i need help with making a decision
 

Hi, i have nearly finished my GCSE's and am expecting good marks, i have a place at my sixth form to do A levels but im not sure if thats what i want to do because i could work hard for those 2 years earning much needed funds for pilot traning.MY Ambitions is to become a pilot but im not sure which way to achive this.I could leave school now and get a job at the hotel near me and start doing a ppl and go down the modular route, hopefully strating ground traning by the time i was 18 at either oxford or cabair.The other plan i have is staying on at sixth form then getting a job and waiting until i ws about 26 before i could start traning, but if i went the modular route i could have finished traning by about 22 with no huge loans to pay of.

The way i see it is that if i did the modular route it would be cheaper and i could do it over a period of 4-6 years or i could work for 8 years and take a big loan out and do the intergrated route.The only problem i really see with the modular is employment, i have heard rumors that people who get the ATPL via the modular route never get employed and have basically wasted there time.Im a bit stuck with what to do.

Another option would be saving and going to another country like the USA and doing a JAA licence out there.

I really dont know what to do a so any help would be gratefully taken.
Thanks Josh.


P.S
does anyone no of any could traning schools in france or italy.

Continue in school / college and get some good A-levels (Mathematics, Physics ....).

If you leave and take a service industry job, if your hopes of becoming a pilot do not come to fruition it will be very hard to return to education at a later date.

Hi
If you have a look around the wannabees interviews and training forums you'll find loads of information that could help you.
It would also probably be a better place to put your post.

Personally I would say get your a levels so you at least have a few more qualifications behind you if as danfulton said it doesnt work out. If you can afford it maybe do your PPL at the same time or just get a few hours at least.

Also don't feel like you have to get everything done right now and get flying as soon as possible as a lot of people seem to want to do. There's no rush, if you get a job flying you can fly till your 60, plenty of time to enjoy it.

Good luck with it!

i cant see a point in A levels, i dont reall want to go to uni and if i did fail ground traning which i doubt i would, i would just do A level night class then go to uni to do law or something.Just i would love to start a PPL now so i can basically start ground traning at the age 10 18.Just want to know hwat the employment was like.

Sounds like you have made your mind up!

He's already flooded the OAT forums, and has been given lots of excellent advice by Mike and the other members there, and even offered a ring back by an OAT guy so they could talk financial details.. but he refused.. :confused:

i havent flooded them at all, just wanted to know which was the best route to take and what the emplyoment was like for modular students.

Hello!

Just one thing: If you decide to go to the USA for training, be very, very careful in selecting your flying school. I am just re-training a young man for a JAR-FCL license who recently finished his US CPL/IFR. His theoretical knowledge and flying skills are so extremely poor, that he has to do at least 80 percent of the JAR syllabus again, which means that he will have spent his money twice in the end. There still seem to been schools in the US, that take your money, but give you nothing in return except a stamped piece of paper!

And regarding your A levels: I have no idea about the carriers in the UK, but here in Germany you need a baccaluareate (more or less what your A-levels are) for the real good jobs with the large carriers (especially Lufthansa and its associates). Nobody knows why, but that's how it is...

Greetings, Max

ok i suppose i could do A levels and do A ppl at the same time then work for a year untill i am 19 with a well paid job thet start ground traning.I like the modular because it will cheaper and more flexible and i will probbally only take a loand of £18k.I like modular its just i dont know if the employment rates are good or if you never to get employment.

Thanks josh.

P.S
About the OAT forum, i havent flooded it i just came on here to get soem advice from pilots or wannabes as the people at OAT have already started there traning,BUT THANKS TO EVERYONE AT OAT AS THEY HAVE BEEN OF GREAT HELP MAINLY MIKE.

I do hope that the reason for such dreadful spelling and grammar is due to keyboard 'finger trouble' and not your standard of education.. :confused:

Sorry Josh,

I know everyone will roll their eyes here, but you are a 17 year old asking for advice from professional pilots, and as one, I have to say that your general diction, punctuation and spelling are terrible !

The earlier you start dotting those Is and crossing those Ts the better. If you fill in an airline application form like that, it will go straight in the bin.

Good luck though :ok:

AF

Hey there! Would you mind listing a decent batch of flightschools? Or maybe list the ones to watch out for, if that would be a shorter list. Also, would you suggest joining a flight club and training for your PPL as a good supplement, but go to a uni for the CPL?

To my knowledge both routes (Modular/Integrated) have their pros and cons regarding employability. If you go integrated you may end up paying 60 thousand for the course and then 30 thousand more for a type rating in something like the A320. Going Modular has the benefit (not only of being half the price) but you receive more hours of training and a longer exposure to aviation before applying for a job.

Read:

The never-ending 'Modular vs. Integrated' debate.
The Cost of Achieving that fATPL
Funding For Flying Training
What A-levels (and degree course)?

Schools:

Aerofan
Cabair
CTC (ATP)
CTC (Wings)
EFT
Flight Training Europe (Jerez)
Naples
Ormand Beach Aviation
Oxford (OAT Part 2)
Stapleford

Bobby

There are lots of good flight schools in US, i have dealt with quite a few and only one to clearly avoid is Naples Air Centre - do some digging on here to find out why. EFT are busy but good as is Kissime in Orlando. Good luck to you :ok:

Hey,
There are always questions about carrying on with education or carry out pilot training straight away. The thing is though, if you look at most flying schools and airlines, they require you to have at least 2 A levels so I think you would have to go to college anyway! The knowledge of physics and Maths at GCSE level, to me, are simply not high enough for ATPL ground school. Of course, you may have more knowledge but try getting your head around gyros!!
Never under estimate the ground school element!!
Also, although I am 20, I know I don't have enough life exprience to be a true professional pilot, let alone 17. I am not saying you're not a mature person but you may not have the life exprience airlines are requiring.
Ultimately, I suggest carrying on with education and at least when you have graduated, your qualifications would out weigh many others.

This is all just my opinion so feel free to disregard if you prefer.

I think you'd be mad not to do A Levels. Even with a good set of A levels you will still find that the "well paid job" you are after is hard to find. The average starting wage for university graduates is not huge. A lot of people look at uni as wasted time and money, but I did most of my growing up there, and the selection for airline jobs focusses an awful lot these days on your character and maturity. Just a thought.

As pilotho has mentioned, don't underestimate the ground school element. I got good grades throughout my education and got a good degree, I still found much of the groundschool hard work. And I never want to talk about Gyros ever again!:ugh:

I can appreciate you're keen to get on with things but there is no rush. I'd say keep going with the education thing, go do your PPL and enjoy the flying, and then think about your professional training when you have qualifications in place that allow you to make a few more choices with what you want to do with your future career.

Ever thought about military training? OK a long commitment, but unless you're planning to run a hedge fund, by the time you're 30 you won't be that much worse-off financially than your peers and someone else will have paid for your training. Fly heavies (eg. Nimrod, Herc, VC10, TriStar, C17, even BAe146 - and various replacements for some of these) rather than fast jets or choppers and you'll have your large a/c, multi-turbine, multi-crew experience (although I do know of at least one A330 driver for a major who came from choppers).

Just a thought.

I'm with those above who advise that A-Levels are essential even if not a specific requirement of entering the profession. You need that to fall back on if things don't work out for you.

I speak as a 30 year old with A-Levels, a Geography Degree, a Qualified and Practising Solicitor (lawyer to you Yanks) and a guy who has just got his PPL with a view to ATPL groundschool in September and flying commercially in a year or so.

BUT I'm very glad I've got the comfort blanket of another career to fall back on if this flying dream collapses in a pile of steaming poo. Get your A-Levels, get your PPL, then see where life takes you!

You never know, you might win the lottery and end up flying for fun like John Travolta...:ok:

Mikehotel152,

:ok:

You sound like you've got your life well thought out, mate; and at the right age. Well done.

1. Do the A-levels. I can't imagine many airlines taking your application seriously without them, and I'm pretty sure many training schools will expect you to have them. Quite a number of pilot applicants have degrees, so where do you think your application without A-levels would go?

2. Modular is a perfectly acceptable training route and in the past this hasn't been a major barrier to getting an airline job. Other personal qualities and aptitude are just as important. Of course OAT and Cabair would tell you otherwise!

3. Believe me the ATPL ground school course and exams are no easy ride. This is borne out by the number of students requiring at least one or two retakes. I can't imagine doing them without education to A-level standard, preferably in science subjects.

4. Do the A-levels!

Good luck