Free vs Paid Aviation Courses: How to Choose What You Need

The useful question is not "free or paid?" but "what do I need to know next?" A free course and a paid course usually answer different questions, and the right order is often one after the other.

What a free introductory course is for

A free foundations course is for deciding. It shows you the whole industry so that you can tell whether it interests you and which part. It suits you if:

• you are not yet sure aviation is for you;
• you cannot yet explain the difference between an airline, an airport operator and a ground handler;
• you are about to spend money on training and want to understand what you are buying.

InternAVIA's free course, Aviation Foundations, takes about 6 hours and ends with a 24-question assessment and a certificate of completion. Nothing in it is charged for.

What a paid course should add

A paid course is worth paying for when it goes deeper into one area of work than a free overview can. Look for:

• a syllabus that follows one role or function step by step;
• practice, such as scenarios to decide and written exercises, not only reading;
• an assessment that is actually marked;
• where relevant, help preparing for the interview for that kind of role.

A paid course does not make the free one pointless. The overview is what lets the detail make sense.

Seven things to check before you pay for any course

1. The full syllabus is published, module by module, before you enrol.
2. The price is the whole price. Check whether tax, the assessment and the certificate are included.
3. The refund terms are written down and shown before payment.
4. You can sample it. A free lesson or preview tells you more than any description.
5. The certificate is described honestly. A course provider should say plainly whether it is a certificate of completion or a regulated qualification. Most online courses are the first.
6. You know who is behind it. A named company, a registration number and a real contact address.
7. Access is stated. How many days or months you have to finish.

Warning signs

• A promise of a job, a placement or a salary after the course.
• "Approved" or "recognised" with no approval number and no authority named.
• The logos of airlines or airports with no explanation of the relationship.
• A countdown or pressure to pay today.
• No syllabus until after you pay.

How this works at InternAVIA

The free course is complete in itself. Paid courses each cover one area of work; every course page shows the syllabus, the price and the refund terms before any payment. None of them is a licence or a regulated qualification. Introductory aviation knowledge and simulated exercises. Issued by Elite World Services Limited through InternAVIA. Not a licence, rating or qualification, and not recognised or endorsed by DGCA, BCAS, ICAO, IATA, ACI, any airline or any university.

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