BA Citiexpress

[Flying Farmer]

Greetings

For anyone in the know

Had an application to the company accepted late last year.What is the current position with the company? is a phone call on the cards in the near future or was it a complete waste of time filling in the application, especially the 5 essay questions.

Many thanks

FF

[Splat]

FF,

When you say accepted, have you had an interview with them?

S

[Flying Farmer]

S

Just the application form, had a letter saying my application was sucessfull. Hoping interview willbe the next stage at some point in the future.

FF

[Splat]

Well done FF, you got further than me. I put mine in last September, and the PFO arrived about a month later. I'm led to believe that the HR dept do the first round of assesments, and I got some good advice to follow the rejection up. Unfortunately, it came to nothing.

Fingers crossed for you.

Splat

[Flying Farmer]

Sorry to hear that splat, know of two with over 1000 hrs who didn't get through, funny way to choose potential pilots I think, essay questions!!! mind you same type of thing for Easy and not a sniff there.

FF

[Splat]

Tell me about it.

Don't start me on the Easy subject. I have nearly 1400 TT and cannot get through to them either.

On the essay question, what cheeses me off more than being rejected is the amount of effort I put into them, took for ever, and I have no idea what they did not like.

So, do I reapply or not?

I was talking to a mate of mine a while back, and he was telling me that he know this Brymon Captain, and they where looking for some FO's but had stipulated only those with an excess of 1000 hours. They had over 200 application forms, but only 7 met that requirement. As you say, strange way to recruit.

Splat

[Dr A Head]

sorry if i am the bringer of bad news but there currently seem to be more pilots than airplanes here at the moment. big changes are on the cards, jetstreams going to eastern, dash 8 to go as soon as possible, lots of displaced pilots needing new aircraft to fly. don't hold your breath!:confused:

[Flying Farmer]

Used to bad news now, nearly 12 months now looking for that first job, other than instructing for a pittance.
BA Citiexpress was the closest that I have come to anything bordering on good news, if there was no intention of calling anyone for interview why did we all bother. As splat says the form was hardly straight forward to fill in, was someone taking the piss or what.
FF

[Splat]

FF,

I guess that's a bit of my fustration. Having ploughed all that effort into it, not to get any feedback. Sure I realise that they don't owe me anything, but a two minute phone call is not asking too much I'd have thought.

I run a small business on the side, to which I get about 5 mails a day and phone calls on top of that, 7 days a week. I can only help about one in 20, but I make a point of replying to everyone, however I got the enquiry. Just seems basic courtesy.

Splat

[zero-lash valve lifter]

Farmer, it would appear as though your effort was for nought. The applications led to interview then sim ride then position in the holding pool. I believe the holding pool is full (I am in it) and positions will not be forthcoming until late this year or even next year. Even then employment is by no means guaranteed since I guess there will be many Citi guys moving from turbo to jet when the company changes to an all jet fleet. Don't give up and perhaps give them a call to confirm.

zero

[eagerbeaver]

FF, u r the same as me, got the letter about 6 months ago. Heardthat the earliest anything will happen if at all is theend of the year at best. Try someone else i think

[witchdoctor]

Keep the faith guys.

There are quite a number of applicants at the successful application form phase, and a number more already in the holding pool since late last year. Even CitiExpress themselves aren't sure what the current situation is or when any movement will take place. Try talking to Marilyn on 01934 523600 for an update. You probably won't be any the wiser afterwards, but at least you have made the effort to show an interest and follow things up.

Some friends of mine with very low hours have recently been signed up as FO's completely out of the blue, despite not making the publicised minimum requirements. Don't give up and keep at it.

[LGL737]

Hello,

Where do you find the application form with the essay type questions? I've had a look at the website but could'nt find anything there.

Do you just send them you CV and then they'll send you an application form or ???

Thks
RGDS
LGL

[Flying Farmer]

Love this site, some one always comes up with the goods.Thanks for all the info guys.
LGL737 for the application form you need to ring Citiexpress at Weston supermare, sorry no number, dont know if they are accepting applications at the moment though, this all happened 6 months ago.
All the best
FF

[Mister Geezer]

The last of the My Travel and BA cadets have gone or at least going in the next few months. I heard that they are not making a big effort to recruit any crews to fill the gaps that will be left. The props are going soon and the one factor that is still messy and unclear is the J41 deal with Eastern. Once that matter has been sorted then things might be a little easier to predict. However expect a lot of restructuring to take place over the next year or two. With the J41s out of the equation the Dash 8s and ATPs will go next. That could leave quite a few spare heads floating around! My own opinion is that there will be no recruiting in the next 6 months or so.

[CheekyVisual]

Saw the BACX 2003 bid list today. There is a huge amount of training planned this year with the incorporation of the RJ100 into the company. The BACX training system, although pretty good, will be stretched to the limit with courses for a large percentage of the current crews. With the Turbo Props doomed the surplus of pilots is only going to increase (In the short term anyway).

My understanding is that the Eastern deal has gone pear shaped due to lack of BACX crews willing to move to Eastern. I would imagine Eastern can't afford the training bill for any more aircraft now they are going to have to foot it. This means Eastern will only be taking 6 aircraft in the short term. The other six are going into storage. Shame because the 41 is generally a good machine and a great introduction to airline flying and I'm sure the other six would have provided at least a few new seats for some of the wannabes out there.

To end on a more positive note we are told things change rapidly and tommorrow BACX might find itself short of crews again (like last summer !). The other glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel for those in the pool is that the RJ100 fleet is going to have about 60 seconded BAR pilots who BA are trying to tempt back to mainline. As they trickle back - which I'm sure they will with the lure of 777 seats becoming available - there will be openings again in BACX.

Hang in there guys and girls it will be worth the wait. The job that is not the company !

[Cricketer]

Anyone who has received a response can you let us know your quals? Are they just looking for type rated and if so then why not say that before filling in the form as then you would save yourself the hassle of doing the whole form.

Why don't companies do that - just have an initial application form with the basics and then if you have the minium's - i.e. they don't read your essays util you get to interview, then they can send you the form with the essays on and then you do it so you have somehting to talk about. That is what they do at seeral top companies in the city.

[witchdoctor]

cricketer

As far as I can remember, BACX had a screening process in place at the initial telephone call to request the application form. As long as you met the minimum requirements (basically fATPL and 50hrs in last 6 months) you got the form. As for the essay questions, I always understood that to be something for the psychologists as some form of psychometric testing prior to interviews rather than as a discussion topic for interview - although I'm sure they would use it for that.

Admittedly it is a strange way to run the process, but then again, at least it gives a more level playing field than using the old boys network. Which would you really rather have?:)

[Mister Geezer]

The Old Boys Network :D

[Cricketer]

Are we in our rights under the data protection act to request a company to provide details on why they rejected us?

If they hold files pertaining to our data then I beleived they must grant us access?:}

[Mack Buffet]

Interview/Sim ride last September, been in the pool since October, just in time for future size & shape Mk II.

Don't know if they are still interviewing as there seems no movement from the pool - on my day all four of us all had >1000hrs, two with TP experience, other two instructors. If less than 1000 hrs have to be integrated course.

[foghorn]

Cricketer - yes you are, if they are holding those files electronically. Many HR departments get around this requirement by holding the really sensitive stuff on paper.

Might be worth a try, though. Many companies simply don't comply with the DPAs.

[whisperbrick]

Hi Guys,
i am also in the holding pool, a recent letter was sent out stating that it would be the end of this year or later when recruitment courses would run again.........

Still get the form in anyway, it took six weeks for the verdict from that and think long and hard about what you say.

The last course they ran was in september on the ATP,
don't hold your breath....

[foghorn]

Shows how up to date I am on the DPA then I'm still harking back to the 1984 act!

Thanks Budgie!