I'm finishing up my degree right now and am going to pursue becoming a pilot. I can't afford private training and am considering applying to the Sault and Confed since they're subsidized.

I have been seeing a lot of negative posts about these programs when it comes to licensing/certification delays that claim to be adding on multiple years of schooling, only being able to fly once or twice per month, etc. A lot of these complaints seem to be from 3+ years ago, so I was wondering if there is anyone in these programs or recent grads who could tell me about their experience.

Anything would help!

Graduated from another post-secondary institution with a similar multi-year aviation program.

I really recommend trying to find a way to fund your training at an accelerated one year program at your local flight school via either working and saving up or taking out a loan. The faster you enter the industry the better, and taking on a 3 year+ program when you already have a degree is not the best use of your time imho.

Also just because they are subsidized does not mean they are hugely cheaper. You're going to find that the final cost will not be all that much different compared to if you trained at your local FTU. Someone still has to pay for all those random courses needed to fulfill the diploma requirements.

Just my $0.02. Ultimately either path will get you qualified to take on the industry but again it's just about how much you value the time it takes to get all your qualifications and start working. I wish you nothing but the best whichever route you decide and I hope you enjoy the journey. There's never been a better time to become a pilot!

I disagree, the subsidized programs ARE much cheaper. Keep in mind the quotes you get from FTU's are best case scenarios, and never seem to be achievable. If you don't mind the time commitment of the college programs (I think confed is 20 months?), you'll save a bunch of cash. Plus, you're already used to the post secondary structure. Hopefully you've done your research and know that they are hard programs to get into, and once you're in maybe half end up graduating. I can't comment on recent experiences at the colleges unfortunately. I recommend saving cash now while you wait to hear from sault or confed. If you get in, great. If not you've got cash to fund your private...privately.

Where are the recent grads from the Ontario colleges? Share your experiences!!