SonicStomp- definitely some airlines out there that won't touch you with a barge pole if you are not in "current flying practice." Not sure if the definitions vary from airline to airline, or if it is laid down in LASORS. BA wouldn't look at a former colleague of mine as he hadn't flown for more than 12 months.
I didn't have a current civvy IR when I started earlier this year- BA were initially very reluctant to take me on, but I got the relevant paragraph from LASORS from a helpful man at the CAA and that seemed to satisfy them.
WBC- Bristol is fantastic. I used ELC to do the courses. I had to take leave to do them, although someone from (I think) Lyneham was there on duty and was therefore eligible for travelling expenses (or whatever they are called under JPA). From a personal point of view, I found having the licence in the bag as early as poss gave me more options. Join BALPA now and get yor name down for the Employment Conference. This is attended by pretty much all the airlines and is extremely useful for a. knowing when to apply b. knowing who (and probably more importantly who not) to apply for c. sizing up the competition and d. getting a flavour of requirements etc. As far as the short haul/long haul debate goes, I'm lucky enough to fly a mixture of both. I'm finding short haul at LHR a real chafe at the moment, some guys who have been with the airline years reckon its the worst its been. Having said that, the destinations are fun as are the people (in general). Long haul can be tiring (especially the transatlantic stuff). Other top tips? Interview technique courses a must- there are loads out there, I used Airline Orientation Training. They were excellent although they have a different name now (suggest you google it, if there's no joy pm me and I'll dig out the number)
Good luck!
Last edited by goldcup; 3rd Jul 2007 at 15:33.
Reason: BEagle explained the IR bit properly