Oats Prices and a New course?
 

Does anyone know anything about this new course called AIRLINE PARTNER PILOT TRAINING. They have quoted a price tag of 65k plus accomodation and food.
Do you know if they have changed their prices? if so what are the new ones?

M

Where did you get your info regarding 'The New Course'. I looked on the OATS website but cant see it.

152 :)

[ 09 July 2001: Message edited by: 152 ]

The info is on their new web-site.
http://www.oxfordaviation.net/oxford.htm

[ 09 July 2001: Message edited by: Murray_NN ]

From the website,

The Airline Partner Programme is an enhanced course, training students to higher levels than the licence requirements. This ensures that Oxford graduates are far more airline prepared than other pilots, significantly improving their employment prospects.

The new course is being launched in conjunction with partner airlines who will be guaranteeing suitable students job interviews. Partner airlines include, bmi british midland, British European and KLM(UK).


;)

All i can say is don't give your money to Oxford as they have overloaded the school and can't cope with the present bottle neck and unless you are sponcered you will find it hard to obtain what you have paid for eg. flying.......I'm there @ the moment i know..

So thats going to be over 70k then?!?!

No way my friend. You could get the same license in the same time for about £30k less than that! That £30k would then be much better spent on a type rating in negotiation with a small operator who would give you a job if you did a rating with them Its going to be on something like a 6 or 8 seater or night freight but after one year of that you'll walk into airline jobs.

IF you are very wealthy then I am sure the course is fine for you. For the more normal self sponsored chap I suggest you forget it. A "gauranteed interview" is just so much hot air - how do the airlines themselves know if they will be recruiting in 18 months time! They don't and they don't care because they are not making any kind of real commitment but I bet OATS are cutting them in on some kind of deal...

That said I know nothing of this scheme other than what has been written above.

WWW

The new scheme is fundamentaly a re-brand of the old course content with some adjustment to flying hours, most of the single flying is now done in the states (since courses have been getting severely delayed due to wx - not pleasing to the sponsors when they can't get their costly cadets on line on time !) which means the course should cost less right ? Instead this is traded for more twin time flown back here in the UK (currently 27 hours, going to somewhere near 40 hours in the new set-up)
I also believe some exams are done prior to going off to the states.

Seems to be working quite well, but I'm with WWW on the fact that no-one guarantees anything - interviews or otherwise. Unless you have a faultless record during your training it is hard for Oxford to recommend you - they've been bitten before !

Oxford has its problems, like all the training organisations ? and everyone knows they're not the cheapest - it comes down to personal preference and whether you want to spend that kind of cash, simple

... and the sound of the extra £40000 to get an interview is a bit strange ....

How much flying can you do with that money! I agree with WWW on this one! At the end of the day they are looking at number of hours (and interview technique :)

Oh....
I'm getting a little worried - I've just got funding together for a modular course at OATS and from what The Jolly Boatman (and others) are saying, it looks like modular's will have an even rougher time than the ab initio's. Gulp!
TJB, you suggest going elsewhere...any suggestions? Mail me off list if you like.
Meanwhile, I'll just go an stick my head down the toilet and flush it! :(

I heard Oxford are phinancially *****ed - can anyone confirm or deny this?

Is it true that BA will not be sending Cadets to OATS anymore from the end of this year?

and could someone confirm if Jerez are going to take BA cadets instead of OATS.

were we shopt down:

I also thought that having oxford on the CV made a difference. However, a few months of hearing other peoples comments made be believe that this might not be that accurate.

Anyway, finding places cheaper then oxford is not dificult at all. May be the dificulty is finding more expensive places. I am training at the moment with Stapleford at PPL level and so far no alarm bells suggested that I shouldn´t continue my professional training with them (modular route). I've been to their seminar and was told that if you can find a cheaper training provider within the UK they will beat the price. Have a look at their website for more info. The ATPL theory is provided by an university which does not charge VAT (thus £1950 only). This is the cheapest ATPL theory course I know of and you can do it full time or through distance learning.

I may consider doing the MCC course at oxford to lay down my hands on their new simulator. May be this is an advantage!(?) Is it??

Hope this helps

There are loads of places to do CPL/IR that are alot cheaper than oxford.Off the top of me head,Cabair,Bae,SFT,Professional Air Training,Stapleford,Multiflight,Leeds Flying school and loads more.At the end of the day you still have to pass the same CPL skills test and IR test where ever you go.If you have the funds ready,why not approach one of the smaller training providers and see what sort of a deal you can get.Shop around get the best for your money you can

And if you go to the smaller schools you can get the whole lot done faster.

Oxford are 5 weeks for the CPL and 15 for the IR. The best i have managed to be quoted at a smaller school is 6 weeks for the whole lot. And oxford ain't that cheap to live in for 20 weeks.

MJ

Consider also - BA or most of the other airlines sending their cadets to a particular school is no indication of how good the school is - believe me (I used to work for BA) it is more often than not done for financial reasons. Remember, most have dozens of simulators and expensive training departments of their own to round and polish cadets when they come out from initial training

Jolly Boatman ; you sound awfully cheesed off, i left OATS 'bout 2 months ago now and while i do agree with the general immpressoin your post delivers i would have to say that the problems Oxford expirience will be echoed through out he entire flight training industry. It seems you are having a rough time and beleive me i know how you feel (i have been stitched up too!) there are people there willing to help.
Try not to put people off Oxford, bad vibes dont do anybody any good.
This new course sounds like an absolute load of b@ll@cks stear clear. Why pay another 20 odd grand for something which probably will never happen?
Good luck everyone

Eagerbeaver: Well, I am awfully cheesed off! Like I say, I don't have firsthand experience of the other big schools (One ATPL is quite enough thank you!), but the reports I have heard *of some* are better. Don't get me wrong, the instructors here (both ground and flying) are generally excellent, but the management is truly awful. The instructors do their best under difficult circumstances, but are hamstrung by their "superiors". I get the impression that in the past it has been better, but over the last few months there seems to have been a big shift towards grabbing as much cash as possible, and losing any pretence of customer service, or even bare minimum service. Perhaps in the future when they realise they're screwing their long term business prospects, things will improve, but in the short term, there is no sign of this.

Anyway, if you have visited a variety of schools and Oxford seems the best, then go for it. But in any other industry it would have gone bust a while ago. If I were looking for a school, I'd take my money elsewhere - what others do is their business.

Big is not beautiful in flight training because it is essentially a one-one experience. I've done time at Oxford and also been a student at Professional Air Training, Bournemouth. The latter offers a personal approach where your business is appreciated and you are welcomed as an individual. Oxford offers ??
The thing I could never understand about Oxford students was why more didn't take advantage of the opportunities for early morning flying or worse never showed for their slots.

Eagerbeaver

SFT neither have experienced similar problems (at least in the last 3 years - had some then but new management now) nor expect any such. In fact general flying school attendance is down, due to increased costs/lost tax breaks, though I am pleased to say SFT seems to be doing OK.

The advantage at SFT is there are no sponsored students. It is inevitable that a school has to look after sponsorship contracts, the money is important to them, and therefore any pressure falls first on self-sponsored students.

Mad Jock

15 weeks for an IR :eek: SFT quote minimum 6, did mine in 7 (2 bank holidays, a day off
and a short wait for test in that though, so 6 is realistic)

[ 15 July 2001: Message edited by: Send Clowns ]

This is 6 weeks for both for 14K. I can sense a burn out weekend though no drinking for me for 6 weeks.

And now everyone is back at oxford i can see it taking alot longer than 15weeks.

MJ