I'm frequently asked for advice about how to become a pilot, especially by younger people, so I've made this page as a central place for all of my tips, and things I'd wish I'd known before I started my training. Bear in mind that I started my training at the end of 2021, and the training environment is constantly changing, so make sure to not just take my advice, but do plenty of your own research before diving into any expensive flight schools.
This advice is only suitable for people in the UK or Europe who want to become airline pilots. I wish I could give advice to people who want to become private pilots, military pilots, helicopter pilots, or people outside of Europe, but I don't have enough knowledge of those subjects to be able to do so. Different countries have different systems for pilot training, so it's impossible for me to give any real insight on what your experience might be like if it's not the same as the experience I went through.
It might seem obvious, but the first thing to consider before you spend lots of time, money, and effort working towards flying an airliner, is whether or not flying is the right job for you. As an outsider or someone who has not worked in aviation before, you may not be aware of what makes a good pilot, what the downsides of being an airline pilot are, and the less glamorous sides of the job. The training may be different to what you're expecting too.
First things first, are you the type of person that's interested in real flying? Just because you like flight simulators, plane spotting, or technical things does not necessarily mean you'll enjoy real world flying. More people than you think decide to go for a flight in a light aircraft and find that they don't enjoy it as much as they thought they would, or it causes them nausea, etc. Make sure to get a trial flight at your local flight school before you make huge plans. You might be thinking 'oh, but flying a little Cessna is nothing like flying an Airliner - why should it matter whether I enjoy flying a light aircraft, that's not the end goal'. I promise you, if you do not enjoy your light aircraft flying, you will have a horrible time learning to fly, and you will not finish your training in good time, with good skills, if at all.
In terms of the training itself, if you choose to dive head first into a full time flight school like I did, you'll likely be spending a large portion of your time either in classes, studying at home, or on an online question bank for hours at a time. Now obviously, you will still be able to have free time, but a lot of people underestimate the difficulty of the theory phase of flight school, and the sacrifices you'll have to make in your personal life. People also overestimate how enjoyable it will be. The ATPL ground school covers a huge amount of knowledge, so as to prepare you for any possible flying you might end up doing, however niche that may be. A lot of the things you'll study in ATPL ground school will not really be relevant to airliner flying, and some of it will not be interesting. Some will, but not all. Will you be able to stay motivated?
If, on the other hand, you go down the modular route, or take your training at a slower pace, consider how much longer it might take for you to complete your journey. Obviously there will be advantages to taking your time, but keep in mind that for most people flying tends to be a 'use it or lose it' type of skill, and you may prefer to get all the theory done in one go.
Once you've finished your training, you'll move on to getting your first flying job - or will you? It might not be as easy as it sounds. The aviation industry is highly dependent on economic conditions. During economic downturns, pandemics, or other crises, pilots face job losses, pay cuts, and difficulty finding employment - especially if you have low hours and no experience flying airliners. Generally, unemployed experienced pilots are more likely to get any available jobs before a cadet fresh out of flight school. Even if you do already have a job, airlines may shut down, leaving you without a job, sometimes with debt from training expenses. Are you prepared for the uncertainty that comes with this career? Be weary of companies offering "guaranteed" job offers. A job offer is usually easily withdrawn within the terms of the training contracts if economic conditions no longer suit the airline, potentially leaving trainees with huge debt, and no job prospects. It's happened before, and it could certainly happen again. Make sure you get the full details of any pre-training job offers if a school claims they will provide one.
But let's assume all is well and you get your first flying job. It might not be your preferred type of flying; in fact, it could be the complete opposite of what you want. Could you deal with working long 12 or 13 hour days, short-notice changes to your flying schedule, spending time away from family, missing important events at home, being forced to move to a base that isn't preferable for you, potentially low starting salaries, and frequent jet lag? These are often not mentioned by pilots you might see posting flashy selfies on Instagram.
This is not meant to scare you, or even put you off, but it's so so important to know what you're getting yourself into before you start this journey. My advice would be to talk to any real pilots you know, and ask them about their first jobs, and the pros and cons of all the different flying jobs they have had.
Moving onto more positive aspects of becoming a pilot, if you enjoy travel, you'll love flying. Even if you're not doing layovers as part of your job, you'll definitely enjoy the heavily discounted flying for you, your family, and friends, especially combined with other great benefits airlines usually offer. Speaking of days off, they truly are days off when you're a pilot. Aside from occasionally some studying for simulator sessions or any small admin tasks (most of which you could probably do at work anyway), work stays at work. Being a pilot is also a fantastic life long career. Depending on your timing, your pay will probably be pretty great (although this can vary), and the day you join an airline, you become a future captain, in maybe as few as 5-8 years, where you'll enjoy a significant increase to your compensation.
If you're great at working in a team, being a leader, communicating effectively, problem solving, and prioritising tasks under pressure, you'll probably be a great pilot. Don't worry if that doesn't sound like you just yet. You can train these skills - don't wait until you start flying to get on with it!