Licensing Officer

Licensing Officer - Caroline Hill

When did you join the CAA?

Four years ago. I joined as a Licensing Assistant after working in the pensions industry. I wanted to get out of Financial Services – saw the aviation jobs advertised in my local paper and thought ‘that’s for me’. Never in a million years did I dream I’d even get an interview, but here I am.

Has it lived up to your expectations?

As soon as I joined I realised I’d definitely made the right move, as the jobs are so varied and there are vast opportunities to progress. I had no experience in this field and I was given the chance to join in a role where I would need training right from the start. When you show that you’re eager to learn, you’re given more room to grow. There’s a lot to learn and definitely plenty of scope to develop – now I want to learn more about the technical side of the organisation.

What does your current role involve?

It’s a customer-facing role, with a lot of variety to it. I’m involved in issuing and renewing licences for engineers and flight crew. Licences are renewed every 5 years, but we get all sorts of enquiries at the ‘Counter’ – they can range from a straightforward renewal through to adding ratings, licence upgrades and general issues. It’s a pressurised and fast-moving department – but believe it or not it’s also friendly and fun.

And what do you value most about working here?

One of the things I was looking for was job satisfaction – I’ve found it. The CAA is willing to invest in people and their well-being. They’re willing to take on people without relevant experience, and to encourage people like the older generation coming back into a working environment or mothers returning to work. Flexible hours, a great social life, free car parking, a great pension scheme…