Aircraft engineer jobs: What GCSEs do I need?

Meet Balwant, 22, an aircraft engineer for British Airways at Heathrow Airport. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.

Balwant sat in the cabin of an airplane.

The hardest part was the interview process and getting onto the apprenticeship. From there, everyone just helps you work your way through.

What is your job?

I work on line maintenance and we turn around planes when they come to Heathrow Airport. We get planes ready to go on their next flight by carrying out any maintenance needed. I work in the cabin engineering department, so we look after everything in the cabin. We carry out checks on things like seats, lights or in-flight entertainment, then we fix any problems.

Balwant repairing a fault inside the aircraft. — Image caption,
Balwant repairing a fault in the aircraft.

What subjects did you study?

I took all required GCSEs and Food Technology, Music and Business Studies. I achieved A-levels in Maths, Chemistry, Music and English Literature. I use maths a lot in my job. It was part of the module that I studied to get my licence to carry out aircraft maintenance work. I’m also part of the Royal Air Force Air Cadets, so I have a BTEC in Aviation Studies and in Public Services.

Is this the job you always wanted to do?

I actually wanted to be a pilot. I realised that I was not as academic as I needed to be to become a pilot. So, I did work experience in engineering, and decided I loved it! My work experience at British Airways was not like the work experience I’d done elsewhere. I was actually given tools to work with. It was hands-on and that probably influenced my decision to take the route that I followed. I’m glad I chose this route – I'm really happy.

How did you get into your job?

I applied online for the British Airways Apprenticeship Programme. There was a one-to-one interview, a group interview and written exercises. Then we went off for a day of team working. I got a call two days before I finished my exams to say I had got the job!

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Top tips

Try to get work experience. I know it’s hard but try to push for it
Try to do day visits and speak to people in the industry because they are the best people to ask for advice
In aviation, people think that a pilot is the only route to take – there’s so much more. When airlines have open days, go to them.