Quite contrary to what most believe, obtaining a frozen Air Transport Pilots License (fATPL), or becoming a commercial airline pilot does not require you to possess academic credentials. Nevertheless, almost all airlines call for one to have at least five GCSE’s that lie between grades A to C. These may include but not limited to Science, English, and Math.
Thus someone with balanced grades in almost all fields suits the profession more than one who is passed the three fundamental subjects mentioned above. This is because some other airlines may look for A-levels on Sciences such as Physics, and Math is a plus. Thus, balanced grades, as shown, need one to work extra hard, complete a minimum of three A-levels majoring in the three core subjects (Maths, English and a Science). History, Geography, and an Engineering unit will go a long way in making you stand out.
Pilot qualifications have come a long way and seen quite several changes. Not long ago, almost all airlines needed one to hold a degree for one to qualify for flight training. However, this is not the case anymore. Nowadays, cadets with good A-levels can directly be absorbed into the practice, other than this, more and more training programs such as part 125 online training are more accessible.
The aim is to make you stand out as much as possible from the crowd, so the first choice has to be you. Airlines, just like any other employers out there, look at a few more things other than these academic qualifications already outlined — some of these being extra-curricular activities and soft skills. A look at communication skills, teamwork, and leadership skills along with a certificate to confirm that you joined Air Training Corps (ATC) squadron and a thing like the Duke of Edinburg (DoE) award are some of the things airlines look for. Do not ignore simple things like contributing to the school sports team, as this shows that you are a team player, a person that others can rely on.
As you can see, the qualifications are becoming cheaper and cheaper to achieve. For instance, the scrubbing of the degree requirement. However, this comes at a cost too. For example, a substantial upsurge in the training tuition fees cannot go unnoticed. An increase from about £ 30000, an amount most degree programs charged to about £100, 000, a debt that a graduate trainee will incur to get that license. As if to add salt to the injury, nowadays, the job after the training is not a guarantee as a lot of pilots have been trained already. Pilots have also been known to lose their class one medical and license rights quite quickly as the airline industry is quite dynamic. As a result, most people looking to train to be pilots see getting a degree as a backup plan, in case of a backfire.
Thus, choosing to get a degree should be a priority too, despite that some airlines, especially the European ones, do not require one to get it. In the United States of America, Asia, and the Far East, however, it is still a crucial requirement to get a degree. It is not a natural choice to make as it may seem, choosing the course, or rather the degree should be wholly autonomous and dependent on a specific individual setting. These training programs, such as the Part 125 online training, are easily accessible to put you on the right track as you seek to achieve your dreams.
