easyJet's Cadet Sponsorship Programme

To fly as an airline pilot you will first need to undergo an initial training course designed to get you the basic licence needed to allow you to fly commercially - an Airline Transport Pilot's Licence (ATPL). This process takes about 14 months and combines an extensive programme of ground studies together with flying training on small single engine and twin engine aircraft. This is called Basic Training. The first part of Basic Training is the Foundation Course – that portion of training that takes you up to Private Pilot Licence standard (PPL). Following completion of the Basic Training there is a need to upgrade your skills to enable you to undertake a conversion course onto a larger aircraft - this course is your Intermediate Training. After that you will complete Advanced Training - this is the type conversion course that will convert you onto the actual airliner type that you will be flying with easyJet; eventually, after a series of demanding tests you will have the new aircraft entered on to your flying licence. Once properly licensed, you will then undergo an extensive period of flying with a Training Captain on the easyJet routes - this is called "line training" and provided that you have attained all the skills needed you will, at last, be fulfilling your dream - you will be an easyJet pilot flying the world's most modern aircraft.

All this training costs a great deal of money - in fact it's about £100,000! Very few people can afford to pay for this themselves and find it impossible to even start the process of training without help - help that is becoming increasingly difficult to find amongst today's airlines.

easyJet is the fastest growing airline in Europe and immensely successful - our growth and expansion is now legendary and therefore we need highly motivated young men and women to help us staff that expansion. We have therefore decided to assist a number of applicants each year through sponsorship of some of their training costs.

easyJet has teamed up with our training provider - CTC - to offer you this opportunity. The scheme will enable you to enter the profession in the most cost effective way and ensure that you get the very best opportunity of achieving your ambition with as little risk to you as is possible.

How much money will I have to find to pay for this training?

There is a very good financial arrangement available - it works like this :-

CTC and easyJet will pay for most of the training throughout the course. Because this is a significant exposure to both the airline and CTC, you will be required to deposit a cash bond for £60,000. Apart from the cost of the Foundation Course (approximately £3000) the difference between £60,000 and the full cost of training is paid by easyJet. Don't worry - if you don't have access to this large amount of money required for the foundation course and the bond, there is an excellent low cost arrangement with a high street bank available through CTC's scheme - the loan is available on an unsecured basis and at a low rate of interest. The bond payment is not required all in one lump - but is made in instalments as you progress through the training course.
If you take advantage of the loan system, repayments are not required until the training course is complete.

On employment, we will pay you the sponsored scale of salary for the first seven years and also, each month, a repayment of that bond that you gave us at the rate of £1000 per month for 7 years. Thus you will be able to repay the bond loan from the bank over that same seven year period.

When do I start earning a salary? How much will that be?

Once you have successfully completed your basic, intermediate and advanced training and started flying with easyJet on the line, there will be an initial period of 6 months (for line training and consolidation training) - during which time you will be paid a monthly allowance of £1000 p.m. from CTC. It will only be on completion of that period, when you have proved to us that you are "the right stuff" for easyJet, that we will be able to offer employment. This will normally be a total of about two years from the start of basic training course. At that time you would join us on the Sponsored Cadet First Officer scale (see table below) and of course would also receive our sector pay and other benefits. At current rates this would amount to approximately £26,000 p.a. Once you advance to Senior First Officer grade (about 3 years) you would be earning about £34,320 p.a. on the sponsored scale.

Additionally, we will make a repayment of your bond each month to you, (£1000 p.m.) for seven years - thus when we have finished repaying that to you, you will revert to normal salary scales. You may of course be a Captain by then and earning a significantly larger salary.

Basic salaries for a Sponsored Cadet are as follows (refer to "Our salaries and benefits" section to see the additional benefits that also apply):

Where can I get more information and how do I apply?

Further information is available on CTC's website. Due to the very large number of applicants that we will receive, we regret that neither CTC, nor ourselves, will be in a position to answer any questions by telephone, letter or personal visits. Applications can only be made through that website.

What qualifications do I need?

Age: On the date of completing the website application form, you must be at least 19 yrs old, but not more than 30 yrs old.

Nationality: You must be able to prove your unrestricted legal right to live and work in the EU and have no reason to believe that you will not be accepted for training in New Zealand.

Education: You must have passed 2 "A" Levels at grade C or above (or have equivalent educational qualifications)

What are my chances of getting through the selection?

Only a small percentage of applicants will be successful - we're looking for the very best. You will have to prove to us that you are an easyJet person, with all the potential skills needed to become a first class pilot.

How long does each part of the training take?

The Basic licence course takes about 14 months to complete. The Intermediate course about 3 weeks and the Advanced course about two months. With the 6 months of line training and consolidation flying, together with leave and holidays, the whole process will take about 2 years from the day you start.

Where is the training done?

CTC have developed a special course for this sponsorship which will be conducted in both New Zealand and in the UK. You will spend about 9 months in New Zealand and the rest of the time in the UK.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

General

How does easyJet's sponsorship scheme compare with other similar training schemes?

There are 2 big differences between this and other airlines' sponsorship schemes:

• Although most sponsorship schemes have now been withdrawn, those that remain require some payment from the cadet: usually in advance of training; often sums in the range of £18,000 to £33,000. The easyJet /CTC Wings Cadet Scheme only requires you to fund the Foundation Course (about £3000) and to provide the bond – both of which may be financed through our funding partner. We pay you back this bond when we employ you.
• The syllabus is much more comprehensive and more airline-focused than other courses and is designed specifically to produce the high calibre of pilot that we need.

What GCSE's and A levels should I take if I want a place on the cadet scheme?

Any subjects are acceptable. If you are yet to take your exams, it is probably more important that you keep your options open and study subjects that you are good at and motivate you. Maths and Physics provide a good foundation to the theoretical knowledge syllabus, but you would be better with a good grade pass in, say, English, than a poor mark in Physics. Remember also that there are far fewer places on this scheme than applicants, so keep your options open!

What happens if I fail the class 1 JAA medical exam?

If an applicant passes the selection and is offered a place before passing the class 1 medical examination, their place will be conditional on passing the examination. Regrettably, we are unable to accept cadets into training who cannot reach the medical standards required by law.

Am I guaranteed a job?

No airline cadet scheme guarantees a job. The commitment we give is that subject to your satisfactory performance in training, and our recruitment plans remaining unchanged, we intend to offer employment to graduating cadets. That is exactly the same conditional offer that any other cadet scheme offers.

Selection

Why does CTC charge for selection for sponsorship applicants?

In dealing with many thousands of applicants for sponsorship, the administration cost of selection amounts to many thousands of pounds per selected candidate. We don't think its fair to ask only the successful ones to have to pay for all those that apply, so we ask everyone to contribute. We therefore charge you £140 + VAT to cover the cost of some industry standard assessment tests. It is vital that we do this selection properly - in order that you can be given best advice about your likely chances of success in your future career. That advice is essential for both you and us - to ensure that you are making a wise choice and that we are training the right person.

What qualities are you looking for during selection?

The selection consists of 4 phases:

• The first phase (application) will ascertain whether you have the basic qualifications for our scheme.
• At the second phase, we will be testing your aptitude for flying as an airline pilot. We will also test numeracy and verbal reasoning.
• The third phase consists of an interview, and two group exercises. We are looking for someone who is highly motivated as an easyJet employee and right for the "orange" culture. You have to fit in with the team.
• The final phase will be conducted in an aircraft simulator to demonstrate and confirm your capacity to learn simple tasks in a highly complex environment.

The training course

Does it help if I’ve done any flying before?

No – this will make no difference during the selection procedure and is no particular advantage. However, successful applicants that have completed more than 10 hours of flying will, following the final selection phase mentioned above, be assessed at CTC’s training center at Bournemouth to evaluate how much time needs to be allowed in New Zealand to complete the PPL. Those that require less than the full flight hours to complete their PPL to our standard will be rebated a portion of the payment made for the foundation course.

What happens to me if I fail during training?

Cadets accepted onto this Cadet Sponsorship scheme represent the best prospects for fast-track employment with us. Even those who do not reach the high standards required will be amongst the best selected and most suitable industry trainees. Therefore, failure on this fast-track course does not necessarily bar a cadet from an airline career, and it is likely that after completing training there will be other opportunities for employment within the industry even if you don't reach easyJet's high standards.

Finance

What happens to the bond if I fail during training?

If you should not make the grade during basic or intermediate training, CTC will normally repay the bond deposited to date up to a limit of £30,000. This is a unique protection, and whilst there are some very reasonable conditions to protect against deliberate withdrawal from the scheme, you are provided with a significant and very valuable safety net. If you fail when the bond has reached a sum in excess of £30,000, the portion over £30,000 remains your liability - however, don't forget that by that time you would already be on track for a career as an airline pilot, with a substantial part of your licence training completed.

What is my liability for the loan I take to fund my bond?

Whether you provide bond finance through our funding partner or another source, you will remain liable for that bond loan. However, we contract with you on employment to repay your bond and will make monthly repayments of £1000 for seven years, in addition to your Sponsored scale of salary, as long as you fulfil your commitments of employment.

What if I elect to provide the bond out of capital, without using the funding facility you offer?

We will of course still make the same repayments of your bond as above.

What happens if I pass the course but you don't employ me?

This would only occur if our plans for new hire pilots changed unexpectedly. However, in this most unlikely event you would remain liable for the repayments of any loan arrangements you have made, but our partners, CTC, would make every effort to place you in alternative employment.

What happens to me if I change my mind and decide to leave during the training course?

This would result in a termination of the contract with you and you could potentially forfeit your bond , payments made up to that time. Additionally you may be exposed to additional costs.

What happens to the bond if I die or loose my medical category during training?

Cadets are certainly recommended to take out life cover and ”Loss of Licence” insurance for the period of training. Personal accident insurance, property insurance whilst abroad and medical cover whilst in NZ are also strongly recommended. If the bond finance has been provided by our funding partner, they may themselves insist upon certain levels of cover before agreeing to the loan.

How does this sponsorship scheme compare to the alternative of me paying for my own training?

If you were to take out a loan for say £60,000 and arrange your own training, and if you could perhaps afford £600 per month to repay the loan out of your future earnings on employment, then it would take about 14 years to repay the loan and you would have needed to use about £150,000 of your salary before tax over that time to fund the repayments.

In this scheme you will have repaid that same loan in 7 years, using the £84,000 which we will pay you in bond repayments - this is definitely the most cost-efficient method of financing training and replicates easyJet's commitment to a low cost, highly efficient operation.

What happens if I leave easyJet before the end of my bond period?

An employee who leaves during the bond period will have breached the bond contract and will therefore forfeit any remaining bond - in that case, we would cease to make monthly bond repayments to you and you would remain liable for the monthly repayments to the bank (if you have availed yourself of that facility). Additionally, easyJet will be entitled to seek repayment from you of the additional costs of training that it has borne in excess of the bonded amount.

Can I pay off the loan early? Are there any penalties?

Most bank facilities allow you to pay off the loan early without penalty. However, we will, of course, continue to repay your bond to you on the normal schedule.

Will there be any expenses for me during training?

CTC and easyJet will pay the course fees, which include:

• Basic (post Foundation), intermediate and advanced training fees
• Training equipment
• Uniform
• Headset
• Remedial training fees
• Examination and test fees
• Examination and test re-sit fees
• PPL licence fee
• Accommodation in New Zealand and the Exam Phases in the UK
• Provision of transport in New Zealand including car running costs
• Air fares to and from New Zealand
• Food and accommodation during the intermediate and advanced phase
• Living allowances and expenses during the advanced phase

Cadets will have some expenses such as:

• Selection (£140 + VAT for phase 2 only)
• Initial JAA Class 1 medical examination
• The Foundation Course (if required)
• Medical renewal fees
• JAA CPL/IR licence issue fee
• Living costs during basic training
• Accommodation and living costs in the UK on leave and during basic training (where not provided in the course fees)
• Insurance cover

OK, it all sounds great, but what's the catch?

There isn't one! The only things you need to know are that it's going to be tough to get through the selection, and the number of places are limited. If you are one of the select few then you are going to have to prove yourself to us and perform very well throughout the training course. Failure to achieve our exacting standards will result in disappointment and may have financial ramifications - we tell it like it is, that's our style. If you like a challenge then please do apply, you're the sort of person we want on board with us at easyJet.

For further details about the training refer to CTC's website where there is detailed information and more FAQ's.

easyJet is well-known as an innovative organisation committed to developing the individuals working for the company.

The more traditional methods of training to become a pilot can be very costly and do not necessarily provide the opportunity to work for a progressive airline once training is complete. easyJet has taken the innovative step to team up with CTC Wings to provide training from the foundation skills and ‘Basic Training’ during which you work to achieve your PPL (Private Pilots Licence), CPL / IR ( Commercial Pilot’s Licence and Instrument Rating) and ATPL (Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence); through to the ‘Advanced Training’ phase which ultimately enables you to operate as a First Officer on one of our growing fleet of Boeing 737 or Airbus A319 aircraft.

Training to become a Commercial Pilot can cost in the region of £100,000. However, we recognise that there is some real talent out there who could prove to be our best pilots, but the funding puts the training out of reach. easyJet have, therefore, decided to sponsor a certain number of individuals through their training each year, thus removing many of the cost concerns. For those requiring financial assistance, arrangements have been made with one of the main high street banks for successful applicants to raise a bond to act as security throughout training.

To find out more about CTC Wings and easyJet’s Sponsored Cadet Programme and to apply on line click here.

The Training

If successful through our rigorous selection process, your training would be carried out at CTC’s Crew Training Centres in New Zealand and the UK. The full Cadet course takes approximately 20 months depending on your previous experience.

The programme has been designed to train airline pilots from the outset. This means that wherever possible, the training you will receive will be to follow procedures as close to those operated by an airline, even when you are flying a small, single engine aircraft during the basic phases of training. This philosophy of vertically integrated training will ensure that the transition from light aircraft, single crew operations to complex jet, multi-crew flying is as smooth as possible. easyJet and the CTC Wings programme are producing some of the best trained pilots in the industry – you could be one of them!

The best people to explain what the training is like are the cadets themselves. Radley Browne is now flying with easyJet as a First Officer on the Airbus fleet. He’s there as a result of having passed the four-phase selection process to join easyJet’s Cadet Sponsorship Scheme with CTC Wings. Click on Radley’s picture for his story of the training in New Zealand and the UK with CTC Wings.

A Cadet’s Story of the training involved

I started my training with CTC in April 2003, and there have been some small tweaks to the course since then.

New Zealand
The first 11 months of the course were spent in New Zealand, with a one month gap in the middle for CAA ground examinations and a weeks leave in the UK. On arrival in NZ I was assigned an instructor for the course, it was their responsibility to oversee your performance and progression through the initial parts of the course. I had only a limited number of flying hours and needed to do my PPL, and this was done exclusively with my designated Instructor. The PPL flying was very enjoyable, but it was a little daunting, as there were cadets from a variety of backgrounds and some with considerable flying experience.

After the PPL stage you join the Wings syllabus. Every flight and test is already pre-planned and your progression through the course can be easily monitored, so there are few surprises when planning for flights.

While out in New Zealand my time was divided between flying and ground study. The ground study is a self-study course through the ATPL syllabus. When you join the scheme along with all the required navigation equipment and plotters you are assigned a laptop and a series of study folders. As the ATPL course is self-study it is entirely the cadets responsibility to work through it on time, there were checks on your performance but you do have to be focused.

The ATPL course is first rate. I found that because it was self-study I tended to put in more work, because I really would have no one else to blame if I wasn’t successful. The big bonus of it being self-study was that it allowed you to define your own time-table. Some people worked best late into the night Monday to Friday and had the weekend off, others started everyday surfing at the local beach and made up for it on the weekend. There was a huge amount of flexibility, and the course and the exams are well within the reach of anyone selected.

The flying is rostered for the other half of the week, weather permitting. Although New Zealand has been chosen for a number of reasons, it is often forgotten that it is about the same temperature as the UK, and that Auckland gets three times the rainfall of London. After PPL I was assigned a primary and a secondary instructor. The aim is to do the majority of your training for each phase with your primary instructor, this really helped with continuity and you build up a good relationship with them.

Nearly all of the flying I did in New Zealand is VFR (Visual Flight Rules), which is perfect because there is so much to see. Each stage of training was finished with a short test, at the beginning I found this similar to re-sitting my driving test, but as I became more comfortable with the system it became an everyday factor.

UK Training

Returning from New Zealand for the final time, I sat the final part of the ATPL exams. After the exams are finished training starts after a week off in Bournemouth. The Bournemouth phase lasts around 6 months, and during this time you take your IR(T) (Instrument Rating Test) and CPL. There are some subtle changes to flight rules and there is time factored in for getting to grips with UK airspace and UK visibility and weather. Throughout Bournemouth I was put up by CTC in student housing.

After finishing my IR and CPL, I was immediately assigned an AQC (Airline Qualification course) date at Dibden Manor. This is the start of intermediate training and last for 3 weeks. The first week was ground school and CRM and the next two are in the 737-700 simulator. The first simulator detail was one to remember, sitting in the seat for the first time with a colleague on the other side, having learnt all the checks; then starting the simulator up and taxying off. The first sim detail lasts four hours and was over in no time; I had a gentle sweat on, and at times I found myself metaphorically letting out the escape rope and water skiing behind the aircraft as I tried to keep up with climbing and descending at 250kts. This course required a lot of team work with my sim buddy, but by the end of the course I found myself operating the aircraft to a higher level than I could have imagined.

The type rating was also with CTC and was scheduled 1 week after completion of AQC. Type rating was the first time I was mixed with full time easyJet pilots. The first two weeks of the six week course are ground school and this is largely self study, and very similar in structure to the ATPL study guides.
The simulator details followed very neatly on from the AQC details, and there was a lot of commonality between the CTC operating procedures and easyJet procedures. All of the simulator work is done as a pair again, but this time you will be paired with a pilot converting on type rather than a trainee. All of the sim details are pre-published along with the required reading and work to be done, so although it can seem like a big step up there weren’t any surprises. The final sim check ride was daunting, but everyone set me at ease and the level required is very similar to that for the final sim check during AQC.

Having passed the type rating, we started with easyJet doing base training. Base training is the first opportunity to get your hands on the actual aeroplane. It involves a minimum of six take off and landings, and it goes in no time. After base training we start line training, which was exactly as it sounds, you fly with a training captain normal line flights while training you on easyJet SOPs and line flying. Line training lasted around one month, and finished with the line check, when you are then released to fly with normal line Captains.

Throughout the training there were areas that I excelled at and areas I struggled with and required remedial training. The whole training process took exactly 18months for me to get from first flight to final line check, and this is particularly quick, and it is not unusual to pick up small delays waiting for courses to start.

A Day in the Life of an easyJet Cadet Pilot at London Gatwick

Pre-Flight

At easyJet we tend to work one of two shifts, the first shift starts at around 6o’clock, the late shift starts at around 1o’clock. There is a set pattern to the working cycle and the early and late duties are rarely mixed.

We are required to report one hour before flight departure. The majority of the crews aim to get in before the mandatory one hour to go through the paper work. On arrival at the crew room my first job is to check in, and to confirm the flight details and crew; we aim to operate a “ paper-less office” at easyJet so all of this is done online. Having checked in, I print out all of the flight documentation: flight plans, “notams” (notices) and weather. Then I start looking through the briefing material. While this is going on I keep an eye out for the Skipper and crew, and because of the size of Gatwick operations it is not unusual to fly with a different Captain and crew every day.

When the Captain arrives we start our briefing, and this is an informal chat through the days’ flights. You will review the weather together, focusing particularly on departure, destination and possible alternate airports should a diversion be necessary. The “notams” are a series of specific reports for airports and airways that inform us of any closures or equipment un-serviceability or restrictions at an airport or its navigational aids. Together we wade through the “notams” looking for items that affect today’s sectors. Having checked the weather and “notams” we check over the flight plan. The flight plan is a document that includes the fuel policy, ATC (Air Traffic Control) routing, selection of alternates and specific company route notices. Together we decide who flies which sectors, and it is usual for the Captain to fly one way and the First Officer to fly back. There are limitations that can reduce the choice because the Captain is required to fly some procedures and has higher take off and landing limits.

Having briefed we join the crew for the end of their brief. We give the crew the details of the days’ flights, and any potential problems that may affect them. As a complete crew we brief on the actions required for an emergency, decompression, fire in the cabin... etc.

We walk out to the aircraft 45 minutes before departure, and we are watching the clock very closely. On time departures for an airline are a very important statistic, so as flight deck crew, it is our job to motivate the ground crew, gate staff and dispatcher to ensure the flight gets away on time.

Out at the aeroplane we check over the tech log for any problems or unserviceabilities. The Pilot ‘non flying’ goes and does the external walk round, while the Pilot ‘flying’ sets up and prepares the flight deck. During first flight set up or turnarounds everyone on board knows their role, and because time is always limited we will all help out. While the pilots prepare the cockpit, the cabin crew are preparing the cabin for passengers; carrying out a security checks, emergency equipment checks, and stowing all of the stores for the days flight.

On Board the Aircraft

Within the crew there is a rigid hierarchy: Captain, First Officer, Senior Cabin Crew Member, No.2, 3 and 4 cabin crew members. On the flight deck this never changes, but during the First Officers sectors the Captain will fulfil the role of co-pilot. While the crew seat the passengers I brief the Captain on the emergency actions and the departure.

On the ground the Captain and First Officer have set roles, independent to which pilot may be flying the sector. It is always the Captains responsibility for taxying the aircraft and the First Officers to negotiate with ATC. Before the aircraft can push back we must have received departure clearance and be within our slot time when given. When cleared to push back, the Captain will call for the remaining checks and confirm with the ground crew that their checks are complete. The engines are started on the push back and on the Airbus this is an automated event, and only monitoring is required. When the push back is complete, the ground crew disconnect and I request taxi. Before each new phase there is always a checklist to be done, so before each checklist is called for there is a series memory items I must have done.

Once all the checks are complete, the cabin is secure and we are cleared to line up, the Captain taxis the aircraft onto the runway and then hand control over to me. With clearance to take off I set 50% on the thrust levers, and call “take off”. From now on all conversation is in standard phraseology, with each phrase having a pre-determined response. As the engines reach 50% I select take off power, and remove my hand from the thrust levers while the captain covers the levers. While I concentrate on the take off the Captain is calling “100kts”, “V1”, “Rotate” and “Positve Climb”, the first call confirms the speed and that the ASIs are working, “V1” is the faster speed that we can abort the take off, and rotate is when I take the aircraft into the air. On the Airbus we fly the aircraft using a small joystick on the side of the seat (side stick), there is no direct linkages between the joystick and the control surfaces, so there is no sense of feel. So the rotate is smooth pull back scanning the PFD and the horizon to achieve the 3deg/s up an attitude of 15degrees. While you are rotating to the climb attitude the “Positive Climb” call comes, and the response is nearly always “Gear up”.

Departing from major airports can be a very busy time for the flight deck, there will be a couple of frequency changes, new climb requirements and changes to the routing. The departure routing is closely monitored for noise and track keeping, and because of this it is usual to engage the auto pilot. With the auto pilot engaged the job changes from one of attitudes and headings to a management and monitoring task, constantly checking auto pilot modes, stop clearances and routings. Once in the cruise we can relax for a moment depending on flight length, flight time lengths out of Gatwick are very varied, as we operate to 31 destinations, from Amsterdam (35mins) to Athens (3hrs30mins). In the cruise are priority is monitoring the radio, keeping the flight plan up to date, and fuel management. Depending on the cruise level assigned we will also be looking at possible new cruise levels, wind, fuel burn and turbulence reports.

In Flight
Descent and arrival is very similar to departure, the pilot ‘flying’ will brief on the arrival, focusing particularly on terrain and ATC routings, constraints, and approach expected. With the introduction of “Glass Cockpits” the management of the decent has been made considerably easier. The aircraft will work out an optimum top of decent point for the arrival, based on current routing, descent winds and selected descent speeds. From the cruise it can often take 120miles to descend and slow down, so too late and you are too high/fast on approach and too early and you are flogging the aircraft in at 2000ft fully configured burning un-necessary fuel and causing local noise complaints. The ideal descent is when the power is set to idle in the cruise and the descent speed is maintained using the aircraft attitude, then at 1000ft the power is brought gently up to maintain the speed for the approach.

Depending on where we are flying into we will disconnect the automatics coming through 5000ft or when established on the approach with the runway in sight. The approach is the most taxing time for the pilots and the most enjoyable. Depending on the runway the approach could be done visually, or using any one of a number of instrument approaches. The landing is nearly always done by hand, as only the Captain is cleared to auto-land the aircraft.

The landing of the aircraft is similar to the take off because of the lack of feedback. Instead I rely heavily on the visual picture and the instrument scan. Landing a jet is more of a science than an art, because the most important factors are being on the correct speed, on the centre line and following the correct vertical profile. This leads you down to a touch down point around a quarter of the way into the runway. The flare and round out is quite analytical so as the radar altimeter is calling out 20’ I gently arrest the descent pitching to 5degrees and close the thrust levers. Because of the roster pattern it isn’t unusual for me to do 6 and 10 landings in a week, which is great for landing currency.

Throughout the whole approach the Captain is monitoring my flying, and it is their responsibility to call out anything they are not happy with. It is a team atmosphere and their criticism is only professional, and ensuring I fly safely and well.

Once on the ground the roles revert back to Captain and First Officer, after I have checked in with Ground control, confirmed the taxy routing, we complete the after landing scans, and taxy to the gate.

Turnarounds at easyJet are as intense as the flight, the average turnaround allowance is 25minutes. In that time the passengers need to get off, the aircraft re-fuelled, the cabin security checked and cleaned, the flight deck set up for the return and the external inspection completed. Just like on departure the whole crew pulls together, and we will join the crew clearing up the Cabin, to start the whole procedure again.

And finally...
At easyJet it is usual to do four sector days, returning back to base in the afternoon or evening. We work a set shift pattern so it is possible to know your days off months ahead. Being a low cost airline you are expected to work hard, it is common for flight deck to fly an average of 80hrs a month, depending on the season. The facilities associated with easyJet are very flying focused, the crew rooms are usually pretty simple rooms, with a series of computers, printers and tables, and you are largely expected to sort out your own problems.

As an employer they are very fair, I thoroughly enjoy it, there aren’t any glamorous night stops, but you are home each night. There is some great flying, good promotional opportunities and a good cadet training scheme.

To apply click here