RE: A Career in Aviation?
British Airways had the “Sponsored Pilot Training Scheme” going about two months ago. It’s certainly tough going as you need to be aged between age 18 and 26 (although you can be 27 when you start training with them).
You need good grades at GCSE Science, English and Maths (So.. C and above) and also 2 A Levels in core academic subjects – English Language, Mathematics or one of the sciences. If you don’t want to do A Levels, they will accept a BA Honours Degree at a Grade 2:2 or above which as I understand is not too hard to achieve(!)
It works by them training you from nothing with no flying skills right up to a commercial pilot. They pay for it all and “if” they offer a job with the airline to you, they request that you pay some or all of it back over a 5 year period. If you accept a job and then leave before the five years is up – you’ve got to pay for it somehow. This in itself is quite a commitment.
If you do your CPL elsewhere i.e. with a flying school BA will accept you up to the ripe old age of 49 which is not too bad.
When I checked a couple of months back at what schemes were available, I was surprised to see that Britannia Airways (UK Charter Airline) also had one going. Being a much smaller airline, they were only able to accept 6 candidates to send to a flying school in Spain, also used by BA and Air 2000 as far as I know.
I actually wrote to British Airways during the Summer and on 4th July, received an 8 page booklet about the scheme they offer, the one for those with no flying experience at all. This is the address in which to write to if you would like one as well. The booklet is called “Trainee Pilots Scheme”:
British Airways Recruitment
The Rivers
Cranebank (S571)
PO Box 59
Heathrow Airport
Middlesex
TW6 2SL
Their telephone number is 0870 60 80 747
Sign In
