The application might be crap (I haven't checked it) but Thomsonfly/Britannia is not an airline for desperate FOs.
It is a career move and a long term one with that.
If this prospective FO can be bothered to look beying the application form stage and find out what the airline is about and what it has been offering for the past 50 years or so then, maybe then he might look at his present situation and laugh pathetically at himself.
Sorry to be like that but like you said Hog, this FO
... needs to think outside the square more often
.
As to flying in Africa, quite a few of us have done it and are now merrily enjoying flying around Europe for a decent company and sticking to high safety standards.
No more... You do or you get the sack. No more... my bollocks are bigger than yours. No more waiting for my salary to come onto my bank account. No more out of a job everytime the boss does a runner or such country change president/goes to war/didn't gets his bribe.
Thomsonfly/Britannia is a career, a very comfortable one specially after having done the African scene.
Best advice you could give to that young FO would be to put up with the application and try to pass that stage then the next one and the next one. If he successfully manages all that then he should consider what option will be best for him.