Even as an experienced pilot you will face assessments when you switch airlines, are promoted from first officer to captain, undergo a type rating conversion and at periodic recurrent checks. Each situation calls for different preparation. The basic aptitude tests are less demanding than in a cadet selection, but preparation is at least as important. Airlines recruit experienced pilots through separate vacancies for first officers and for captains who join directly in command, also known as direct entry captains. Compared with a selection for aspiring pilots, the emphasis for experienced pilots is on operational experience, type-specific knowledge, Crew Resource Management (CRM) in practice and your motivation for the move.12

Without a licence you will not get in. For a full ATPL(A), EASA requires at least 1,500 hours of flight time in aeroplanes, including at least 500 hours in multi-pilot operations. Only with an ATPL may you act as pilot in command (PIC) of a multi-pilot aeroplane in commercial air transport, which is why captain vacancies require a full ATPL. For radiotelephony you need a language proficiency endorsement (ELP) of at least level 4, which must be reassessed every 4 years, while level 5 must be reassessed every 6 years, and level 6 no longer needs reassessment. Airlines often set the bar higher than the legal minimum. KLM asks for a Class 1 medical, a frozen ATPL(A) and a minimum of 500 hours on multi-engine aircraft of 5,700 kg or more, including 150 hours commercial in the last 12 months. TUI only accepts applications from pilots who already hold their licence and requires an EU passport for European bases. For licence holders without airline experience, Ryanair asks for a valid EASA CPL with frozen ATPL, a Class 1 medical under Part-MED, a multi-engine instrument rating, an Advanced UPRT certificate and an APS MCC, as a standard MCC is no longer accepted.345789

At easyJet you can join as a co-pilot at Second Officer, First Officer or Senior First Officer level, depending on your experience and flying hours. Type rated captains at easyJet need at least 4,000 hours with 1,000 hours PIC on the A320, type rated co-pilots need at least 500 hours on the A320, and co-pilots without a type rating need at least 1,000 hours, including 500 hours on aircraft above 10 tonnes MTOW. For licence holders without experience, Ryanair asks for a report from your flight school, signed by the head of training, with all your ATPL results including resits.910

Under EASA rules, every pilot must keep a reliable record of all flights flown, in the form prescribed by the competent authority, and that logbook is the basis on which you prove your flying hours. According to the EASA guidance, each flight entry should include at least the name of the pilot in command, the date, place and time of departure and arrival, the aircraft type and registration, whether it is single-engine or multi-engine, the flight time and running total, plus your function on board and whether you flew at night or under IFR. Airlines check your hours strictly against the minimum requirements. For B737 captains at Buzz, Ryanair asked among other things for 3,500 hours total, 2,000 hours on multi-engine multi-crew jets above 30,000 kg and 800 hours as PIC, with PIC hours on turboprops not counting, and according to Ryanair these requirements are non-negotiable. Your licence is checked too, as the type rating must be on your licence and the valid until date in section XII may not have expired more than three years before the start of the course. The airlines' own pages reviewed do not mention a separate logbook check as a selection round. Ryanair stresses that your application is only processed if you have uploaded all requested documents.51213

A typical selection consists of an online application with documents, screening, an online assessment and a selection day at a sim centre with a sim check, an HR interview and a technical interview, as at Ryanair for direct entry captains and first officers, where the result follows within a week. After your application, a recruiter reviews your profile, and those who meet the requirements receive an online assessment, which differs for captains and first officers. easyJet sends online tests in verbal, numerical and spatial reasoning, with a personality questionnaire that easyJet says is needed to comply with EASA rules. easyJet then holds non-technical assessments, virtually or at a sim centre, with a group exercise and a competency-based interview, and for direct entry captains and co-pilots a simulator assessment. TUI lists three selection stages, namely psychometric assessments, an assessment centre and a simulator assessment, all in English. At TUI you pay your own travel and accommodation costs during selection. At KLM the interview with the admissions committee (COVA) is the fifth round, after CV selection, online assessment, psychological assessment and simulator grading.27810

When you switch airlines, technical questions from the ATPL theory subjects are often asked, and an ATPL refresher helps you stay sharp. Preparation covers systems knowledge, normal and abnormal procedures, and performance data. During the HR interview, the interviewer wants concrete examples from your own flying, covering your motivation, CRM experiences and how you handle conflict, mistakes and stressful situations. The STAR method (situation, task, action, result) is the standard way to structure your answers, and you should use it to prepare five to ten examples on teamwork, leadership, error management and stress. Airlines are not looking for perfect pilots but for people who work together, want to learn and adapt. Be authentic in your answers and show self-reflection. The technical interview at Ryanair lasts 30 minutes and covers your knowledge of your current or previous aircraft type, while the personal interview lasts about 30 minutes.19

During a sim check you fly a session in a full flight simulator with an assessor as your colleague, where you perform take-offs, landings, approaches and emergency procedures and are assessed on handling skills, CRM and procedural knowledge. Prepare thoroughly for the simulator session, as airlines pay close attention to CRM. Practise ILS, VOR and RNAV approaches, engine failures, hydraulic and electrical failures and go-arounds beforehand, and know your SIDs and STARs, as airlines pay close attention to stabilised approaches and good callouts. A single mistake is not the end, as assessors mainly look at how you recover, and a go-around counts as a good decision, not a mistake. At Ryanair the sim check for licence holders lasts 45 minutes in a Boeing 737-800 simulator, both as Pilot Flying and as Pilot Monitoring, with attention to basic handling, CRM and flight management.19

If you pass KLM selection, you get a place on a Type Rating Course as soon as there is space, on the type for which KLM then has a training place, and you cannot choose. At TUI, pilots who already hold a type rating only complete an Operator Conversion Course (OCC), while pilots without a type rating complete a full type rating. For type rated positions at TUI, your type rating must be valid when you join, and if it expires earlier, you must have it revalidated or renewed yourself. Ryanair offers successful licence holders a place on a type rating course at its training centre in East Midlands, and in October 2026 one of the vacancies described it as a partly sponsored type rating programme. Successful candidates at TUI enter a Pilot Talent Pool for up to 12 months until a place at a base becomes available.789

At TUI you may apply twice for first officer, and after a first rejection in one of the selection stages you can try again after a year. Whether you contribute to the cost of a type rating or sign a repayment arrangement for another vacancy is stated in the vacancy or contract, not on the general career pages of KLM, TUI or easyJet, while with a type rated vacancy you bring the rating yourself. At TUI all assessments and interviews are in English, the working language of the airline. KLM requires its pilots to speak and understand Dutch and English excellently.78