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Re: Etihad Global Cadet Pilot Scheme

typhoonpilot said:
Etihad launches global pilot cadet scheme


Abu Dhabi's Etihad is launching a worldwide cadet scheme for aspiring first officers as fast-growing airlines in the Middle East and Asia battle to recruit enough pilots.

It will complement Etihad's existing cadet programme for UAE nationals, which started last year as part of a campaign to convince more locals to train as pilots with the flag carrier.

Although global demand means the pool of experienced first officers is rapidly draining, this is believed to be one of the first times a major carrier has promoted a scheme to train and offer jobs to foreign youngsters with no flying experience.

Etihad plans to launch its first course around June, with a group of 12 would-be pilots. Two further intakes of 12 will follow later in the year. The trainees - school-leavers or college graduates - will move to Abu Dhabi where they will do around 18 months of ab initio training at Horizon Flight Academy, followed by several months of instruction and line-flying under supervision as second officers. They will pay back their fees over eight years as bonded pilots.

The airline, which is expecting a "massive response" to its first advertisements, is looking for "people with a passion who are committed to being a pilot as a long-term career", says Etihad's executive vice-president operations Richard Hill. "We will be selecting from the top percentile of applicants - the cream of the crop," he adds.

A total of 48 students will join the separate scheme for UAE nationals in the first year. The airline is keeping the two groups apart initially because of different skills sets and competence in English, but they will be integrated as soon as they begin their flying careers. "We want to make sure there is no divisiveness," says Hill.

Etihad has a fleet of 37 aircraft and will take delivery of 16 more by 2011, including seven Airbus A330s and four A320s Dubai-based rival Emirates says it has no plans to launch a similar scheme, although, like Etihad, it runs a cadet programme for nationals.* Flight International will be covering Etihad's plans in detail in our Careers in the Middle East supplement with our 8 April issue.

Separately, the carrier as a major sponsor of Ferrari F1 this season the team unveiled its 2008 livery at the Australian Grand Prix.



HI MY NAME IS AQEEL

i am recently new member. I have also hear about the cadet pilot programme for etihad and i am planning to apply for it once i got my degree in two years time.

but i would like to know more information in order to prepare in the meantime

how are 12 candidates selected once u apply for it?

i know that they pay the sponsorship somethin around 500,000 AED will this cover the cost of the whole course? and do we pay back after completing the programme.

look forward to meetin u all

Aqeel
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I'm trying to apply for this but the application takes an unusually long time to load, it doesn't let me change my country of origin or nationality from UAE, and it's asking for a European-style telephone number which I don't have...:(
 
Just to get an update here:

Any of you that applied heard back from Etihad, and if so how long did it take them?

Thanks guys!
 
I applied only last week, very excited about it, it's a great opportunity that is very rare in today's world.

I think it's a great package, free training, pay whilst training, free accomodation, excellent salary + benefits, great country, great airline... what else could you want!

Good luck to everyone who has applied, I am hoping there are more than 12 vacancies like it says on the website, that is going to be tough!
 
this is in reference to the ETIHAD cadet pilot program...
are there any other countries in the world..or airlines doing the same?
 
kiranchalla said:
this is in reference to the ETIHAD cadet pilot program...
are there any other countries in the world..or airlines doing the same?
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No..If u see the application of cadet pilot programme, its compulsory to be the National of That Country.Etihad has launched first time.I hope more Airline will do this.
 
For those experiencing difficulties with the application, you need to select 'Captain/First Officer' in the job history, and make up obviously false dates as well. Every box is compulsory so put a 0 N/A in any alphabetic or numeric entries that are not necessary to your application.

Then, where it gives you the opportunity to write what u want in 'Additional Information', just say you have entered false dates as per the instructions on the job profile page. Every one is doing it because the appliaction is designed for experienced pilots.

Hope that helps

Adam
 
There is no such thing as a free lunch. There is a reason why they are doing this, especially with all the qualified pilots available around the world and especially here in the U.S. I would strongly look into Etihad and other airlines in the region before signing up for 8 years. pprune.org has a lot of info on ME aviation and the airlines in the region. Also 8 years is unheard of as a training contract, that basically means they can't keep enough qualified pilots from leaving. I would say though that if you've got nothing else going for you this might not be a bad gig.
 
fly8slep said:
There is no such thing as a free lunch. There is a reason why they are doing this, especially with all the qualified pilots available around the world and especially here in the U.S. I would strongly look into Etihad and other airlines in the region before signing up for 8 years. pprune.org has a lot of info on ME aviation and the airlines in the region. Also 8 years is unheard of as a training contract, that basically means they can't keep enough qualified pilots from leaving. I would say though that if you've got nothing else going for you this might not be a bad gig.
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hmm .. Etihad is one of the world fastest growing airline in the world.. and also is one of the best ... this is the first time that any airline has offered such a great oppurtunity ...according to my knowledge ...Etihad has got plenty of great pilots working for the airline ....

good luck to everyone applying ... hope to join soon as well
 
aqeeliqb9@hotmail.co.uk said:
hmm .. Etihad is one of the world fastest growing airline in the world.. and also is one of the best ... this is the first time that any airline has offered such a great oppurtunity ...according to my knowledge ...Etihad has got plenty of great pilots working for the airline ....

good luck to everyone applying ... hope to join soon as well
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It's not about great pilots, I'm sure every airline has great pilots, it's about management and how those great pilots are treated. Also just because they're a 5 star airline for passengers doesn't mean they're the same for the workers. If they've got "plenty of pilots" then why go look for 0 time people around the world who esssentialy shouldn't even belong in an airbus cockpit? As I've said in my post think about why are they doing this. I've you're going to sign almost a decade of your life I would do more investigation on the company.
And by the way Etihad doesn't have enough pilots. Good luck.
 
fly8slep said:
It's not about great pilots, I'm sure every airline has great pilots, it's about management and how those great pilots are treated. Also just because they're a 5 star airline for passengers doesn't mean they're the same for the workers. If they've got "plenty of pilots" then why go look for 0 time people around the world who esssentialy shouldn't even belong in an airbus cockpit? As I've said in my post think about why are they doing this. I've you're going to sign almost a decade of your life I would do more investigation on the company.
And by the way Etihad doesn't have enough pilots. Good luck.
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good point mate
but for people who wanted to be pilots and never got the oppurtunity ..this is great
thanks for the update
are u applying ? if so all the very best
and thanks for the info
take care
 
fly8slep said:
It's not about great pilots, I'm sure every airline has great pilots, it's about management and how those great pilots are treated. Also just because they're a 5 star airline for passengers doesn't mean they're the same for the workers. If they've got "plenty of pilots" then why go look for 0 time people around the world who esssentialy shouldn't even belong in an airbus cockpit? As I've said in my post think about why are they doing this. I've you're going to sign almost a decade of your life I would do more investigation on the company.
And by the way Etihad doesn't have enough pilots. Good luck.
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Actually what it is about is their inability to recruit UAE nationals to become pilots. There are many reasons why UAE nationals are not inclined to become pilots. The two biggest are that they don't really like being away from home and family to the extent that an airline pilot job entails. More importantly though is that any UAE national has so much opportunity in business and other ventures that they can easily become multi-millionaires with significantly less effort than it would take to become a pilot.

I'm an expat and a pilot in the UAE. Just in my spare time in the last year I've made well in excess of my pilot salary by taking advantage of the opportunity here. That opportunity for me as an expat is merely the leftover bread crumbs that the UAE nationals missed. If I was a UAE national I would have easily made millions in the last year because they get first dibs on all the good deals.


Typhoonpilot
 
typhoonpilot, how is that 737/A320 EK backed operation coming along in Dubai? Have they decided on the fleet and the airline theme yet? That could be a great alternative if living in Dubai would be more preferable.
 
This only applies to U.S. residents only.

I'm trying to make some sense about those of you who are applying for this opportunity to live in the MIDDLE EAST for 8 YEARS and be OWNED by this company. Why would you fellas want to put yourselfs in this situation when you can just join military aviation. It seems that most of you all have no problem making a commitment for almost a DECADE to a foreign country when you can make the same commitment to the US Armed Forces for less and still get the same training, plus you get to live in the UNITED STATES.

Don't get me wrong, this is a good opportunity, but being obligated for 8 YEARS is an awful long time to give to a middle eastern nation most of you know nothing about. What if you fellas get yourselves into this situation and it dosen't pan out for you. I'm very sure that this company is just not going to let you go home after spending so much money in your training just because your home sick or have a problem adjusting to the culture.

I'm not judging anyone who is considering this, I just would like know why some of you would go overseas to pursue something that you could get here in the USA and get bonus money in the military. Obviously most of you have no problem making a long term commitment to doing something as exciting as aviation. I'm not a recruiter either!
 
mission_aviation said:
This only applies to U.S. residents only.

I'm trying to make some sense about those of you who are applying for this opportunity to live in the MIDDLE EAST for 8 YEARS and be OWNED by this company. Why would you fellas want to put yourselfs in this situation when you can just join military aviation. It seems that most of you all have no problem making a commitment for almost a DECADE to a foreign country when you can make the same commitment to the US Armed Forces for less and still get the same training, plus you get to live in the UNITED STATES.

Don't get me wrong, this is a good opportunity, but being obligated for 8 YEARS is an awful long time to give to a middle eastern nation most of you know nothing about. What if you fellas get yourselves into this situation and it dosen't pan out for you. I'm very sure that this company is just not going to let you go home after spending so much money in your training just because your home sick or have a problem adjusting to the culture.

I'm not judging anyone who is considering this, I just would like know why some of you would go overseas to pursue something that you could get here in the USA and get bonus money in the military. Obviously most of you have no problem making a long term commitment to doing something as exciting as aviation. I'm not a recruiter either!
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I doubt they'll get many from the U.S because flight training is a lot cheaper here. Other parts of the world this may be the only way they can get their foot in the door of a major airline. Still it's all smoke and mirrors, I've heard that Etihad is definitely one of the worst airlines right now as far as work rules and employee/company relations. And yes 8 years even 5 years is a long time to be "stuck" at a company you don't want to fly in if it eventually doesn't appeal to you anymore.
 
I agree. I lived in Germany, for over two years and did some training out there. Holy smokes is it expensive to fly. Luckly, I was stationed there and I was with a flying club. But living in another country was far from easy. The culture alone was tough adjust to. I knew alot of young guys who couldn't adjust to living overseas and ended up getting kicked out of the military because of it. I wonder though, What if guys can't adjust to living overseas for 8 years and want to break the commitment. What will this airline do then, hold them hostage or let people go home? I know that in the military, if you left without consent, you would be AWOL and could end up in prison. Do people really want to put themselves in this situation because they don't want to make an investment in a flight education. They want to be cheap and instead but be owned by a middle eastern airline? Thats brings up another question. In most middle eastern countries, women are beneath men. So where does that leave women for this opportunity?

Yes, training is expensive, but loans will be paid off and eventually you will move up in your flight career. 8 years is a very very long time and alot can change in that time. Hell, I was in the military for almost 4 and alot changed within that time. Do yourselves a favor and really thing about what you want to get yourselves into before considering this.

Just my two cents.
 
mission_aviation said:
This only applies to U.S. residents only.

I'm trying to make some sense about those of you who are applying for this opportunity to live in the MIDDLE EAST for 8 YEARS and be OWNED by this company. Why would you fellas want to put yourselfs in this situation when you can just join military aviation. It seems that most of you all have no problem making a commitment for almost a DECADE to a foreign country when you can make the same commitment to the US Armed Forces for less and still get the same training, plus you get to live in the UNITED STATES.

Don't get me wrong, this is a good opportunity, but being obligated for 8 YEARS is an awful long time to give to a middle eastern nation most of you know nothing about. What if you fellas get yourselves into this situation and it dosen't pan out for you. I'm very sure that this company is just not going to let you go home after spending so much money in your training just because your home sick or have a problem adjusting to the culture.

I'm not judging anyone who is considering this, I just would like know why some of you would go overseas to pursue something that you could get here in the USA and get bonus money in the military. Obviously most of you have no problem making a long term commitment to doing something as exciting as aviation. I'm not a recruiter either!
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Last time I checked, it wasn't "that easy" to join the military and then get selected for a pilot slot.
 
mission_aviation said:
This only applies to U.S. residents only.

I'm trying to make some sense about those of you who are applying for this opportunity to live in the MIDDLE EAST for 8 YEARS and be OWNED by this company. Why would you fellas want to put yourselfs in this situation when you can just join military aviation. It seems that most of you all have no problem making a commitment for almost a DECADE to a foreign country when you can make the same commitment to the US Armed Forces for less and still get the same training, plus you get to live in the UNITED STATES.
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Been in the military lately? You might have a US address but you're also gonna have an APO address most of the time, too. Either route, you're going to spend a lot of time in the middle east. Now, do you want to live in a trailer in a combat zone, or in a modern city?

I'm not judging anyone who is considering this, I just would like know why some of you would go overseas to pursue something that you could get here in the USA and get bonus money in the military. Obviously most of you have no problem making a long term commitment to doing something as exciting as aviation. I'm not a recruiter either!
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Not that I think military service is a bad thing, but you know it's not that easy, right? Not just ANYONE can be a military aviator. The entry requirements are pretty stiff.

This is statement is kind of a broken record around here, but it is still true: DO NOT join the military just to fly.
 
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