Additional UKCAA Licence
 

I have recently achieved my EASA ATPL(F)/CPL(A) from a very well known flightschool.
I started in January 2022 and completed in April 2024. This flight school actually advised me doing an EASA licence regardless of me being 100% English with no European family, saying there were “lots more airlines in Europe”.
As a result this means I have been rejected left right and centre from airlines as UK airlines don’t want me because I have the wrong licence, and European airlines don’t want me because I haven’t got the rights to live and work in Europe. I have had no luck with the Irish airlines either.

As a result I am having to start the journey of a CAA/UK licence. I am aware I need to redo the 13 ATPL theory exams and do flying skills tests.
I haven’t done much research and thought this would be a good place to start!
If anyone has any information about this and what else I need to do I would be grateful.
My hours are signed off with both an EASA and UK licence number so would they count towards my new licence?
I am also looking to add this licence (dual licence) as opposed to convert it as I have to do all thirteen theory exams again anyway and I’m always up for more flying.

I have MCC and (A)UPRT so I assume I do not have to do that again.

I am also looking to do this as privately as possible knowing how awfully my flightschool has treated me, but fully aware I will have to probably have to be affiliated with one at some stage or another. (Please don’t recommend L3Harris!)

Thank you!

Ryanair want €5k only for the type rating with bond if you’re British and have an EASA licence

Best would be Ryanair or another Irish airline, once you have gotten your EASA ATPL, it's pretty much just do a UK ATPL Check and you'll have both. Alternatively look at other countries outside of Europe, the Middle East or Asia, while they rarely take on low hour pilots they would organise a visa and licence conversion to their country.

The alternative is expensive and you'll have to redo most of what you have already done. My understanding is that they have removed the option of just redoing the skills test, so you would have to redo the CPL course. For the IR I would recommend going down the CB-IR route, that would reduce the course hours to just 10 hours.
As you say you have to do the 13 exams again, get a UK Class 1 and do the RT Practical.
Your hours will count towards the CB-IR and hour building requirements.
Redo your MEP, MCC and UPRT.

Your school really messed you over as this will cost you a lot of money, definitely go to a modular school

I have recently applied to them through this paid £400 to apply and got turned down, for them not even to give any feedback.
Thank you !

Thank you, unfortunately, Aer Lingus nor Emerald are hiring at the moment and have been through Ryanair. I have had a look at those further out countries, but being a young female I have had to take that into account too. Maybe a little later down the line!!

Why would I have to redo my MCC and UPRT? Is this not just a qualification to say I have done it?
I have also done the RT practical as my flightschool did it for everyone as a precautionary so that's done at least.

Thank you for your advice!

I'm fairly sure you can just return to the issuing training providers and ask them to issue an additional CAA certificate. Probably worth just checking with them though.

Very sorry to hear you got such bad advice from your flight school. So you already got rejected by Ryanair? I guess keep your ear to the ground for Aer Lingus, Emerald and any other Irish airlines (maybe ASL Ireland or SAS Ireland could be options?) that might be hiring. I also know Wizz Air have been basing some planes in the UK recently, many of these are British registered (G reg) so flight crew need a CAA license but you could investigate if they are hiring any UK citizens with EASA licenses for any of their EU reg planes.

As for converting to CAA, you need to speak to UK flight schools that do modular training (so for example when doing ATPLs you could go to Bristol Ground School). I think the tricky thing could be is that it's not enough to just sit 13 ATPL exams and skill tests, you may also have attending classes and training at those schools to satisfy CAA regulations. I'm not familiar with the process myself but this is what I understand for doing some research.

Sounds like the flight school deliberately miss-sold you a course. They tricked you into paying for a qualification that they knew you couldn't use.
Where are they based? How much was the course? Did you pay for any part of it on a credit card?
It's about time someone got sued.

Are Netjets and other business jet operators hiring UK nationals with an EASA license, for UK bases?

They do. Non-EU countries are obviously not requiring a right to live and work in the EU. You can work in Wizz at non-EU base on a UK passport.

Yes, NetJets Europe does hire UK residents with an EASA licence. However, you will need at least 1500 hours, ideally an ATPL.

The courses would have to be approved they are approved under EASA Part-FCL and/or UK Part-FCL. While they are both still the same, 2 different regulators and thanks to our previous government they don't recognise each others courses. If the school was dual approved, then check your course completion certificate, for the MCC and UPRT they may reference both UK and EASA. If they don't you could try asking the school to issue one.

Check your insurance, you may be able to get legal advice from them regarding taking action against the school for mis selling the course . However aviation is small world, things do go around fairly quickly.

Have you tried Bioflight? It's Aerial Survey work, however they have P68's based in the UK and they have issues bringing EU pilots into the UK to work, their aircraft are Danish registered.

Unfortunately, nearly all airlines are like that, they don't give any feedback.

After paying £400 to be interviewed, which in itself is a joke, it's a bit of a slap in the face...

Unfortunately, a few people have attempted to or have successfully sued companies as they didn't agree with the "no" decision and the reason why.
Or there's an unofficial age/where trained policy that you fall foul of.

Yeah, I suppose I can understand companies wanting to protect themselves from stuff like that. Being charged for an interview/assessment though is just awful.

Unfortunately Ryanair, has been the only one of Wizz, EasyJet, BA and others I have friends applying for to not give feedback.

Thank you so much for the recommendation of Bioflight, I have just checked and they do not have any vacancies and require a reference from previous aviation employer.

I will definitely talk to my school to make sure it can be both UK and EASA.

Unfortunately, through the application you have to choose which Wizz country (eg. Wizz Hungary, Wizz UK, Wizz Malta) and as a result for each of those you have to have either have rights to live and work in EU for EU countries, or UK/CAA licence for Wizz UK.

I can’t get past the application stage as I “do not meet the minimum requirements”

Thank you though!