BALPA advises potential pilots to delay pilot training and use modular route

Pilots’ union BALPA has advised anyone considering starting a pilot training course to delay, saying that students may pay around £100,000 for training with no guarantee of a job once they have qualified.

BALPA’s Head of Membership and Career Services Wendy Pursey delivered the warning, pointing out that at present there are 10,000 unemployed commercial pilots throughout Europe, 1,600 of whom are in the UK.

She added that many pilots are working part-time or on reduced wages to safeguard jobs. What’s more, uncertainty has been cast over the future of 200 student pilots who were planning a career with easyJet, who recently reported their first-ever annual loss. Now the likelihood of them being employed as a pilot or even obtaining a licence is under threat.

Fewer pilot jobs will be available and competition for them will be fierce, so now it’s more important than ever to be well prepared.

Future aviation students should think about delaying their training until the industry has started to recover and seek experience in another professional field. This would benefit candidates by providing the chance to learn transferable skills and giving them an alternative career choice.

BALPA advised that the modular training route is a positive choice for potential pilots who are keen to go ahead, offering the opportunity to study and gain experience in other sectors.