PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Ryanair Interview and Sim Assessment (merged)
Old 4th Mar 2021, 22:22
  #9771 (permalink)  
RobVetta
 
Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: Milan
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Long time lurker, first time poster here.

I have attended an Assessment in Bergamo and I would like to share my feedback with you guys. Wall of text incoming.


I was asked to attend an assessment in Dublin, but I turned it down because of COVID. Then I was contacted again a couple of months later for another assessment in Bergamo.
After I voiced my worries about the lack of real hiring opportunities, the PR guy replied "sounds like you got your information from pilot forums. Those are unreliable and full of negativity". I never even mentioned pilot forums once, so Ryanair is probably aware of the online rumors that surround its assessments. It might even have eyes on this very thread.

I accepted the appointment, paid 350€, and got my confirmation and briefing package. The package contains basic info about the sim layout and procedures; you are supposed to study it. (Please don't ask me to share it).
There is also a list of necessary documentation, such as passport, CV, license, medical, and other stuff. You also need to bring 2 written references, dated and manually signed, and a signed Flight School Report. The references can come from previous employers, a teaching body that is NOT a flight school (university or high school are good), or a person that has known you for more than 5 years and is not a relative. You also need a negative COVID test taken in the last 72 hours, and they don't even accept Rapid Antigen tests.
The references were a major pain in the a** to get, would've been nicer if they told me earlier that I would need them! I suggest to get yours ready as soon as possible.

Anyway, the assessment day comes. I show up on time (despite the place being hard as hell to find), get my temperature taken, and move into a large classroom with the rest of the applicants. There were 8 of us, all dressed to impress with shirts and ties and jackets and whatnot.
A friendly PR guy shows up and gives a brief presentation about Ryanair, the assessment that awaits us, and what we should expect if the assessment is successful. Long story short, you have to pay 30k upfront (no bonds) for the Type Rating; afterwards you'll be offered a 6-month long Training Contract with Airline Flight Academy, including Base Training and a flimsy salary.
They don't guarantee you a First Officer job at the end of the training, but they stated "this is not a pay to fly, we do have a need for pilots and we do want to hire you". Way easier said than done, but at least they're putting in the effort... realistically, if you started training now, you could expect to be working in summer 2022 (maybe).

The PR guy leaves and an experienced Captain gives us a briefing about the simulator. Then we are split into couples, we receive the approach plates, and each couple has to agree on a briefing that includes both the flight profile and the callouts.

Then, I strap in for the most interminable and nerve-wrackingly tense wait. Since each couple takes roughly 2 hours in the simulator, if you are as unlucky as I was and get picked to be the last one, you're in for a wild ride - you're left with your assessment colleagues and your crippling anxiety for hours, with little else to do other than scroll your phone and pray.
And their vending machines had nothing in store but ice cream. Don't be like me - bring food.

Anyway, while couples are in the sim, other candidates are individually picked for the HR and technical interview. You sustain both of them at the same time, and it lasts about half an hour.
The technical questions are fairly complex, but not too specific (nothing close to those stupid ATPL questions). I was asked about the pros and cons of swept back wings, the meaning of High Bypass, and a quick crosswind calculation. Keep in mind they might ask you stuff about the Boeing 737 (seating capacity, type of engine, maximum altitude/cruise speed, or the advantages of the 737 MAX over the 800 version). I don't think they want you to know everything about the plane, they probably just want to know if you've been curious about it and did some research - take the Ryanair Corporate website, Fleet page, as an example.
Also, don't try to guess if you don't know. My questions clearly got increasingly difficult with time: they probably want to see what is the limit of your knowledge, and what you do when you don't know things.

For the HR part, the interviewer was friendly and easy-going, but his English was a bit hard to understand. He asked many things about my CV, then inquired about my hobbies and my plans if I happened to lose my license. Then he asked what I would do if I realized that the Captain was not fit to fly. Everyone got a similar question - mine was "the Captain just lost his loved one and is depressed", my partner's was "the Captain is sleepy and can barely stand".
Finally, I was asked a question that seemed tailored specifically to me. It depicted a particular scenario that I, and I specifically, would be super upset about. No doubt the HR guy was putting me to the test (I even pointed out "ouch, if you were trying to hit one of my weakspots, you nailed it!"). Just answer honestly, and don't pretend to be someone you aren't.

Finally, it was Simulator time. You receive no extra briefings or tips: pick Right or Left seat, pick PF or PM, and that's it - you're being evaluated.
For a neophyte to large turbine aircraft like me, the sim was hard. Not impossible, but hard. We were assigned a very basic SID and even that was challenging: I found the 737 exuberant, with a nasty tendency to overspeed. At least you can use the FD's during takeoff, which is a huge help.
You then perform simple maneuvers, such as climbs, turns and descents; then the assessor, playing the Senior Cabin Crew, contacts you about an emergency in the cabin. You have to perform FORDAC and NINTS with the help of your PM, and call for checklists if you need them. The best choice is generally to return to the home airport, and if you require vectors to skip the approach, they might decide to comply. The approach is flown raw data with no FD's (which is hell). You might need to go around if you're not stabilised.
Do I suggest to take a preparatory course? Eh, your choice. At the end of the session, I felt I could do a little better if I did it again immediately afterwards, thanks to the experience I acquired. But a single hour isn't much.

And then it was go home time. They'll contact me within 2 weeks, and if I pass, I will be able to start a Type Rating Course within 6 months. Wish me luck!
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