A Huge Financial Gamble For My Dream Job, What Would You Do?

[lukefinch]

I have been presented with an opportunity to train for my dream job, however the training itself is very expensive and it would mean being in debt for 10 years of my working life. It would also mean moving to Florida for a year at the age of 17.

What i am wanting to do is become an airline pilot. I am nearly done with getting my Private Pilot's Licence however i now need to be taking the next step to getting my Airline Pilots Licence.

The opportunity i have been presented with is doing an integrated course with The Pilot Training College, where you spend around 55 weeks in both the USA and Ireland getting trained on aircraft, simulators and theory.

It sounds fantastic, being able to travel around the world, flying in some of the nicest areas of the world to fly in, meeting new people who share my interests, however this is the drawback. It will cost me £75,000 for all of the training.

The plus side is however, i would have 10 years to repay it and i wouldn't have to start repaying until i was in work as an airline pilot, and £7,500 a year out of an airline pilots salary isn't too huge. And it will mean i will have my dream job for the rest of my life, get to travel all over the world and of course, get free holidays for myself, family and friends

So i was wondering, if you were a 17 year old in this very same position, what would you do? I would love to do it, but im not exactly comfortable with having a £75,000 student loan hanging over me.

Hmmm, decisions, decisions...

 

[lukefinch]

Thank you everyone for your support and input.

To answer a few questions, I dont want to go down the military route. I've heard that you have to work right from the bottom to the top and theres a chance you won't even get in a plane at all. Also, that would just be hour building, i'd still have to get the correct licences and type rating when i go commercial anyway. Plus on top of that, i'd probably have to go to some war of which i'm not too keen on.

I went to CTC Wings a couple of weeks ago for their open day and it looked good, however their course was a little more expensive and didn't include all of the equipment, visa's etc. that i'd need to go abroad. Plus i rather like the idea of living in Florida.

As for the type rating, the course i am talking about includes a type rating at the end of it for any airline looking to employ you so that is another 20-25 grand saved.

Also, with every one of the training schemes, there is no guarantee of a job, however the percentage placement record is over 90% successful so it's pretty good odds.

As for someone saying that my parents will bail me out if it all goes pear shaped and someone saying that if i am doing my PPL, money obviously isn't a problem, well you couldn't be more wrong. £70,000 is a hell of a lot of money, not only to me but to most people, it is not something people have lying around to waste away. Also, if it does all go wrong, my parents wouldn't be able to bail me out and neither would i want them to, i am old enough to take responsibility for myself now.

And thank you for the couple of contacts, i'll be sure to send them a message.

Once again, thank you everyone!

 

[lukefinch]

Just got your email.

I'll answer a couple of things here but I'll put more in an email to you later.

First things first, be 100% sure you want to do it and whether you want to end up flying in the UK or the US. The salaries in the US are very poor and the job itself is not as glamorous as it was once perceived. England however pays much higher starting salaries as First Officer's and you'll likely stay in one place for life. In the US you're forced to move around to progress, constantly ending up at the bottom of the food chain in order to achieve the *much* higher salaries at the major airlines or courier airlines which can range in the $250k+ range.

Of course you could always do what I do and make friends with a billionaire and fly his private jets but that's a little bit lucky

My wife is the Vice President of probably the largest and definitely most popular aviation schools in Florida, you might want to check us out for prices/facilities given that almost all of the schools in the US have gone bust during this recession. Orlando Flight Training is one of the only ones remaining and they also have a portal in the UK through Cabair, however if you wanted to arrange something you could just come through me. My wife does all the VISA's too so that's not an issue.

Just be sure it's what you want to do. The job potential at the moment at least over here is very poor, you could find yourself in serious debt with no job at the end of the road unless you're willing to fork out another 15-20k on a type rating to help your chances. You're going to need to be very competitive in terms of hours and qualifications to ensure a job selection. I did extremely well with my ATPL's, averaging a 96.5% across all 14 exams but if it wasn't for me being extremely well connected in the UK and the US I was probably going to be in for a long wait unless I had 500+ hours under my belt.

Tom is correct, I no longer fly but that's not because of me not enjoying it. Many of the people on this forum know me for wanting to push the boundaries so now I just fly military jets and competition aerobatics while I retrain to be a surgeon or radiologist . If you love flying and it's your life's passion then GO FOR IT but *please* go into it with your eyes open and if you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask me since I have a rather unique knowledge given what my wife does.

First off, thank you very much for your input and knowledge.

Yes, i am 100% positive that this is exactly what i want to do with my life.

Once i have got my licences, i am absolutley open to flying anywhere on the planet, one thing i have learnt is that a job as a first officer is hard to come by and if one comes up, regardless of where it is, you should jump at the chance.

As for the billionaire, i might have to find my own, or maybe just settle with a multi-millionaire

I will also have a very good look at the Orlando Flight Training place as this may be another great route into it.

Also another thing, how do you like living and flying in Florida as opposed to the UK?

Thanks in advance

 

[lukefinch]

I love living in FL but then my parents always knew I'd end up over here anyway, the UK just wasn't right for me. Plus there's something to be said for living in a place where the women wear basically no clothes year round, if you're into that kind of thing.

Flying out here is a joke. I did all my training in London at Stapleford before coming out here and it really is laughably easy in comparison since there's basically no airspace over here!

Jojo, you're correct, starting salaries for FO's in the US are awful, $15-25k max but they cap out in the long run MUCH higher than in the UK.

Robbie G, I know, I just don't know what to say, my life's in ruins. Maybe this would be the time to tell you that I was thinking about giving up being a 00 agent too.

Well, i really like the idea of living in Florida, not only for the women but also for the weather and the area.

I've also been looking at the Orlando Flight Training school and i must say, it looks very impressive. I have particularly been looking at the FAA Airline Pilot Program. I was wondering though, because i will have got my PPL by the time i move out there, would i have to spend the time and money in Florida getting an FAA PPL or could i just transfer my UK PPL over some how?

Also, have you got any idea what the living expenses would be like for living in Florida for 6-12 months?

Cheers

 

[lukefinch]

What about taking the modular APTL instead of the integrated one?

It takes longer and is more expensive. Plus i'd rather get it done quickly while i'm still young and have no other commitments.

 

[lukefinch]

Why not join the military, train for fighter jet pilot and then leave after a minimum 6 year stint?

That way everything is done and dusted for you. You earn plenty of cash in the role as "officer pilot", can progress through the ranks and many whom retire move on to commercial pilot roles without much effort.

As i previously said, i do not want to join the military.