Grrowler,
Thanks, it was not the intent of the question. In fact, you could (and I will) argue that you append my sentence with "...should I be accepted as SO" just as easily as "...when I am accepted as SO." I suppose it depends on one's world view. I would have re-worded it more clearly if someone had have queried the intent, but a couple of people here made up their minds and launched on me, so I was pretty much forced to go defensive.
Senshi,
Umm, never said I was currently in GA, I said I started there and now I'm currently employed by "another operator" who is not Qantas. If I do get an interview, then rest assured that I will have done detailed study on the fleet, routes, company policy, pay rates, aerody, systems etc, etc, etc.
Whilst I don't need to justify my reasons here, I'm going to anyway:
I had heard that in moving to Qantas I'd be looking at a pay cut (same as you hawkert20 and International Trader??). DirectAnywhere's link proves it for me. Should I be so fortunate that Qantas grants me an interview and elects to employ me I need to know mundane things like "can I afford a house for my wife and three children?" I am starting, now, eighteen months to two years from potential Qantas emloyment, to consider where I could afford to live and if I could do the commuter thing if I got a job with the Big Q. Standard questions at job interviews include "do you know what we pay you?" and "can you live on that?". If my answers were "dunno" and "oh, I plan to live in a tent with my family next to 34 at Mascot" I suspect that the Qantas interview would end rather abrubtly. So, I was after quick information so that I could sort out some of the minor details over the next eighteen months of my life ("does the car need a wash?", "what's on TV tonight?" and "will my wife need to work full-time, part-time or not at all?").
I'm sorry to lower the tone and discuss money, but as desirable as the job of pilot is, not too many of us would do it for free as a full-time occupation.
I'd not been to pprune for a while, but DirectAnywhere, Tahir, Capt Wally and Machrider prove that it is still an excellent place for gouge and I thank you.
I'd forgotten, however, that there's always pedants on here who use their high horses to leap headlong at conclusions.