Finding the right ground school to suit you and your style of learning can be overwhelming and time-consuming. You’ll want to make sure that the school you choose is not only going to provide you with everything you need to pass your exams but that they’ll also be there to support you along the way.
As a ground school, we receive calls, emails and messages daily from students looking to choose the best ground school for them. We’ve pulled together the top things we think you should consider when choosing a ground school, to best suit you and your learning style.
Is the ground school EASA/CAA approved?
The UK left EASA due to Brexit on 1st January 2021, which has implications for pilots studying for their commercial licences. Depending on where you live, you will need to decide which licence you want to aim for, EASA or UK CAA, and make sure that the training provider you choose holds the relevant approval for the licence you wish to achieve.
For more information about the UK leaving EASA and what that might mean for you and your training, please see our Brexit guide here.
What are their fees and what is included?
In order to compare schools, you’ll need to know how much they charge and what you get to help you study for your exams. Some schools may ask for the full course payment upfront, whilst others may allow you to pay by module or smaller installments.
When considering each school, look into what is included with your course such as computer-based training material, e-books, books, webinars, classroom tuition, revision weeks and question banks. These learning materials may come as part of the package or they may cost extra, depending on the school and course. It’s important to know what you’ll be getting to support your learning, this may help you decide which school is better value for money.
How is their ground school training delivered?
Since the covid-19 pandemic, some ground schools have moved to online teaching as a way to deliver their lessons to students all around the world. While some will find this works for them and may continue to learn from online webinars for the entirety of their study, others may find that they learn best in a classroom.
Find out how each school delivers its teaching and decide what kind of training will work for your. For Bristol Groundschool students, we now provide a bank of over 200 hours of instructor-created webinars as part of our course, to help students revise around their commitments. Our instructors run online or in-person revision weeks, covering every aspect of the ATPL, CPL, and IR syllabus.
Do you need to consider the cost of travelling to the ground school?
If remote learning is not an option at the school you would like to attend, you’ll need to budget for travel and possibly overnight accommodation. All students will also need to factor in the cost of travelling to sit their exams as these cannot be done online. Exams need to be sat at an exam venue for the UK CAA, Austro Control and other EASA authorities.
What do their past students say about studying there?
Former and current students will be your best source of information about if the school will be right for you. Most schools will have testimonials on their website from past students but it’s also worth looking on aviation and pilot training forums for insight into the school, its reputation, and the overall satisfaction of its students.
Looking for the right ground school?
With the option for online-only tuition, you can choose to fit your studies around existing commitments too – no matter where you are in the world. We turn today’s students into tomorrow’s pilots. And we can do the same for you.
Find out more about our modular ATPL and CPL theory training courses by clicking the buttons below.
ATPL (A) ATPL (H)/IR CPL (A) CPL (H)
Download our Free Ebook: The Essential ATPL Student Guide to Studying and Passing your Exams
Starting your ATPL theory soon?
Check out our new ebook on how to study and pass your ATPL exams. Discover what you’ll need to know about ATPL theory including:
- What each ATPL exam includes
- What to expect from each ATPL subject
- Choosing the right ground school for you
- How to study your ATPL theory
- Note-taking techniques
- Tips leading up to exam day
