Aer Lingus Pilot Training Programme

Any realistic chance of a fit, healthy 47yo with 6/6 vision, looking for a career change, getting on the programme?

slight tangent, my daughter (not school leaving age yet, but slowly getting there) finds the idea/ job of a pilot very interesting.

My question though is whether the cadetship is limited to irish based candidates or can folks living abroad also apply? She has an irish passport in case they are just discriminating on basis of passport rather than residence.

Having submitted my application and uploading my CV, I received a link to submit a formal application, and upload a CV again.

This formal application has some questions about candidates education and flying experience, if any.

I have a level 9 PGDip, yet the drop down menu doesn't give options in terms of the NFQ. I'd imagine the odds of getting a place is comparable to a lottery win so every detail counts.

Although my qualification is at Masters level (30 creds short) I don't want to put Masters in case it goes against me. Similarly, I have a higher level than the other option of Bachelors degree so I don't want to select that either.

There is also a yes/no question about aviation experience. I don't have commercial aviation experience yet I was a member of the Irish Air Corps for a number of years, working in a service support.

The stress 😅, not what you want for a prospective pilot.

Could anyone offer any guidance?

I applied weeks ago but didn't get anything about an assessment. When did this happen?

Declines gone out today.

Good luck to all involved

To put more meat on the bones. When under training you can be rostered up to 6 consecutive days eg: as a new joiner, 320 to 330 CCQ or command upgrade for example etc. As stated above the short haul roster is a fixed pattern 5 on 3 off. There is a bidding system for pilots for work. It has been called many things. The most polite would be a preferential bidding system. You can bid for trips, overnights, destination countries, doubles, singles - pretty much anything. More senior folk would be expected to get more of their bids than a new joiner or junior colleague. Nothing is guaranteed with the roster apart from the days off you are due. The 5 on 3 off pattern is subject to "flex" which you can bid for or be directed to in inverse seniority. A flex roster can reduce your days off to 2 and last a full roster period (4 weeks). So you could be doing weeks of 5 on 2 off. Then you pick up where your 5/3 pattern would have been once the flex roster is completed. Some people get away with easy flex rosters and others find themselves fatigued irrespectrive of which seat they are in. So the "fixed pattern" sales blurb is a bit of a misnomer if you ask me as you could be dumped with a flex roster. Having some seniority might insulate you somewhat from its affects but eventually everyone has to take their turn and do flex which can destroy any long term plans you might have had. You can swap duties which might dig you out of a hole if required but is not guaranteed obviously and sometimes easier said than done eg: trying to get off on a weekend, or swapping during the summer when many people will be maxed out on hours so the swap may not be legal.

The 330 is a random roster. You can bid for trips, destinations, days off and just about any combination thereof. An east coast trip is rostered a minimum of two days off. West coast 4 days. The 330 does a fair amount of flying in europe during the summer with morning rotations to Malaga and Faro before returning to Dublin and heading to the USA again in the afternoon. Summer 330 rosters can be killers. Up to 6 days work with early morning starts to Malaga followed by an East Coast trip to JFK, BOS or ORD wouldn't be all that uncommon. Its not uncommon for the 330 to be tasked to cover for breakdowns if an airframe is idle and crews available across the short haul network. Winter is quiet for the most part so the rosters are a lot lighter. Some lucky folk have been seeing the RHS of the 330 inside a few years. Command on 330 is well over 20 years. I think its actually closer to 25 but if you are joining later in life then bear that in mind.

Part time is generally available in the RHS and from what I hear has historically been undersubscribed. The part time days are attached to your normal "free days". An example would be 4 on 4 off with the associated salary drop. In the LHS on the 320 (short haul) you won't see it without 20 years of service presently.