Wizzair pilot recruitment open day in Kiev

[Jean-Francois]

Hi mates!
Anyone heading to Kiev next week?

Would it be similar to Bucharest's event? Did wizz requested a valid Roumanian passport to apply for cadet/FO?

[AlexanderH]

The open day in Kiev requires that the applicant have a Ukrainian passport as well as the right to work in Ukraine, which goes without saying really.

From a friend who went to the Bucharest open day (Romanian passport holder) he said there were hundreds of applicants present.

[Jean-Francois]

Thanks Alex!
Probably that the open day in Rumania (as it is the European Union) was not exclusively for nationals. I have heard that a lot of different nationalities (Italian, Belgian, Polish,...) took part to that event.

Anyway the cadet program seems to be frozen until Fall 2014!

[dringue82]

First of all good evening at all! I will go in kiev for the open day...for me it is not a great chance for low hours pilot but it is the only...for the moment... is right try it!anybody from italy???

[Jean-Francois]

I was considering to go but of course if they strictly interview the ones with all requirements... There is no way I am going to get an Ukrainian passport plus the right to work in few days ;-)

I guess the target pilots are not the EU low hours pilots!

[dringue82]

everyone has their own target ...and for this i think that wizz is a god chance for these periods...reading on experiences from open day in bucarest i suppose that they listen regardless the passport...i will go without joc...but i will go...wizz is not the paradise but nothing better around...

[overtheglobe]

Dear all,

Some words about open day in Kiev. This time Wizzair Ukraine is looking only for Ukrainian passport holders.

Here are some points, why it is like that:
- Company has a great difficulties to perform with docs and receive your work permit in Ukraine. If you are foreigner, they have to prove, that you are better than a same qualified citizen.
- Starting from the last year Ukrainian Civil aviation department (CAA) refused to issue validations anymore. So you must hold Ukrainian CPL/ATPL license. Just for information- 80% of all tests to get the license are in Russian language.
- After Aerosvit (former national carrier) and Air Onix bankruptcy in 2013, in the Ukrainian job market are still lots of unemployed pilots with great TT and jet time, together with Ukrainian passports, permits, licenses.
- Russian language is not a requirement, but believe me, in this country you will need it, more or less.

My advice, save your time and money! If you are from EU, better try on the EU bases. Good luck.

[AndreRocky]

Hi guys!!!
last wizzair openday was for only Romanian citizen, but was not true because came pilot from every european countries... anyone know if is the same for the Kiev event??? Thanks to everyone!!! :):D

[Anunaki]

Overtheglobe is right,the Kiev gig is for locals only!If you missed the Romania open day,apply online and wait until fall 2014.There are only a few places left this season for low-hours and everyone who don't get interviewed now(from previous applications and Romania's open day) will have to wait to autumn anyway.
Ukraine is packed with experienced,unemployed pilots.It sounds about right that they should be given that chance first and their CAA is doing what it can to protect their market.Can't blame them,if my country had done the same,perhaps I would have been employed now...

[dringue82]

'All those that have unrestricted right to work in Ukraine, hold a valid Ukrainian passport and have a JAA/EASA pilot license or ICAO are welcome to join Wizz Air’s Ukraine growing team. Candidates must also present their Multi Engine/Instrument Rating endorsement (IR/ME) with at least 3 month validity remaining from the date of application. During the open day, candidates must also present their minimum flight time and confirm their English proficiency, with minimum ICAO level 4 needed.'

This is what they ask...
Seem to be similar to what they asked for bucarest open day...
just my two cents

[Anunaki]

dringue82,


I'll try not to sound like an ass so I suggest you to email them to double check…but…..do you know Ukraine IS NOT in the European Union right??
They have a bilateral cooperation but Ukrainian citizens need work permits to other EU countries,vice-versa…hence,it makes sense they point out the passport Issue.Now,the Bucharest open day was very different,they are in the EU.Common sense really,plain English….:hmm:

[vodka_gorbachev]

My dear Italian friend, l don't want also to sound rude, but in addition to what overtheglobe said , you as EU citizen allowed to stay in Ukraine 90 days out of 180, otherwise you need to proceed with residence permit which is another story.


It is absolutely different open day, rather than was in Romania.

[dringue82]

Ok...assuming that you are right...why they request jaa/easa licence?
try to explain this ... I'm hard as a rock ...
Remember... stay hungry stay foolish!!!
I am hungry and i will go for to be foolish!!!

[Jean-Francois]

From the ones I know who went to Bucarest few weeks ago if you do not have all the requirements it is quite useless! In this specific case the Ukrainian passport and right to work is the key problem for EU pilots.
If you do not have a JOC they will probably look in the other piles where the people have fulfilled all bullet points (MCC, JOC, ...)

The fact that wizz request JAA/EASA license is normal I suppose for an Hungarian airline.

If I was sure that the upcoming open day in Kiev would be similar to the one in Rumania I would probably as enthusiast as you are dringue82... But to be honest I know that it won't be the case!
For wizz you need to be patient and be ready in Fall 2014 unless you already have some hours on type and you might get lucky!

Wizz U luck anyway ;-)
Give us some feed back at the end of next week! Maybe we are wrong and you might get something at the end.

[vodka_gorbachev]

Good luck.

[zondaracer]

A friend of mine went to the Kiev open day last tear. He received a letter saying thanks but no thanks since he was not Ukrainian.

[overtheglobe]

dringue82
This is the huge advantage for them if you are holder of EASA license in addition to Ukrainian ICAO. This is because sometimes you have to fly on Hungarian registered aircraft in Ukraine. And only couple of local pilots have EU validations or licenses, so the EU crews are performing these flights.
Please, read carefully my previous post, where I wrote about licenses you need in Ukraine.

[Anunaki]

I have stopped worrying,or caring for that sort of thing to be honest,if you want to go,I think you should,and good luck.I know a guy who received an email from an agency ,he kept applying for jobs he didn't meet the criteria for,they had asked him a couple times to stop sending CV's,he ended up banned.So,that's your two cents…

To me is crystal clear;
-EASA/JAA licence because they are Hungarian with Hungarian registered aircraft.(e.g 46 A320's from HA-LPC to HA-LWU)
-Ukrainian passport or residency/right to work because Ukraine is not in the EEU freedom of workers movement.Ukraine is considered Europe Non-EU and their CAA have a working agreement with EASA.(source: EASA website)
-All other requirements remain the same(e.g JOC,MCC..)
-Romania is now in the EU,although they did say in the open day that the locals would have preference,as they were initially looking to fill places in the new local base.Everyone else would have been considered for other bases.

How difficult is that?My friend, for your own benefit,do a little research and on your spare time make sure you read.Aviation is like politics,the more informed you are the better decisions you make.

Now,can someone bring something meaningful to the conversation?anyone heard anything?updates?if you are attending the open-day please share new infos.Fair considering myself and many others contributed to the Wizzair threads in order to help each other,after all,the real competition starts when we get interviews.Wish everyone good luck,let's hope 2014 opens new doors for us that have been waiting for our break :ok:

[dringue82]

overtheglobe
Finally you centered my hope...they fly eu aircraft and why not they cant use ue pilot in ucrania?
maybe I'm a fool ... but I think to go there ... and have a chance to talk to them and maybe even get a no... is a cost for me...but i dont have to save money for a P2f...Could I have done a long time ago in my home ... thanks to whoever makes me the best wishes!

[overtheglobe]

-EASA/JAA licence because they are Hungarian with Hungarian registered aircraft.(e.g 46 A320's from HA-LPC to HA-LWU)

This is not all correct. At this moment in Ukraine 4 aircraft are operating under Ukrainian registration: UR-WUA, B, C and D. This is the main reason why the Ukrainian passport/ license is a "must".

[Anunaki]

Overheglobe,

A distinction without a difference? information was correct at the time I've checked it,either way,my point was correct even with the mistake…can we move on to constructive things?

like I said,in another words, I fell that nowadays its not smart to apply or show up when you don't meet the criteria,because this people are very busy,they will understand that you're eager but in the end of the day,you're wasting their time.
just a thought…good luck

[vodka_gorbachev]

Finally you centered my hope...they fly eu aircraft and why not they cant use ue pilot in ucrania?
maybe I'm a fool ... but I think to go there ... and have a chance to talk to them and maybe even get a no... is a cost for me...but i dont have to save money for a P2f...Could I have done a long time ago in my home ... thanks to whoever makes me the best wishes!
overtheglobe answered to you above. Why you can't understand from 1st time?

They have:
UR-registered airplanes (Ukranian) in Kyiv, Donetsk and Lviv. You should have Ukranian license.
Ukranian work permit – you should have passport.
It's clearly stated in the advertisement about their requirements which you don't meet at all. Even JOC.

When you going and not fulfilling requirements, you loosing not only their time, but time of other people who join the open day and who have all above stated.

[dringue82]

Good morning,*Thank you for your email.*As stated on the website, you must have a Ukrainian passport to be eligible for the open day in Kiev.*With regards*Pilot Recruitment Team*Wizz Air Hungary Kft.Member of Wizz Air GroupBUD International Airport, Building 221H-1185 Budapest

Only the stupid dont change idea... :-p

Thanks guys!!!

[vodka_gorbachev]

Try applying for EU bases, sometimes they're calling people!

[B767PL]

Wizzair is very strange.

For the past 3 years I have been applying for the non-TR position. I meet and exceed all of their requirements. Am local to one of their main markets, and fluent in the language. Yet I receive reply last week that I am not what they are looking for, and no interview. Yet I know countless others with far less qualifications, and no better background or experience then me, get invited, and even hired. I just don't get their process. Very disappointing and frustrating.

[Jean-Francois]

Unfortunately a lot of pilots are in the same position! Wizz is not the only company which does not hire people above the requirements!
Check enter air in Poland where a lot of Dutch people are getting an FO position!
I speak a eastern language as well (Polish) and I can't manage to get any interviews in Poland!
Frustration is a concept that - we pilot - must be familiar with... Especially before getting your first real job in the flight deck.

If you know someone it always helps... That is the true reality!

Good luck for the ones getting an assessment in a near future

[AT3]

Just to clarify about Dutch guys at Enterair.
All of them are P2F guys and they are offloaded when they reach their 500h or whatever it is as there's next one waiting to do the same.
As far as I know Polish guys are the one with 5 contract I think as well as couple of Czech guys as it's close for them to commute to the base in south of Poland

[Anunaki]

B767PL

Good evening, try to look at it from this perspective;

-Wizzair isn't strange, Wizzair owe us nothing!

Meaning, like many other businesses,Wizzair added to it's corporate responsibility the promise, to try and invest and create local jobs,in the markets they operate.They call themselves "The Local airline" ,However, profits come first, and as they expand,how can we define "local" in few years time?how Irish is Ryanair nowadays?
This is the EU and I feel that perhaps you shouldn't feel "frustrated" when Wizzair doesn't offer a Polish national a job,when there are thousands of Polish citizens being offered jobs in Britain,France,Germany etc, and locals are left on the dole.It is part of our agreement .I accept it,so should you,don't you think?
I've worked in recruitment before, and I have offered jobs to Polish girls at my airline as cabin crew,very intelligent and hard working people.
Using that logic, maybe it should have gone to British citizens instead, even tho the Polish were better on the day?In 2007 we had a recruitment drive,7000 applications…how many have applied to Wizzair I wonder?crisis,no jobs…think about it!
You might think you had it all,you met and even exceeded the requirements in the past 3 years,obviously the recruiter saw something else, and you don't know how many people,how many other Polish speakers applied and how qualified they were do you?Wizzair does...Please Do not take this wrong, I am not putting you down.
I once needed to be told by someone the same thing and now I feel less angry.I feel that I have to do my best,resilience and persistence will get me there.I would suggest,for you to sit down with some friends,the ones that are brutally honest to you,and re-write your CV/Cover letter,then get a 3rd,4th opinion if necessary.Stop thinking like that " I am better and they got the job and I didn't.." that's negative and won't help you see what have you done wrong in order to correct it. Wish you all the luck.
I understand how frustrating it can be but it is what it is.Industry deregulation, airlines and FTO's greed, students naivety and stupidity, Pay-to-fly, we can argue all night the reason but the best way is to keep the chin up and keep trying.
:ok:

[MrSnuggles]

Stop whining and try this instead:

New SAS Pilots 2014-Latest Pilot Jobs-Latest Pilot Jobs (http://www.latestpilotjobs.com/jobs/view/id/562.html)

When you get a job, please message me and we'll celebrate with a beer@stockholm or beer@oslo! :-D

[immelmann87]

Fluency in one of the Scandinavian languages ( Berlitz level 4) to be documented before employment (not required for application or interview session). Would You give me some cheap Swedish language lessons maybe? ;)

[MrSnuggles]

Sure, but then you'll pay for my beer too! :-D

[P40Warhawk]

That beer would be an expensive promise/deal ;) . Beer in Sweden is pretty expensive :P .

[b737air]

So, how was in Kiev?

[B767PL]

Thought about Enter-Air, I am currently employed, at not the greatest company in the world, and from what I know Enter-Air is slap in the face. They take advantage of the current market conditions and exploit desperate pilots to the fullest extent. :yuk:


Anunaki, not going to argue, you have a valid point. However, I am not the first to notice Wizzair's strange hiring methods. Who knows really what criteria HR over there is using. There seems to be no general rule, their hiring seems to be almost as random as a lottery drawing.

[artlite]

Enterair is sick, they call me 20/12/2013 to say I'm hired only to tell me yesterday I am not (3 days before groundschool) because they cut down on the list by 3 pple. Without a word of explanation. Guess I don't have to mention I visited 20 banks during that time trying to secure a loan and studying 737-400 for 3 weeks. In the end all I signed was a non-disclosure agreement and so-called "ranking list" was never made public and I highly doubt it was ever respected. Not to mention I caught them lying a couple times during company presentation about FO salary and annual hours. Long live p2f, can't believe how desperate and naive I got over last couple of years.

[Anunaki]

artlite,

So if I understood correctly,you were about to join them on a pay-to-fly program,or were you only paying for the type?

B767PL

I get it,the models can change and are often difficult to predict.Ryanair also has a trend of not hiring over 30's,can I prove it?No. It's the game I guess.

I wonder when the interviews will start for the type-rated/experienced fellas,I suppose that end of this month/feb,if you consider the training period left before the summer season.And how many of those guys will make the cut...

[Jean-Francois]

Any feedback from people who went in Kiev... Ukrainian?
Thanks anyway

[artlite]

Self-sponsored type rating and line check (35800 euro) then contract employment through rishworth - ironically even for this "golden opportunity" they received 400 CVs for 11 spots. I was 13th it turned out in the end. I also passed for EUROlot in 2012 but they canceled Dash training. And in December I missed Travel Service minimums by 1%. Both 737 groundschools started today so needless to say I was pretty bitter all day. Some pretty strange karma I have to have regarding professional life.

[B767PL]

Artlite, how long was the contract for? Or how did it go as far as job security?

I gave consideration to applying, but only briefly after hearing about work conditions.. in the end decided I rather keep my regional job in the U.S, given future prospects here, then pay such a high sum to go to a place like Enter, being as desperate as I am and have been to move back to Poland, which seems less and less likely with every passing day. Zero jobs over there.. Sorry to hear things haven't panned out for you yet man. But same here.. crap industry.

[Anunaki]

Safe to assume that the attendees either aren't on Pprune,or are not willing to share their experiences.Fair Enough!

[Aleboni]

Where in you in bucharest or kiev??

[b737air]

Hey! I've seen another open day in Kiev. Does anyone know why are they doing this? What happened in the recent one?

[Jean-Francois]

Either it is exactly the same meeting that the one in January or it is to enroll with the opposants of Yanukovych's regime ;-)

Nothing has changed...same requirements! I guess they did not manage to get a lot of people due to the lack of candidates and/or the current situation in the country.