work experience for careers in commercial aviation

It was a while ago now, but I did my work experience at British Aerospace at Woodford, was the best thing ever crawling around 146’s and ATP’s for two weeks.
This was organised by my School through me whining at them every day till they sorted it out for me

My first work experiance was in Year 10 at school amny moons ago. Here i hunted high and low in the industry, and spoke to virtually every operator through Leeds/Bradford for this 2 week placements, but to no avail! I later tried a small heliport around half a mile from the airport at Coney Park, and got a 2 week placement with Heli-jet aviaiton. This mainly comprised of working in ops and taking pleasure flight bookings, along with helping out when we had visiting helos. Over the 2 weeks the best bonus was the flying. 3 sectors were achieved in the R22 and one in the MD-500E. Afterwards i went up through the summer at weekend helping out on pleasure flying sundays every now and again – and with that getting a B206B3 Jetranger sortie in too! A great first step into the industry…

When I moved on to Sixth form i opted to try off my own back for a placement in theoctober half term, something good to go one my CV. By this time Leeds wasn’t my only option for travel, Manchester came into the equation. The phone calls began and the e-mails typed, and after a good 3 weeks work in the August i managed to get a placeemnt for 10 weeks later with Air Atlanta Icelandic at Manchester. In this time is spent 6 days with the company, 4 of which were in Ops, and two shadowing the flight crew on sorties to MAN-TFS-MAN-AGP-MAN in the B747-146B TF-ATE. An excellent week which proved very useful when i left school and moved into he industry.

Keep trying hard, e-mail everyone, and every now and again something will crop up. Don’t just go for the biggest and most glamourous operators!!!

When I was at school, many years ago, work experience wasn’t compulsory, but I did spend most of my free time between 1989 and 1993 at the local airfield, which was a heliport for an offshore helicopter company.

It was an interesting four years. I spent many an hour in the hangar, climbing over helicopters, helping out in ops, got a few helicopter flights and more importantly made a number of contacts within the aviation industry. Thanks to these contacts, I was able to get a job within a small airline at Aberdeen in May 1993 (two months before my 18th birthday), where I am still employed today, but we have grown significantly since then.

As for today, the airline I work for still accepts requests for work experience, from schools, in fact we had someone through just the other month. We are fortunate, in that although we are located at the airport, we are not actually located ‘airside’ so security passes are not an issue.

These days many airport positions require a Criminal Records Check in the UK. This costs about £13 but takes at least 3 months to get the clearance certificate. Most employers will not entertain the hassle of getting one of these for a 1 week placement. Your best bet would be to look for small commercial operators (air taxi, etc) operating from smaller airfields rather than airports.

It’s surprising them how they don’t seem to be reluctant at all at STN. And I’ve never been told anything about getting a criminal record check either :confused:

I’ve got airside passes into the FLS hangar plenty of times, simply by my dad requesting one from security and they’ll hand it over.

When I was offered work experience I looked into airlines airports etc and I wost told that I couldn’t work in an aircraft but I could work around them.

Sorry, concordesst (as your called Ben I got mixed up with Captainben)

I meant to say – Good topic! did you see my post on another forum
(I put a post on another forum) but it’s the same info though so it doesn’t matter.

i started the topic just to point that out!

Im probaly going to do my work experience next year at Airbus UK at Flton or at Bristol Intl Airport.

At the moment it looks like I’m going to Airbus as my Uncle works there and can secure me a place.

I wrote to about 40 of airlines and only 1 Flybe. offered me a place but it was in Exeter in their head offices. BA said in a letter that they dont do work experience anymore due to their finantial position and the security fears.

Captainben, good topic! did you see my post on this in another certain forum perhaps ?

concordesst, if you email me I can give you a list of things at NCL! My mam’s best friend works as the easyJet supervisor at NCL, and another of her friends works in the control tower!! She gave me a list of things to do, there is loads. By the way everyone, you might not see me around for a while, I’m revising for my SAT’s for next week and I am jetting off to Malta a week on Tuesday. 😮 :rolleyes:

Could u maybe e-mail me to as im doin them soon 2 :confused:

Chris, Britannia,
I might be a bit late sending them, it will be around 6 ish. Is that ok? Having to go for Hospital appointment.

Thats ok.

Yep, no problems, I’ll do it straight away!!

Cheers.

Guys, this word(s) have been mentioned a lot in this thread, work experience. What is it? Its got something to do with year 10 hasn’t it? I would like to know more about it so I know whats to come!

Well I am getting my work EX. in year 11 but I am already planing for it(Oct11-15), it’s when you go to a company for a week to see what it is like to work.

Chris, Britannia,
I might be a bit late sending them, it will be around 6 ish. Is that ok? Having to go for Hospital appointment.

It’s when you go to expierience work, you don’t get paid, you just do all the little jobs. My mam does this in her shop.

Can you E-mail me to

Yep, no problems, I’ll do it straight away!!

I’m printing off address of airlines like EasyJet and TCX and writing to them, who did you write to for that stopthefighting?

if you email me I can give you a list of things at NCL!

Please can you E-Mail me to?

I am doing my work experience on the 7th of June and i am going to Thomas Cook Airlines at Manchester Airport working with the ground staff and dispatch

concordesst, if you email me I can give you a list of things at NCL! My mam’s best friend works as the easyJet supervisor at NCL, and another of her friends works in the control tower!! She gave me a list of things to do, there is loads. By the way everyone, you might not see me around for a while, I’m revising for my SAT’s for next week and I am jetting off to Malta a week on Tuesday. 😮 :rolleyes:

BA don’t offer Work Ex. anymore

Thanks for all your positive responses, i’d appreciate it if you kept them coming.