Aer Lingus Cadet Program Open
 

Pay for training makes a return!

While I am adamantly opposed to pay for training schemes, that doesn't appear to be the case here.

Most of us pay for our own Private, Instrument, Commercial, Multi-Engine, and CFI ratings with no job guarantee.

In this case, it would appear that a prospective pilot would pay for the equivalent of the above ratings with Aer Lingus covering additional expenses and perhaps offering a job at the end. Not a bad deal if it is true.



Typhoonpilot

If you really from the Hill Country, don't worry about this deal:

Are you eligible to live and work in the Republic of Ireland without restriction (i.e. EU Passport Holder or Non-EEA Citizen holding Stamp 4) ?


GF

Agreed, and I think flight academies will play a part in future large-scale manpower solutions for the airlines. But, the devil is in the details. What if a student washes out? What if there are no jobs at Lingus when the students graduate? Until there are more details that prove that it's a good deal - I'm going to say it's not.

64 weeks of living and breathing airline systems and procedures might produce a widget that can used on the line, but expect a trail of personal carnage for those who don't make it. Based on PFT contracts I've seen, a washout from a program may be exposed to the full amount (100K Euros in this case) if they are unsuccessful. The airline should set extremely high standards for applicants that would ensure a high probability of success and cap liability at 25% should they fail to qualify. That would be a good deal.

Aer Lingus Cadet Program Open
 

There will be tons of washouts with a firehose this long on a civilian population. Even a large percent of dedicated and thoroughly screened military officers fail to complete pilot training! European airlines will suffer huge losses from recruiting into academies off the street! Just look at the numbers of students that stop training before private pilot in any flight school! And that's at their own pace, not airline firehose speed! They should just offer American pilots the right to work there, with the credentials we already have. USA is an ICAO country right?

I don't see where the €100,000 includes the A320 type rating. One can do a zero to hero in the US for a lot less bucks including accommodations and food.

Schools in the US offer dual FAA/EASA Certificate courses too.

However this still smells like a P2F scheme.

JNS,
What other schools are doing this in the US now? I read that as of July 14, the UK CAA is no longer sponsoring Naples Flight Center.

Just curious, I got my JAA/EASA ATPL quite some time ago. However, all in Europe.

I have been to FTE Jerez and I am familiar with this cadet program. It is a legitimately good program and FTE Jerez is a very good school, although very expensive. This is not a PTF scheme. It is a program very similar to the British Airways Future Pilot Program.

In the UK, there are three schools known as the "big three." CAE/Oxford, FTE Jerez (which is now certified and administered by the Spanish AESA and not the UK CAA after new EASA rules), and CTC. These schools are known for being very expensive yet having connections to airlines which draw in many students.

As far as students washing out... I've seen guys make it through the EASA training who wouldn't have passed an FAA private pilot oral. It's not rocket science. 64 weeks is a realistic timeline for 6 months of intense ground followed up by 170 hours of flight training (yes integrated EASA commercial pilot training is 170TT) followed by a type rating.

Right now, the only school in the US that is authorized to do EASA training (without an anchoring or partner school in Europe) is EFT in Florida.

The difference between the USA schools that get you both FAA and EASA ratings is that the "UK Big 3" have reputations and are known for job placements of many candidates. Going to other schools often times leaves students job searching on their own once their training is done. To give an example, I worked at a school in Europe and in my year there, I saw one guy get hired at an LCC, and student get hired at a Middle East carrier below minimums due to internal connections, and three have unsuccessful interviews at Ryanair. Since I left, one more got hired at Ryanair and one at another low cost carrier. Considering the number of graduates, landing a job wasn't easy. Conversely, I had a perspective student check out our school and before he committed, he got picked up to go to one of the Big 3 and had a guaranteed job on a 757 upon completion, much like the Aer Lingus cadet program mentioned here.

That's sarcasm, right?

The percentage of students in Europe who start training and finish is much higher in Europe, from my observation.

"Right now, the only school in the US that is authorized to do EASA training (without an anchoring or partner school in Europe) is EFT in Florida."

Thanks for the above Zonda.
I have a friend flying for Falcon Air who wants to go back to Europe. He only has his FAA tickets therefore, wants to start the process. Now that Naples appears to no longer be an option, maybe EFT can help him.

Learjet FO, to be fair European pilots can't just come and get jobs in the US with their "credentials"...

This is an awesome deal, competition for places is fierce, remember Europe doesn't have the same military intakes so if you want to fly these are the schemes and for 30 places there might be 8000 applications. Washouts are few and far between. Of all the schemes I have known about. I know one washout, and to be honest how he got in that position is anyone's guess.

The 2016 Aer Lingus Cadet Pilot Training Programme is now open for applications. If successful, your journey towards becoming a qualified Airbus A320 pilot with Aer Lingus will begin in January 2016 in FTE Jerez.

To ensure Aer Lingus can select the very best candidates for the Cadet Pilot Training Programme, the company are committing to funding the training required to qualify the successful candidates to fly our A320 aircraft on our short haul network. Aer Lingus will also provide a structured mentoring programme over the duration of the programme. This will involve regular contact with the Cadet Liaison Pilot, who will oversee progress and provide advice and guidance throughout the training.

As a prospective Aer Lingus trainee pilot you should have a technical aptitude and display maturity, commitment, flexibility, motivation and a willingness to accept responsibility.

Excellent communication, interpersonal, problem-solving and teamwork skills are essential qualities combined with a good appreciation of guests' expectations.

To qualify to fly a commercial aircraft, such as the Airbus A320, you have to undergo a challenging and intensive training programme. Learn To Fly Hong Kong | Cadet Pilot & Professional Flight Training