Salaries vary according to the airline that you are employed with, the type of aircraft you are flying and your experience.

Salaries vary according to the airline

that you are employed with, the type of

aircraft you are flying and your

experience.

The starting salary for a newly qualified

first officer working for a small

operation may be around £21,000.

Starting salaries for those in larger

companies are higher at around

£22,000 to £24,000.

Some run apprenticeship schemes for

fully-trained pilots looking for their first

job, where salaries may be lower but

further training will be paid for by the

company. In other companies, starting

salaries may be higher, but you will be

required to fund the additional training

yourself.

Salaries for more experienced pilots

could range from £36,000 to £48,000 in

a first officer role.

The starting salary for a captain with a

medium-sized airline may range from

£57,000 to £78,000, while those with

the major operators could earn from

£97,000 to more than £140,000.

A pilot’s salary is often incremental,

rising with each year of service with the

company.

Benefits usually include a pension

scheme, various allowances and

discounted travel.

Being a pilot is not a nine-to-five job

and unusual working hours should be

expected. The length of a working day

varies depending on the company and

route but can range from three to

twelve hours. The start times of a day

will often differ depending on the route,

sometimes beginning in the early

morning and sometimes late at night.

As pilots can often be on standby duty,

they generally need to live near the

airport where they are based so they

can get there at relatively short notice.

Pilots working for short-haul airlines

often have their working shifts for a

month or two ahead. This results in a

more stable working/home life balance.

Long-haul airline pilots are expected to

spend much greater periods of time

away from home as they will fly further

distances. This means that they often

have to adjust to different time zones

and may regularly stay overnight at

their destinations.

Pilots are restricted to 900 flying hours

per year. On scheduled airlines, the

workload is spread evenly throughout

the year; on charter airlines, the

summer months are busier than the

winter months.

The majority of commercial airline pilots

are men, but more women are now

entering the profession.

Most of a pilot’s working time is spent

sitting in the cockpit of the aircraft, and

the majority of cockpits are designed

with comfort in mind. Long-haul pilots

may suffer tiredness, particularly if they

are flying either eastwards or

westwards through different time zones.

On long-haul flights, there are often

bunks on the aircraft where you can

take a short nap.

The role requires a lot of work and

dedication as pilots are required to

pass certain tests every six months and

so must carry out the necessary study.

A medical must be passed every yea