FTO Academic Requirements
 

Hi there,

I will be applying to either CTC/OAA/FTE (or maybe all three) in the near future and I am just trying to gauge the academic ability of those accepted.

I got: BBBBCCCCCC, a B in English and C's for maths and physics. Pretty average grades if you ask me, I did very little work for my GCSEs.

Although the basic requirement for all three FTOs is 5 GCSEs at A*- C, this seems almost too good to be true (to me at least). Would you say that this is actually the case?

If you have been offered a place with one of these FTOs, what GCSEs did you get? Specifically, what grades did you obtain in English, maths and physics?

There is no mention of A levels in your post? Although not actually necessary, it might well indicate that you have sufficent grey matter to succeed ? Three Bs or better would be ideal.

Although the level of Maths for the exams is at GCSE level, you need to feel comfortable with numbers. Physics is also an important ingredient.

The ATOs will ask you to complete aptitude testing etc, to ensure that you have sufficient ability to commence the course. You need to do more than just scrape through. Only a good result is acceptable, as you do not want to be classified as a TRAINING RISK:rolleyes:

The course does require dedication and a good work ethic.
Has this been demonstrated in the past?

NewUserHelpMe
 

Academic ability is largely irrelevant. You will find people with very well regarded academic degrees on the course along with people straight out of school. Most tagged schemes have academic requirements but it's mainly a box ticking exercise to make the sift. What's far more important are your 'non-technical skills' i.e. the examples they ask for in an interview, such as teamwork, leadership, problem solving etc... It's well worth taking some time to sit down and think how you would answer these questions using a recent specific example of a time you have shown these competencies.

I agree entirely with john_smith's last paragraph. The learning curve is steep, some people believe once you've done ground school it's the hard bit done. The flying definitely is the funner part but you will need to put in the effort to see results. It's no use coming back from a flight that didn't go well and say 'it will be fine next time' then proceed to go out on the lash that night! You will need to thoroughly debrief yourself: what went wrong? Why? How can I stop it happening again? It's a constant cycle of self-assessment and improvement, it can be tough but it needs to be done to achieve results. Nothing will annoy an instructor more than if you turn up not having done the required preparation. It's just very poor and shows a very bad attitude. Can you handle the work it is the question you need to think carefully about.

I should have mentioned my A levels. My GCSEs came as a shock to me, making me realise I had to up my game. In my AS levels I worked much harder and came out with BCC. B in history, C in politics and a C in geography. I will be taking my A levels in June.

On my CV I have air cadets and I have worked in a large restaurant for 6 months now. When my A levels are done I'm going to retake my GCSE maths and physics to try and get an A. On top of this, I have applied for the army reserve, which I feel will be hugely beneficial for the whole leadership/teamwork stuff.