padgrad is a free career platform for graduates. It matches jobs to your degree, generates AI-powered CV checks and cover letters, and sends daily personalised job digests matched to your field of study.

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How does the AI CV Checker work?

Upload your CV and paste a job description. The AI analyses your CV against the role requirements, gives you an ATS compatibility score out of 100, and tells you exactly what keywords and formatting changes to make — helping you pass automated screening systems used by graduate recruiters.

How many jobs should I apply for as a graduate?

Graduates typically need to send between 20 and 50 applications to land a role, with top graduate schemes receiving an average of 58 applications per vacancy. Focus on quality over quantity — tailor each CV and cover letter to the role rather than spamming the same application everywhere.

How long does it take to get a graduate job?

Most graduates take between 3 and 6 months to land their first graduate role, though it varies by sector. Consulting, tech, and investment banking tend to have faster hiring cycles. Larger graduate schemes can take 4-6 months from application to offer.

What is the average graduate salary for 2026?

Graduate salaries vary widely by country, sector and region. Investment banking, law and tech tend to pay the highest, while public sector and charity roles typically start lower. Salaries in major cities usually sit above the national average — check local salary guides for figures relevant to your market.

How do I write a graduate CV with no work experience?

Focus on transferable skills from your degree — research projects, group assignments, presentations, and coursework. Include volunteering, society memberships, part-time jobs, and any placements or internships. Use Padgrad's CV Builder to structure your CV for ATS systems, then run it through the AI CV Checker to see how it scores.

How are jobs matched to my degree on padgrad?

We scrape thousands of graduate jobs daily and match them to over 300 specific degree fields. Whether you studied Biology, Law, Engineering, Psychology, or History — we only show you roles that fit your subject area and send them straight to your daily digest.

Do graduate schemes pay well?

Graduate schemes typically pay a competitive starting salary, with some industries paying significantly more. Law firms and investment banks often pay the most. Most schemes also offer benefits like bonuses, pension contributions, and professional qualification sponsorship — check each employer's offer for the specifics.

How many applications does it take to get a graduate job?

Research shows top employers receive an average of 58 applications per graduate vacancy. Most successful graduates send 20-40 tailored applications before receiving an offer. Track every application using Padgrad's Application Tracker to spot which types of roles you progress furthest in.

Can I apply for graduate jobs before I graduate?

Yes — most large graduate schemes open applications 6-12 months before the role starts, so you should apply in your final year. Smaller companies and direct-entry roles tend to hire closer to the start date. Padgrad's daily job digest includes both graduate schemes and entry-level roles you can apply for straight away.

What should a graduate CV include?

A strong graduate CV should include: your degree with predicted or achieved grade, relevant modules and dissertation topic, transferable skills (research, teamwork, communication), part-time work or volunteering, technical skills and software proficiency, and a personal profile. Most recruiters spend under 10 seconds scanning a CV — use Padgrad's AI CV Checker to make sure yours passes the six-second test.

Aviation graduate jobs 2026: the roles that hire now, what each one pays, and the entry routes that keep training costs low. Start your application here.

Aviation Graduate Jobs 2026: Roles, Pay and Entry Routes

TL;DR

Aviation graduate jobs cover far more than flying. Finance, data, engineering and operations all hire.
Most airline schemes in the United Kingdom pay £25,000 to £35,000 and run for 18 months to two years.
Pilot training is the costly route, at £70,000 to £150,000. Ground roles need no licence.
Apply in autumn. Big airline schemes close months before you finish your degree.

What Aviation Graduate Jobs Really Cover

Most people picture a cockpit. The industry is much wider than that.

An airline runs on rosters, revenue, safety, crew planning, catering and big IT systems. An airport is a small city with its own fire service, shops and property team.

So your first job in aviation can sit in one of four groups.

Business roles: finance, marketing, HR, buying and strategy.
Operations roles: baggage, turnaround, crew control and route planning.
Engineering roles: airframes, engines, avionics, repair and safety.
Flight roles: pilot, cabin crew and air traffic control.

That range matters. A history graduate can run an airline's social channels. A maths graduate can price seats. An engineer can keep a fleet flying.

The sector is also busy. Air travel has grown back fast since the quiet years, and many firms now say the same thing: they need people who can think clearly under pressure.

Aviation Graduate Jobs 2026: The Roles That Hire

Here is where the openings sit, and what each one asks for.

Airline business and operations schemes

These are the classic graduate schemes. You rotate through teams for four to six months at a time, then pick a home team.

British Airways runs schemes in commercial, data science, operations planning and engineering technical. easyJet runs its Runway Management programme. Ryanair hires into corporate, operations and IT. Virgin Atlantic, Emirates and Aer Lingus all run their own versions.

Airports hire too. Heathrow Airport takes graduates into leadership, engineering, procurement and finance. Manchester Airport covers operations, buildings, green projects, finance, projects and technology.

Most ask for a 2:1, though many accept a 2:2 with good work experience. Any degree subject is usually fine for business schemes.

Engineering and maintenance

This is the route for people who like physical systems. You might plan repair checks, track parts, or chase a fault that only shows at 30,000 feet.

These schemes are stricter. The British Airways engineering technical programme wants a 2:2 in mechanical or aircraft engineering. It pays £33,000.

Wider aerospace roles sit with firms such as Airbus and with the repair arms of the big airlines. Our guide to engineering graduate jobs covers the sector in more depth.

Pilot, cabin crew and air traffic control

These are the roles people ask about first, so here is the honest picture.

A pilot needs a licence, and the training is dear. Expect £70,000 to £150,000 for a full course. Some airlines fund a few cadets each year. Those places are fought for.

Cabin crew need no degree. Airlines train you in safety and service. You work shifts, weekends and holidays.

Air traffic control is the hidden gem. NATS, the main provider in the United Kingdom, takes trainees with five good school passes. It pays you while you learn.

If you like the planning side of moving goods, our post on supply chain graduate jobs is a good next read.

What the Pay Looks Like

Figures below are starting salaries reported by Prospects in March 2026 for roles in the United Kingdom.

Role	Starting pay	Later pay
Airline graduate scheme.	£25,000 to £35,000.	Rises fast once you manage a team.
Aerospace engineer.	£25,000 to £35,000.	£30,000 to £60,000, and £80,000 or more once chartered.
Airline pilot.	About £24,000 at a small operator, up to £32,000 at a large one.	First officer to £75,000. Captain £100,000 to £150,000.
Cabin crew.	£19,000 to £23,500.	£24,000 to £28,000. Senior crew up to £45,000.
Air traffic controller.	£22,375 as a trainee.	£48,480 to £54,032 after training, and £100,000 or more with seniority.

Read the pilot line twice. The pay is good at the top, but you carry the training cost first. That is why many graduates start on the ground and move across later.

Entry Routes That Keep the Cost Down

You do not need a second degree, and you rarely need to pay for training up front.

Apply to a graduate scheme. The firm pays for your training and often for a professional body.
Try an apprenticeship. Engineering and operations apprenticeships exist at airlines and airports.
Start on the ground. Baggage, crew control and customer teams all feed into bigger roles.
Join an internal move. Airlines often fill flight operations jobs from staff who already know the business.

One more point on money. A scheme salary is not the whole package. Travel perks, pension and shift pay all count.

How to Apply and Pass the Assessment

Airline hiring is slow. Plan for four steps.

An online form with your degree details and right to work.
Online tests, usually numerical and verbal reasoning.
A video or phone interview about why aviation.
An assessment centre with group tasks and a final interview.

Prepare one clear answer to a simple question: why this airline, and why this role? Vague talk about loving planes will not land. Point to a route, a fleet or a project you have read about.

Group tasks test how you behave, not what you know. Speak early, bring others in, and keep the clock in view.

Our guide to assessment centre tips walks through the day in detail.

Aviation Work Beyond the United Kingdom

The same roles exist across the markets Padgrad serves, often with faster growth.

Kenya Airways and Jambojet hire into operations, revenue and engineering from Nairobi. Uganda Airlines is rebuilding its network from Entebbe. Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines run large cabin crew and ground operations teams in the Philippines.

Regulators and airport authorities also take graduates. That includes the Kenya Airports Authority, the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

For these employers, a scheme is less common. Apply direct, and lead with proof of shift work, customer service or a technical skill.

Mistakes That Cost People a Place

Applying only to the famous airlines, and only in your final month.
Ignoring airports, maintenance firms and cargo carriers.
Writing a CV packed with course titles but no shift work or team proof.
Turning up to an assessment day without knowing the fleet.
Assuming a pilot licence is required for every interesting job.

Fix the last one first. Most aviation graduate jobs ask for judgement and calm, not a licence.

The Bottom Line

Aviation graduate jobs are broader than the cockpit, and better paid than many students expect. Pick a route, apply in autumn, and show that you can stay calm when the board goes red.

Ready to apply? Run your CV through our free CV checker, then build a clean version with the CV builder on Padgrad.

By Ori