Some are saying Right & Some are saying Left
 

The title is to attract you guys. Hope I am a bit successful in attracting you.
I graduated from an American High School from Doha-Qatar in May 2011. As usual a childhood dream to fly & become an airline pilot. Since this May I am just surfing net how to start my airline career. Met a Captain who had flew more than 40 years of his life, asked him what should I do. His answer was just join ATP flight school (USA) get your ppl,cpl & try your best to get an instructor job there. Fly more than 1,500 hours & apply for ATPL. If you are successful in getting your ATPL then try some airlines you can get a job as a pilot there. Meet a first officer he gave same advice. Both of them are currently working at Qatar Airways. I met them in personal.

From internet I came to know that training is not enough I have to get a degree or a bachelor.

My brother meet a second officer who did his study South Africa for "5" years, he got a cpl with a degree in aviation.


If the degree is important so is it necessary to get a degree in aviation or it can be in any field or a diploma can be also enough to get a job in airline.


I really need your help guys. I am stuck in between advises. I don't want to waste money because someone is else is paying my father is dead:( & I belong to working class family. I have to pay him back.


Please help & if anyone wants to make fun so on another thread.:rolleyes:

Really nervous waiting for your comments:ugh:

May I ask what is your citizenship ? What passport do you hold ?

To work in the united states as flight instructor you need to hold permanent residency rights ( green card ) or be an american citizen

Different where I'm from, but as far as I'm aware, degrees aren't are pre-requisite to become an airline pilot.

cryilroy21 I was born & currently living in Qatar & my father he fought 2 battles for Qatar but still without nationality. I got Pakistani Citizenship but never been to that country since I was 5.

Cant we apply for a work visa in USA. My question is that how should I start my career after high school.

Thank you very Cryilroy21 & flyingsportsman for your posts:D

In the USA, you will need a bachelor degree I you want to work for a major airline. You can work at a regional without a bachelor degree. It doesn't matter what your degree is in. Getting a degree shows that you have the commitment and ability to stick with something that is long term and complete it.

You cant apply for a work visa without an employer sponsoring you to work in the United States

In the U.S an employer has to prove that there is no qualified and able american citizen or permanent resident for a pilot position and only then can they hire a foreign citizen
Needles to say there are thousands of pilots in the U.S and all the employers require you to have the rights to work in the U.S before they even interview you

So working in the U.S is out of the question for you my friend

I know this very well because i learnt to fly in the U.S

All foreign pilots who learn to fly in the U.S go back to their country of origin once they finish their training

The U.S govt will not allow airlines or flying schools or any other companies to hire a foreigner as a pilot as there is no shortage of pilots in the U.S

So what should I do I don't want to go to Pakistan. I want to come back in Qatar but i guess its hard to get a job in Qatar Airways with just a CPL or ATPL.

You could always go back to pakistan and try for a pilots job there but I do not know what the hiring situation is for pilots in pakistan

A college degree is required only by major airlines in the U.S most other airlines around the world do not require one

My suggestion would be to go to college and get a bachelor degree not related to aviation

You could become an engineer , doctor , lawyer etc . Work for a few years and save enough money to pay for a CPL your self . These professions are usually highly paid after some experience

If you go to universities in Europe , Australia , Canada etc you can also work in these countries once you finish your degree . This will give you the rights to live and work and maybe one day get a citizenship . Then you can apply to these cadet schemes or pay for flying school yourself

No airlines hires inexperienced foreign pilots ( Qatar Airways and Cathay Pacific are exception )

Your degree / profession will also act as a backup in case you fail your pilot medical

If I were you i would go to the first place that gives me a job

PIA - About PIA

^^Pakistan is out option I guess I got an american high school diploma they wont accept me in their universities or colleges. I cant live in a country like Pakistan no offense.


So I should apply other than USA.....What about South Africa & what do you mean if I fail medical. So far I know if I fail medical I wont get admission in any flying school. What about doing B.A & a cpl/atpl

In order to get pilots license you have to get a Class 1 medical

A class 1 medical is valid for 1 year and you have to renew it every year for the rest of your life as pilot in order to keep your pilots license .

If at any point in your career if fail your medical test and remain permanently unfit you will lose your pilots license along with your pilot job

Every year a certain number of pilot lose their pilot license because they are unable to pass their medical test
In India once you get an ATPL you have to pass the medical test every 6 months
It becomes harder to pass the test as you become older

Its in situations like this that a college degree will become very useful

I am not sure about South Africa but I believe in order to work in South Africa you need permanent residence / citizenship
Its going to be that way in all the countries around the world

Different countries have different standards when to comes to medical requirements

You might pass the medical test in one country but you can fail the medical test in another country

India , China etc have very stringent medical tests , U.S and Europe are more lenient when it comes to medical tests

Thats something new I came to know about medical tests. Thank You.

About PIA I will apply If I get a job so defiantly I will go for it.

So Cryilroy23 according to you even though if i got a ph.d in flying & if I fail my medical so I wont be a pilot anymore.

thanks alot for your advice.

A Phd in aviation or flying has nothing to do with becoming a pilot....

Pilots have licenses just like a drivers license . Its not a college degree . Your educational qualification will always be high school ( unless you get a degree ofcourse )

One of the requirements in order to maintain a pilots license is to have a valid medical . Your pilots license will become invalid if you fail your medical .

If you fracture your hand or leg your medical will immediately become invalid and you wont be able to fly with immediate effect
However once you are healthy once again you can regain your medical and
continue to fly

PIA requires you to hold a CPL issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan . They wont hire you with an American or European Pilot license

You will have to convert your license in order to apply .

Thank you very much again. really never came to know about this all before.

Life was really easy when I was kid lol:rolleyes:


So ph.d or degrees got nothing with becoming a pilot. If I am just applying with a cpl/atpl will be there any chaces to get a pilot job in airline or is a better chance with a degree(FOR PILOT JOB ONLY).

Which degree should I get?



its say Second officer....

Some Airlines prefer those with college degrees , some dont....

It all depends on what airline you apply to....

Take a look at the careers section of different airlines around the world and see what their requirements are for hiring of pilots

I would strongly suggest getting a college degree before embarking upon a career as a pilot

There is cadet program that you are eligible to apply for . The airline pay for all the training but you have to work with them for atleast 6 years after training

They wont come to Qatar for the assessment so you will have to go all the way to Hong Kong at your expense . Just choose Hong Kong as your 1st preferred location if you want to be called for an assessment

Cathay Pacific - Careers : Careers Home

A degree is not required for the Cathay Program .

It says either high school or a degree .

Do any degree dosent ,matter which one . Just dont do any aviation degrees as they are not of much use

I had given some options earlier Lawyer , doctor , business , engineer .
That is something only you can decide

Thank you very very much. May God bless you & open all the door of success for you.


I guess I will do some degrees in business. How does that sounds.