I agree totally with abeam points.
I would think long and hard about joining BA.
I'm 100% confident that the lack of applicants will mean BA drop it's requirement for type rated guys.
It's also interesting to note that one of the cadets is taking BA to court - in order to achieve the right to work 50% !
If she wins, then a whole bunch of guys in both seats will be allowed to work part time (50 or 75%)
In other words rather than have a requirement for 130 DEP's it is a distinct possibility that BA will need 260 DEP's.
For those who did attend the interview - I thought I'd cut and paste one of my earlier posts as a personal opinion of life in BA as a a DEP.
posted 9th May 2004 21:39
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you are looking at joining – then please be aware that hand solo’s post is very accurate.
I’m ex Navy and charter – and since joining BA ( short haul) I have flown with some really nice guys. My net income is higher (despite a seat change) and rosters are far more stable. We have enjoyed some great trips on staff travel and I rarely fly at night.
However –On reflection, I wouldn’t recommend it. In fact I enjoyed life more a few years ago when I was at previous employers.
Shorthaul BA at LHR (at least on the airbus fleet) is not an agreeable rewarding place to work.
Why not?
Well it’s a huge activity – you will rarely fly with the same Captain – and almost never with cabin crew you have met before. It’s difficult to form relationships or friendships with folks. Please believe me, there are some huge ego’s here. “One upmanship” is the name of the game. A lot of the Captains take pleasure in pointing out errors or omissions. The atmosphere on the flight deck is rarely pleasant. I’m afraid just too many of the guys are “spoon fed” from uni – sponsored and sadly now cynical about BA. They are frequently pompous, patronising and have an unrealistic view of their own abilities. Pilots here, can be rude to despatchers, colleagues and cabin crew in a way I haven’t witnessed elsewhere. They have no idea what it’s like to work for anyone other than BA. The relationship between pilots and crew is very poor compared to previous employers. (Though to be fair this may be as much to do with the locked door post 911 policy) .Cabin crew are well cared for by the company and fly half as much as you will! I recently completed a 3 day 10 sector trip whilst our Helsinki stopping cabin crew did just one sector out, standover dayin HEL, then one sector back! The inefficiencies at BA have to be seen to be believed.
The training dep’t encompasses some clever even brilliant guys who have masses of experience, knowledge and ability (along with the usual arrogant and narcissistic rogues!) – but somehow the actual training outcomes are poor.
The company line is that BA is best and we are head and shoulders above other operators. It’s simply not true. I’ve witnessed some really shabby events on line and I’m not impressed. Simple procedures such as refuelling and tech log entries are made so bloody complicated that 95% of the guys do it wrong. SOP’s change frequently and company publications are ambiguous and difficult to follow.
BA’s fuel policy – or rather the dogmatic interpretation of it, causes a lot of stress on line. As an example, you frequently burn 500kg just getting out of LHR during the taxy phase ( only 100 to 200kg allowed on flight plan) and BA sometimes allow only 8 mins contingency on the return sector!
In addition to this, LHR means traffic jams in and out of work, long stressful arrivals where radio frequencies are over congested and arrival separation is rarely more than the min 2.5 miles.
Commuting and “life costs” around LHR are higher than elsewhere in the world! A modest but decent family home with garaging and within a civilized neighbourhood where you can have confidence in the schools costs £600K.
To sum up; I’d say there is more to life than money. BA pays reasonably well – but perhaps it’s arguable that it’s not worth the hassle. You are unlikely to be totally happy at BA. Most flights will be with total strangers. The typical day starts with continual moaning. (despite my diatribe above – I try to be really positive at work!).Cabin crew unions and their participants do there best to spoil the commercial success and the micro – “day to day” running and good nature of the cabin crew. Many pilots are looking for part time so they can spend more time with their families.
You might be happier (albeit poorer) elsewhere!