(You've not flown with a BA cadet have you Airbus girl? These are some of the most stunningly gifted pilots that I have flown with and it is very humbling to watch somebody with such a low flight time operate an aircraft to such a high standard. What is more staggering is that they manage to do this without having the benefit of seeing how other FO operate, flying 3 crew on the Trident was the only way I realised how hard I was going to have to work to just be average. Trust me if you were going to put any BA pilot in the sim the ones you would choose would be the cadets, then our fast jet colleagues who also seem to be unheathly good followed by DEP's then right at the back us old duffers who get a bit upset if the angle of bank exceeds 25 degrees and we are not given hdgs to to intercept an ILS.)
New joiners to BA be aware.
1. You are not going to get a SH command for 12 years plus whatever the 2006 change brings...probably looking at 17 years
2. Unless in your twenties you are NEVER going to get a LH command. Already over a thousand pilots under 30 in the airline and you need to be in the top 1000 to achieve a LH command.
3. Bidline is great if you are in the top 2/3's of a fleet. At the bottom it is not so great. You will work every weekend and have no control over your roster. However once published it is set in stone.
4. This seems to be ignored by a lot of posters but is perhaps the most important part of the BA system. Fot the first five years BA can do anything they like with you fleet wise. The last lot of DEP's who joined all had 747/777 fleets written into their joining contracts, however on day one they were told this had changed and they were now all to go to the 'bus. Some were MIGHTY hacked off with this, especially those who wanted to commute, but could nothing about it. It is not unusual for pilots to complete the ground school and sim course to be tyold that the plan has changed and the fleet they are going to no longer wants them. Back to back type conversions is not fun...but it can and does happen. So whatever fleet you think you might be joining BEWARE. ( The reason BA wants type rated people is NOT soley because of reduced training costs, the difference in training is bugger all, but to ensure that pilots are not just joining for a cheap type rating. A few years ago we got stung by some chaps who got 777 ratings and then went off to fly for Emirates). Remember you join the company not a certain fleet. Whatever is written in your joining contract could be changed on day 1
5. The pension is an insult. You will be retiring on a lot less than the current CSD's. Hopefully BALPA will stand firm on this and ensure a final salary pension but at the moment the leadership, whilst hard working and well meaning, are not giving a strong enough lead for this to happen.