Written by: The Proficient Airman, Mubashar Yasin.

Recently, I attended a seminar hosted by an FTE Jerez student on the integrated ATPL pathway. He was also the winner of a fully-funded integrated ATPL by FTE Jerez.

In the summer of 2022 FTE Jerez awarded two winners a fully-funded integrated ATPL based on merit out of a pool of 2000 people. Fahim Ahmed, one of the winners scored an overall score of 99.6%, outstanding achievements and motivation throughout. The selection process involved personal questionnaires, written tests, psychometric tests, group exercises and 1-2-1 interviews. So no doubt Fahim did phenomenally well to get all the way through!

As of now, Fahim has completed his ground school study and has now started flying in Spain with FTE Jerez.

Seminar by Fahim Ahmed

The topic of the seminar was around airline assessments and how to get through. Whether this is for a cadet programme or your first airline job! The seminar was split into two parts:

1. The assessment process

• Application & CV
• Written assessments
• Aptitude test
• Group exercise
• Interview

• The extra (nautical) mile

• Journal your journey
• Your flying CV
• Resilience and perseverance
• Networking and mentoring

The assessment process

Here Fahim described what makes an ‘excellent’ application and how he went about to putting an application to FTE Jerez for his scholarship. If you are really passionate for the role it’s really important to think through the application and how your core fundamentals align with the core values of the company. And remember a recruiter will scan a CV to look for key buzz words – so keep it short and straight to the point!

Written assessments are an interesting one. Here Fahim describes practise is key. Many airlines and flight organisations uses CUT-E tests for aptitude testing. So it’s worth practising and getting used to the style of questions well in advance before the assessment. And as I say if it is something you really want – you will be resilient and find a way to work through them!

Group exercise – here Fahim talks about being yourself. You want to be seen as a team leader but also as a team player. This is a great opportunity not only as part of the recruitment process but also to self-assess and see your interaction with people. You can ask questions such as – am I contributing enough? Am I ensuring everyone’s opinions are heard – including quieter members of the group, and if not then how can I get their opinion heard. Most important aspect here in my opinion is to be genuinely interested in what others have to say – if you are interested in the person then automatically you will want to hear them speak.

Interview – here Fahim differentiated himself from the rest. Following the seminar I got talking to Fahim and he described what he did that made him unique to the rest. For example, any achievement or task he has done no matter how small he incorporated it in the interview in some way, shape or form – whether that be through words or hard copy evidence! Remember it’s worth doing some unique things that will make you different and get the interviewer thinking.

Network and get to know people. That’s what Fahim said – in fact he said he would always go up to pilots and start with “Hi, my name is…”. He spoke to many pilots through events like these to get a good insight into the industry. Not only do you make great friends through these but also great contacts that will carry you through life. For example, having met Fahim I am now in regular contact with him and hope I can get to know him better as he progresses through his FTE Jerez course. There will be people you meet in the aviation industry that will have a wealth of experience they can relate to you which in turn will inspire you.

Remember, it’s worth getting a little notebook and document everything a pilot mentions or you hear. As you build on the notebook this becomes an invaluable source of insight for you to refer to. Believe it or not a vast amount of student pilots or cadets don’t have books of insights – so if you haven’t… then get a notebook today and make that your future pilot insight book!

Lastly, I would like to inspire you before I finish this post. Fahim grew in a working class family just like myself. He didn’t have the funding to go out and apply to an integrated course or a modular course. However, if he can do it and achieve a scholarship from a pool of 2000 people – then I can tell you – so can you! It won’t come easy – nothing does. With a little grit, belief and resilience as well as more grit and even more resilience you will achieve it. It is a long, old road but you will get there.