FTE Jerez, Oxford, what to do?

TheFitz13

I'm sure there have been threads about this before, so I apologise if I'm repeating threads that have came up before.

I'm in my final year in school, and of course my future career is a non-stop thought. I've always dreamed of being a pilot since I knew what it was, I used to call it "plane driving" when I was a little boy.

There is a course in DCU called Aviation Management and pilot studies, which involves an optional year in 4th year in the likes of FTE Jerez and Oxford. The points for this course is 460 which I feel like is not within my intellectual ability.

Im just wondering if I could persue this option without this college course. I am fully aware of the costs associated with this. Would there be finding available?

Again, I apologise if this has been asked before, but any advice you have I would greatly appriciate it. Thanks!

Lustrum

In short, the answer is no to funding unfortunately. At the moment, as far as I'm aware, the Aer Lingus cadetship is the only one going that is fully funded. BA have one aswell but I think you have to put up a security bond or something (someone else may be able to correct me on that).

If I was you, I'd put down the DCU course as number 1 and work your ass of to get the points. If you can't do that, then completing the 14 ATPL exams may be a bit of a stretch for you.

Complete the 4 years in college and then try get a job in one an airline in the office. What you earn there can start going towards paying for your flying if needs be. In the meantime, apply to AL as long as the keep running the cadetship, and you never know, you might get lucky.

There's absolutely no hurry to get yourself flying an airliner. Its no harm having some real world experience, as when you're stuck in a cockpit with one other guy or girl for a few hours, its no harm having that enviable life skill of being able to hold a conversation with another human being. Unfortunately, I've met a few lads who went straight from school to flight school and straight into a job (luckily for them, parents or others paid for their training so they've no clue what its like to have to work for something) and many of them would be well down the list of who I'd like to be stuck in a cockpit with - currently top is Queen Rania of Jordan but that's for another thread!

Ask around, chat to as many pilots as you can, listen to then all and take it all with a pinch of salt too!!

TheFitz13

Lustrum wrote: »

In short, the answer is no to funding unfortunately. At the moment, as far as I'm aware, the Aer Lingus cadetship is the only one going that is fully funded. BA have one aswell but I think you have to put up a security bond or something (someone else may be able to correct me on that).

If I was you, I'd put down the DCU course as number 1 and work your ass of to get the points. If you can't do that, then completing the 14 ATPL exams may be a bit of a stretch for you.

Complete the 4 years in college and then try get a job in one an airline in the office. What you earn there can start going towards paying for your flying if needs be. In the meantime, apply to AL as long as the keep running the cadetship, and you never know, you might get lucky.

There's absolutely no hurry to get yourself flying an airliner. Its no harm having some real world experience, as when you're stuck in a cockpit with one other guy or girl for a few hours, its no harm having that enviable life skill of being able to hold a conversation with another human being. Unfortunately, I've met a few lads who went straight from school to flight school and straight into a job (luckily for them, parents or others paid for their training so they've no clue what its like to have to work for something) and many of them would be well down the list of who I'd like to be stuck in a cockpit with - currently top is Queen Rania of Jordan but that's for another thread!

Ask around, chat to as many pilots as you can, listen to then all and take it all with a pinch of salt too!!

Thank you! I really need to work hard to try get into that course

deaddonkey15

What does the FTO placement involve exactly? Is it just studying for ATPLs or is there flight training too?

Negative_G

Lustrum wrote: »

If I was you, I'd put down the DCU course as number 1 and work your ass of to get the points. If you can't do that, then completing the 14 ATPL exams may be a bit of a stretch for you.

Would disagree strongly with the correlation between leaving cert points and ability to pass ATPL exams.

The reality is, having seen it for myself first hand, a large majority of students who attend various Flight Training Schools rely heavily on question bank repetition as a means to an end. This is obviously the wrong approach to take but I have witnessed several 'get across the line' using this method. Whether they are found out later is another question.

There is no doubt that the ATPL syllabus is challenging, but to judge someones ability to complete it based on leaving cert points is wrong on many levels.

Would agree with you regarding having some life experience behind you though.

Cessna_Pilot

I'll say what I say to each and every young aspiring pilot I've been approached for advice around their LC time.
Study hard and get the leaving out of the way, then go away and study at something else completely unrelated.
Get some life experience, learn, work and grow a bit and earn some cash.
Then contemplate a flying career with a little life experience behind you and something to fall back on if the flying thing doesn't work out. Keep your interest by flying a little over the years and reading etc and keep the end goal of being a pilot.

That's exactly what I did and haven't looked back once. Pilots I fly with these days who've come through a similar route to the right seat that I did, are the ones who have that bit more cop on and much more mature approach to the entire operation of flying an aeroplane.

Don't get sucked in by glossy brochures of the likes of Oxford, CTC et all. They just sell a very over priced mediocre product/dream.