The Cebu Pacific Air announced on Saturday that it has started accepting applicants for the 7th batch of cadets to undergo training in Australia and become members of its corps of pilots.
“Leading Philippine carrier Cebu Pacific is opening applications for a seventh batch of cadet pilots to be trained at the prestigious Flight Training Adelaide (FTA) in Australia through CEB’s “study now, pay later, zero-interest” training program,” the airline said in a statement.
The carrier will be selecting 16 cadet pilots to join six other batches currently undergoing pilot training in Australia.
The application period will run from May 17 to 26, 2019 and there is no application fee for the program.
The Cadet Pilot Program is open to all Filipino citizens who are college graduates and proficient in English.
There are no preferred college degrees, and applicants need only have an average grade of at least 80 percent or its equivalent in subjects related to Math, Physics and English.
Only applicants who pass the online pre-screening will proceed with the next stages of the selection process.
The selection process consists of interviews, computer aptitude tests, medical examinations, psychological tests and spoken English tests. Only successful applicants will undergo on-site screening for core skills and pilot aptitude tests, among others, where a fee of AU$425.00 (about P19,000) will be charged.
Cebu Pacific will shoulder the entire cost of the pilot training. Cadet-pilots who successfully complete the training are assured of employment with the carrier. They then reimburse the cost of the program through monthly salary deduction over a maximum of 10 years at zero-interest.
One of the applicants was Darryl Dave Ditucalan from Iligan City. A certified Electronics and Communications Engineer, Ditucalan graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology. His parents are farmers and local government officials in the province of Lanao del Norte.
Ditucalan took a chance and applied for the program. After undergoing a comprehensive selection process, he became part of the first batch of CEB Cadet Pilots.
After a year of training in Adelaide, Australia, Ditucalan and 11 other cadets are set to return to the Philippines by mid-June where they are assured of positions as First Officers in the carrier’s pilot corps.
“To those wanting to be pilots but are financially or otherwise constrained, take advantage of this opportunity offered by Cebu Pacific. The ten year payback period is very affordable compared to what this career can bring to you and your family,” said Ditucalan.
Since the program was launched in late-2017, CEB has deployed 80 cadet pilots to FTA, selected from over 38,000 applicants, with the sixth batch set to depart for training by July 2019.