A wise word please ?
 

Gentlemen

I have unfortuntely just been made redundant from my current employment whilst saving for my integrated course at either Oxford or Jerez for next year. However, those kind 'career development' people have offered to bung me the £20,000 I am currently short of and send me to Jerez in July. With the current climate the way it is, would you suggest attempting to obtain further employment and saving only a further 6K by next year, or going hell for leather and making an absolute resolution to see the brighter side of the emploment issue and commiting myself to becoming the top of the class for July's intake. The latter is serioulsy more tempting than the former option as I have been saving for in excess of 3 years, although affairs of the heart should never rule the head - as I guess a wise man once said ?

In addition, I recently met a newly qualified OATS chap who had swung an interview with Ryanair ( all the very best to him), which would suggest borrowing the extra 10 K would be worth the while in the long run.

I dont expect a definative answer to the above as I appreciate that there isnt one, although I would be grateful for any opinions that you may have.

obviously you are very serious about a career in flying, so if I were you I'd go hell for leather and get started on a course. By the time you get the frozen atpl and build some hours, hopefully the industry will be back on its feet and there will be jobs around.

Good Luck !!!!:)

If someone offered to pay for my ATPL, I certainly wouldn't say no - go for it!!! Just be aware that there's a reasonable chance that you'll finish too soon for the market to have picked up - in which case you may well have to find some alternative work for a year or two, as well as making sure you do enough flying to stay current in the mean time.

FFF
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Thanks chaps for the encouraging advice. Its great thats its not all doom and gloom out there. The money isnt specifically for jerez, although in my current fincial position i only wnant to borrow as little as possible in case things take a turn for the worse.

Billyfish2 - given the extra cost of OATS, would you plunge for the extra 10K if the resourses were available ?

Thanks for all your advice guys !

Pay more for a year in Oxford than in sunny south of Spain??? Absolutely don't that. I was in Jerez and anyone who had seen both thought Jerez was far better. Look up some of the past threads on the matter.

you could always get an in*******r's rating and learn how to fly, seems to be a forbidden word on this forum.

Why are people getting sucked in to this 185hour job flying large jets. If anybody got a job flying a 737 or bigger jet for an airline with less than two hundred hours please would they post the fact on this forum and lets have a count up.

I've really got the bit between my teeth about people who borrow large amounts of money for flying training - there are alternatives, I wish people would learn that.

For all those hyped 190 hour ryanair interviews there are probably 99 other people who are currently trying to find the money for a twin engined IR renewal.

The day I passed my initial IRT - on handing over the piece of paper the examiner said" congratulations 364 days to your next renewal" its not just about getting the right bits of paper regardless of what the schools say, its about getting the required level of experience to a sutainable level and keeping it there. Integrated courses im sorry to say just don't provide you with the tools do do it.

Im not even going to get into the arguement about only having flown in jerez for 12 months and then finding yourself overhead gasko inbound to teeside in some knackered regional turboprop looking like the best place for you is inside a Gin & Tonic.

It all depends on your age please dont think that I'm against integrated courses if I was totally hacked off in a job that I had worked hard in was 30 plus and needed a career change to keep sane then I would advocate jerez or oxford. Im not doubting the quality of the training, im not saying you wont be a good pilot, what im saying is that by definition you wont have experience. Which im told is quite important in becoming a professsional pilot.

I propose two polls if www or scroggs want to organise them

1. all "first jet job pilots hired within the last 12 months, how many hours did you have when you started your sim course?"

& in the rumours & news or other suitable forum

2. "How do you find sub 300 hour first officers to fly with?"

and see how your peers would feel about flying with you?

There....

feel better now.....

off for my bangers & mash..

ps look at the parental backing thread for more background

Tweetypie,

Good to hear someone else in the same position! My current job has just come to an end and I have access to just the right amount of money to cover a year in sunny (hazy?) Spain. I finish my current job at the end of May and was planning on doing some pereparatory reading before taking the leap later in the summer. I've also been playing with the idea of borrowing the extra cash to attend OAT. Have you considered the MultiFlight option at £30,000? I've been mulling it over as it would leave extra for an MCC course and an FI course at the end....anyway, good luck with the decision, keep me posted and I may see you in Spain!

G-spot,

I am 30 plus (1 year!) and in need of a career change to keep me sane! However after an ab initio course I don't EXPECT to walk into a jet job. I'm actually looking forward to doing a bit of instructing at a local school, if the instructing jobs are available by then. As long as I'm flying, I'll be able to go to work with a smile on my face :)

Multiflight is not in the same league at all as Jerez and Oxford, also (correct me if im wrong), it is not a full integrated course but modular...

Weather on top of a hill in leeds ? No thanks.

EC,

I realise the course offered by MulitiFlight is a modular one, and I suppose I should have expanded on that point:

"Would it be better to do a modular course followed by some hours building and an Instructers Rating in the current aviation climate?" - savings v's school reputation....

However I believe this has been debated in numerous threads, I was just inquiring if Tweetypie had considered it.

As for "weather on top of a hill in Leeds" (accompanied by a more complex airspace), sounds quite challenging mate :)

Out of interest, which option did you choose, and would you recommend it? As many opinions as proffered are very welcome when trying to make such an important decision!

Go for it, man!
 

Tweetypie, go for it!

If you're prepared to do some instructing or are aware that you might not get a jet job immediately afterwards then I think you should be writing out your Jerez Summer clothes shopping list right now........let me see.......shorts, T-shirt.....lovely Navy NATO jumper.........shades.....:)


Do it!

MB


Editud coz I carnt spelll

Thanks for all the encouraging replies guys.

G Spot, I agree with you 100%. With the current climate and the imminent increase in interest rates, the thought of borrowing a large sum of money without a likely placement afterwards, does little to help me to nod off at night. However, having made numerous sacrficies in the last 3 years, I find myself no longer able to put my dream on hold. With a good result (fingers crossed) and sheer tenacity, I hope, like everyone else, to be hour buliding by whatever means. And like Shanks, I would be over the moon to be instructing and reaping the personal rewards involved with teaching the public. Surely there must be something to be said of wanting to achieve your dream badly enough and being prepared to do whatever it takes to get there. That isnt to knock your particular path, as obviously a great deal of thought has gone into your preparation, although I cannot envisage putting aside the time required for the modular route. Perhaps I am not as well informed as yourself on this point G Spot and I would be grateful to you for any specific overview you have on the route you have undertaken.

As for Billyfish2 and Shanks, perhaps will be sipping Margherita together in the not so distant future.

Its great to know that there are like minded people out there to offer their time and advice to help others and I wish everyone all the very best in their pursuit of the skies.

Tweetypie

If cost is a consideration I am wondering why you seem to be set on an integrated course (I believe Jerez no longer does modular). Modular is always cheaper, as the course is cheaper for the school to run, and you come out with usually more than 50 hours extra.

I have never seen a convincing argument in favour of the integrated course for a self-sponsored student.

Ahhh, here's a wise word for ya Tweetie, don't assume everyone out there is a "gentleman", or even a man.

Send Clowns, from my limited knowledge the integrated course is not only quicker but more likely to result in a position with one of the airlines. I appreciate that I may be a 'way off' with the latter statement although I would be grateful for your input in this regard.

Oleo, anyone in particular ?

SC - I happen to agree with you, but....

....you wouldn't be swayed by the fact your employer doesn't offer integrated courses????

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Integrated & Modular.....same written exam, same IR, same difference.

You might not get a snazzy uniform with modular, but then it would only make you look like a security guard. Don't be swayed by a designer label, particularly when it costs £50,000!

The only substantive difference between the two routes is that with modular you're the boss.

You can pick and choose which FTO you use for each section, and if you're not happy at any stage, you can tell them to sling their hook when they ask for more money for the next stage.

Thanks Gin Slinger

I'll certanily do a bit more investigation before I sign on the dotted line. Do any particular schools come to mind ?

Thanks