Originally Posted by
Shamrock_flyer123
I didn't make it past the video interview, but I've been keeping up with the application process on here. I’m sure there are a tonne of deserving applicants, but it seems like some chosen candidates benefited from obvious nepotism. Two kids of a BA training captain got in, and it turns out they both went to private schools which cost upwards of £10k per term. In another case, someone was already enrolled on an integrated course with a large ATO. BA claimed the Speedbird Pilot Academy would break down cost barriers, but it feels like a mockery for someone like me who can't afford it. The academy had potential, but nepotism limited its impact to just a few. Private school education or having parents at BA seemed to be the golden ticket for this opportunity.
I’d be
staggered if nepotism had anything to do with it. Unless there is a question saying ‘do you have a BA training captain as a parent’ how could it help? Everyone applied through a part automated and part humanised application tracking system. Computer’s don’t discriminate based on surnames or school ties.
The interviews and assessment will have been against set criteria, BA is way too big to get a cheeky CV in through the back door.
Would the kids have benefited from their parent working for BA just by the nature of that? How would they not, you can’t expect them to forget everything they’ve picked up about BA via osmosis over the last 20 years just for the application. Have you considered perhaps that they may also have just been very strong candidates?
The cost barrier is removed, that doesn’t mean it’s means-tested, that would in and of itself be discriminatory.
I’d focus less on what others around you are doing and more on what you can to make yourself the best candidate you possibly can be for next time round. Your current attitude may be what caused your application to fail this time round.
Celebrate it for what it is, a fantastic scheme, one that hopefully gets copycat schemes from other airlines.