Whether you’re young and hungry, someone considering a career change, or just looking for the ultimate job to travel the world and work abroad, being a pilot can be life changing.
Pilot Jobs in the UK & Europe
• Easyjet
• Ryanair
• British Airways
• Virgin Atlantic
• Wizz Air
• Jet2
• TUI
• Vueling
• Air France
• Aer Lingus
• Lufthansa Group (Austrian, SWISS, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings)
• Turkish Airlines
• SAS Scandinavian Airlines
Pilot Jobs in the USA & Canada
• American Airlines
• Delta Air Lines
• Southwest Airlines
• United Airlines
• Air Canada
• JetBlue Airways
• Spirit Airlines
• WestJet Canada
• Volaris
Pilot Jobs in Australia and New Zealand
• Qantas Airways
• Air New Zealand
Pilot Jobs in Asia and the Middle East
• Emirates
• Etihad
• Qatar Airways
• AirAsia
• Singapore Airlines
How to Become a Pilot
For aspiring pilots, this we interviewed a qualified pilot who shares his tips on what it takes to become a pilot, the route you’ll have to take if you live in the UK and what you will find useful during training.
My background is actually physics. I studied my bachelor’s degree at Aberystwyth University and continued into a masters in Medical and Radiation Physics at Birmingham University before training as a medical physicist for the NHS. A little later on down the line I chose to follow my dream of becoming a pilot. Is any of that a prerequisite to applying and starting your pilot training? No.
Nevertheless, I applied to the Flight Training Organisation (FTO) called CTC, based in Southampton. The basic requirements that most FTOs like to see are GCSEs or equivalent national qualifications in english, maths and science.
Something I found very useful was to attend the Professional Flight Training Exhibition. This is a careers event held at Heathrow’s Sofitel hotel where a whole array of FTOs and aviation related exhibitors attend to answer your questions and provide you with information.
This is a great way to start getting yourself informed. Committing to a career in aviation is not a decision to be made lightly, the training is intense and demands your focus. Moreover there is a significant financial requirement. Most FTOs have their own open days and this is another excellent opportunity to get a feel for how the training is completed. Current cadets will be on hand to talk to and there would no doubt be tours of the facilities.
In my experience, aside from the academic capabilities of the applicants, FTOs or future employers like to see some extra curricular activities. For example this could be anything from being involved in the Air Training Corps, playing a team sport, Duke of Edinburgh or being a musician. In general they are looking for a well-rounded individual who can demonstrate experience of taking the initiative, team work and leadership.
Training lasts around sixteen months. The first six months comprises of classroom and home study leading to the completion of the required fourteen exams. The next step towards the Air Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) requires you to obtain your Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL); with most FTOs this is usually done abroad.
You will then go on to complete your Commercial Pilots Licence (CPL) on a multi-engine aircraft before returning to the UK. Once back, you complete your Instrument Rating (IR) before moving to the advanced training. This stage normally consists of Multi-Crew Cooperation (MCC) training and a Jet Orientation Course (JOC). In other words, you’re being taught how to operate a modern commercial jet as a crew and mould your skills to those expected of a commercial airline pilot.
Looking at where I am now makes all the training seem like a long time ago. It does go very quickly and there are certainly a lot of memories, from going solo for the first time, the solo cross country flights to completing my first commercial flight with passengers. A year down the line I have found something of a groove but continue to fine tune and perfect certain skills.
If a career in aviation appeals to you, you might like to also browse airline cabin crew jobs.