Flying is meant to be a glamorous career. But a buyer's market has brought many hopefuls back down to earth, reports Fiona Tyrrell

Gerry Guthrie was at primary school when he decided he wanted to be a pilot. He spent the next 20 years working towards his goal. Now, three years after graduating from flight school, he is driving a taxi in Dublin and waiting for his big break.

The supposedly glamorous career of a pilot has always been much sought after, but dramatic shifts in the industry and the cost of training have made it all the more difficult for those hoping to break in to the industry.

Internationally, the trend is for airlines to expect to recruit fully-fledged pilots. Only a minority still offer sponsored training programmes. The last group of trainee pilots taken on by Aer Lingus was in 2000. The class of 45, which included Guthrie, graduated in November 2001 but, affected by the airline's efficiency drive after September 11th, were not offered jobs. There has been no recruitment since.

"I remember the day I decided I wanted to be a pilot," says Guthrie. "I was seven, and it was the day my dad bought a new car. He brought me on a spin out to the airport, where I saw aircraft taking off - and to be honest with you I can't explain the rest: I was just bitten by the bug."

From then Guthrie did everything he could to prepare himself to become a pilot. Knowing that airlines prefer people with good academic records, he studied electronic engineering. While waiting for Aer Lingus to advertise for cadets he worked as an engineer for four years. By driving a taxi at weekends and doing 12-hour shifts at work he found the time and money to take private flying lessons.

When Aer Lingus did eventually advertise for cadets, Guthrie was one of those called up. But a few weeks before completing their exams the cadets were informed that there would be no jobs for them on graduation.

Although equipped with airline transport pilot's licences (ATPLs), the cadets did not have the all-important - and very expensive - type-rating qualification they would have got once employed by the airline. This allows pilots to fly specific aircraft. Without it, any new recruit to an airline has to go on a conversion course. For many, including Guthrie, this proved the big hurdle in getting a job.

"Unfortunately, the cadets were part of the cost-cutting measures in Aer Lingus. That was the biggest shock of my life. I was the only one in my class with a family and mortgage. I started driving a taxi the day after my final exams and have been doing so ever since."

He insists he is not bitter about failing to get a job straight after graduation and says Aer Lingus had no other option in the climate at the time. He continues to fly at a local club whenever he can and makes sure to do regular exams to keep his licence current.

"I can't say that I am overjoyed with what I am doing at the moment, but it's a stepping stone to getting my job back. Every time I hit 70 m.p.h. on the motorway in the taxi I expect to pull back on the control column in the car and get it off the ground. In other ways I'm doing the exact same job, except that instead of going from country to country I'm going from point to point. Flying is like a fix, so instead of getting paid to do it I have to pay for it."

The traditional attractions of the job - flying advanced aircraft and travelling the world - have not gone away, but they have changed significantly, according to Capt Conor Nolan of the Irish Air Line Pilots Association.

Although in many ways pilots are now just more movable assets within a business, on the front line they are still expected to carry the operation, just as they did in the past. "Once in the door of the aircraft they still have to rely on the authority of the job to maintain a good service," says Nolan. "This is a big challenge for pilots. More and more is expected of us. Pilots have to work harder, put in longer hours and deal with more and more complicated systems."

Being a pilot was once seen as a good job with great long-term prospects, but now people are more cautious, particularly if they are going to pay for their training themselves, he says. "They have to weigh up the considerable initial investment in terms of time, resources and, of course, cost. It takes a very significant investment to get in to the business, and a trainee pilot would not get much change out of €100,000 to get in to the job."

Aer Lingus now employs 455 pilots, compared with 500 in 2000. A recent decision to phase out certain types of aircraft raised the issue of a possible surplus of pilots at the company. A fortnight ago the Labour Court recommended that third parties should determine whether there is a surplus and, if so, recommend ways to deal with it.

Although most major airlines were facing tough economic conditions before September 11th, the attacks on New York and Washington brought the problems they faced to a head. Before then most airlines had preferred to recruit their own trainees and teach them from scratch. This not only gave them control over the quality of their pilots but also engendered loyalty. Some trainees would have already taken private lessons; most were just good all-rounders.

But all that was changed by the flux in the industry, along with the advent of low-cost airlines. The new companies say that they don't have the money to train recruits; they want to take on fully qualified pilots who are ready to take control of their aircraft and be productive.

Although the new airlines have brought many vacancies for pilots, a large pool of former airline pilots is also in the market, making it even more difficult to break in to the industry. As it is now a buyer's market, airlines that still recruit untrained pilots often require them to pay for their training themselves.

Ryanair, which employs 107 pilots in Ireland, recruits pilots with a range of experience. New recruits train at their own expense at recommended flight schools. They are paid - and offered permanent positions - only once they are qualified for the type of aircraft the company flies.

Aer Arann recruited its 31 captains for their experience of specific aircraft. Its 34 first officers were mostly recruited as pilots with commercial licences and 400 hours' flying time. Any training is at the recruits' expense.

CityJet, which employs 56 Irish-based pilots, recruits pilots with commercial licences or ATPLs and about 250 hours' flight time. It pays for additional training for type rating.

Capt Nolan advises people considering careers in aviation not to neglect other aspects of their lives and warns against paying fees to flight schools without first checking with his association or with airlines what qualifications are necessary.

"Airlines are looking for well-rounded, highly motivated, goal-orientated people who like a challenge. The attractions of the job are still there, but it is getting harder and harder to get in to an airline that allows you to enjoy these benefits. The new low-cost carriers have a career structure that is quite limited, and because they don't do long-haul flights you don't have opportunity for travel. Once you get experience it is possible to access the romantic and exciting side of aviation, which is alive and kicking."