I'm aware some have managed to get by on the IR part time - although this isn't ideal do you think it might be workable without to much increase in hours to complete? I thought maybe a few sessions on RANT and FS in the evenings while back at work might keep things ticking over.

I don't see any great problems, but it might mean a small increase in hours. Could you do it in 2 or 3 blocks rather than 6 or 7?

You could always go to Bartolini Flight Training in Poland and do the full JAR ME/IR in just over 2 weeks for £7000.

That's not training, that's handing over money and receiving a certificate - you would not be competent doing it that way.
All my opinion of course.

Well it also includes 55 hours instruction to the JAR syllabus. I do not have first hand experience so can't comment personally but all my research has turned up only good things. I would imagine it would be a very demanding 2 weeks but plenty of people do this kind of accelerated training in the usa.

Do remember that training does not have to stop once you receive the rating. You can always get extra training in areas you feel were either lacking in training or for skills that may have faded. This is just as important for people trained at the best, most expensive school but who may not have flown ifr for months.

For some people that cannot get the time off work to do a full time ir this may be the only option.

I think 1 week on, 1 week off sounds very sensible.

I've seen many students struggle with part-time courses when they do a day here and a couple of days there, and usually these students' problems are solved when they can dedicate an entire week to their training. So if you're planning to do all your training in blocks of an entire week, I shouldn't think you'd have too many problems. It may take you the first half of your Monday flight to get back into the swing of what you were doing two weeks previously... but if you can accept that, go for it.

FFF
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Here is what I did:

I agreed with my employer to have Fridays and Mondays of for a 8 weeks period, and then found a school that could do my training Friday to Monday.
I my case my employer found it much more acceptable that I thinned out the week and worked three long days, than having every second week off.

And it comes very close to full time training. IR training should not be prolonged.

Mind you, it was two very intense month (9 weeks actually)

The polish option?? How do you manage 55 hours flight in two weeks with briefing and debriefing on top? And allow for weather? And the test?

But if you are aiming for a TU-154 job in the Polish air force then maybe it's okay :}

Part time min hours is more then feasible so long as you don't cOmmit to too many sim hours. Keep the hours real.

Thanks all - some great advice there. I think all ideas sound workable then, especially if the a/c work leading up to the test is all done full time (say 2-3 weeks weather dependent) then a few extra sim hours (~£140/hr) that may be required is more than offset by being able to maintain employment throughout.