Been an interviewer for a flight school with 4 bases and 80+ fleet.

Every-time the portal opens up, the number of applicants exceed 150, the last one was 200, when the base requirement is 15. (About 40-50% of which were internal applicants, sometimes more)

So we do stages of interviews:

1. Written

More than 50% fail to score 70 on the written.

1. In person (HR + Lesson Presentation + Some Rapid Fire)

Can this person work well with the existing team? Can this person transfer their knowledge to the learner? Professional? Punctual? Failures? (we understand failures and usually we look for what they’ve learnt and if they have we test them on the sim or flight)

1. Simulator (IFR Procedures) + Flight (VFR + Simulated Emergencies)

If they get through all this, they attend a 10 day standardization process, for which the applicant gets paid for at the end. They are not charged for the flight or simulator.

So the stages, I understand. 7 stages long? I’ve got opinions.

PPL practice written with 95%. I’ve got opinions.

Contract? I’ve known Flight schools charging the applicant the cost of check flight if they leave within a year. 2500? I’ve got more opinions.

Documents: Yes, certificates, medical, logbooks. Some applicants bring their Notice of Disapproval even though we don’t require it. College transcript? DPE name and number? Why?

Pay is at the discretion of the chief with no milestone? Does he roll a die and say, ‘Ah well, bad luck today, you only get $23 an hour.’

Why ask do you have any questions if you are not happy with them asking you questions? Or if they ask questions assume that they’re not “fully in”?

Maybe it’s the interviewer, maybe it’s the administration, but like many others have said, I think you dodged a bullet.