Will I have time to have a part time job while studying in Atp flight school?
Adrian,
It’s highly discouraged. The program is packed into 9 months. There’s no time for other obligations. Please visit the FAQ section. https://airlinepilot.life/c/frequently-asked-questions/19
Tory
Adrian,
I always find this question fascinating as it gets asked often. One of the top reasons people choose ATP is for the accelerated pace of the program. While many schools take years to complete their programs ATP takes months. They’re able to do this by training students fulltime and compressing all the requirements into a very short period of time. In order to do that ATP also requires a significant amount of self study. Many people find the program extremely challenging while devoted 100% of their time to it.
As Tory said working is highly discouraged but it’s your life and this is America. That said should you fall behind or bust checkrides it could derail your entire career all that money will have been wasted.
Making good decisions is arguably the most important pilot skill. I’d give it some thought.
Adam
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Adrian,
ATP’s program is highly accelerated. Every minute will need to be devoted to flying, class work, or studying. I fully understand the need to work, but it is highly discouraged. Something will suffer and it will most likely be your check ride performance.
Keep in mind that many students take out an extra stipend amount on their loans to be used to cover their monthly expenses while in training.
Chris
Hi Adrian,
As someone who recently contemplated this, I’ll chime in.
The amount of studying alone that the program demands makes working even a part time job difficult, but when you add in the fact that your “schedule” can easily vary, it becomes very difficult. For example, you may have your flying schedule for the next week but common disruptions such as weather and plane availability/maintenance can easily turn a scheduled 10am flight into a 4pm flight. In the climate in which I’m located this is a weekly occurrence and often times (such as today) I’ll show up sit at the airport for 3-4 hours in hopes that conditions will improve, only to have to cancel.
I’m not saying that it’s impossible as I know for a fact that others have done it, but I can see why it is strongly discouraged. Additionally, if you’re going through a lender such as Sallie Mae, theres a good chance that they’ll ask you if you intend on working while in the program.
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John nailed this.
I have a couple of small businesses, which have unfortunately been closed due to Covid-19. I thought I could still run it with the help of a few good managers while going through ATP training, but quickly realized that it would be nearly impossible. While in theory, you would get your schedule a week ahead and can plan around it, the x-factors like weather and plane availability and maintenance makes you stay very flexible with your schedule, often requiring late day, weekend and holiday flights, often with just hours of notice.