Dear Hoppy
I apologise if my view of BA is as stated, but these are the facts as I see them. I cannot comment on everyones experience of BA, only my own. Since you have no idea about my background and experiences then you cannot really comment on my viewpoint.
Generalisations are "generally" dangerous so I try to avoid them. However BA recruits people who are interested in working for BA and BA alone. They have to be a blank canvas(much like Tim in The Apprentice) in order that they may be suitably programmed. BA requires people who will fit in, they do not need to interested in their area of expertise. For that reason many of the managers within BA have little or no expertise of their area of concern as BA is of the opinion that a manager is "a manager" and can be slotted in anywhere within the organisation.
Also, pilots are selected for their ability to be BA people rather than pilots. TEP's do indeed come from a variety of backgrounds but it is their interest in BA that is important not whether they are interested in flying. Remember BA can teach anyone to fly (this opinion is not mine but that of the BA training dept).
From my experiences elsewhere I can confirm that other companies seem to recruit people that are interested in flying first and foremost and therefore do not care how they get a job, as long as its a flying job. BA's pilots consist of a large portion of people who consider the "lifestyle" that BA offers to be of prime importance.
The money is alright, especially if you are inexperienced. But moving from any other company with experience and you are liable to be less well off.
ER82, I don't know where you went wrong but my guess is that you were not deemed to be a BA person. That may be a good thing as it will allow you the opportunity to work for a company where you are better suited. Please do not fixate on BA as the be all and end all.
Some people view it as the best company to work for in aviation, that viewpoint depends on your goals and interests.
Please don't believe the hype, a lot of people do, and they don't like it when its pointed out that the emperor has no clothes.
Harry