Well, I turned them down as I got a very negative vibe from the whole thing. During boarding on my flight to AUH, I flashed my crew ID told the head purser that I was a pilot going to the assessment and asked if there was any chance for an upgrade. He was very nice, smiled and quietly suggested that "this is not a wise thing to do when you later work for us, as it can get you into trouble."
I chatted a lot with the rest of the cabin crew on my positioning flights to/from AUH and they didn't make a very happy impression and this was proven to me when they showed me their rosters.
The posts from people like Alghazal and CT7 on page 27 of this threat only confirmed my suspicion. Or just check out Yani's post.
EY want to convey the image of playing 'hard to get,' by sending out emails as a part of the selection process, asking you for a
preference for a starting date. Then they put in bold letters to:
please note that this is not an employment offer letter or declaration of result of your assessment.
Then they send you a contract giving you 2 weeks to sign: "this offer will remain open for your acceptance for 2 weeks from contract date. If we do not hear from you by this date, the offer may be withdrawn."
Don't be fooled though, it's all smoke and mirrors. Behind this shiny first class 'premium airline' image is a very low cost airline mentality when it comes to treating crews. When I didn't sign, they kept on calling/emailing me for months thereafter asking me to reconsider.
Remember, these are the T&C's during a bull pilot market. I don't even want to think about what this outfit would be like during economic bad times when pilot jobs are scarce.
You'd have to be
totally desperate to join this lot.
Just remember, if you're stupid enough to go for an assessment: on day three (your medical) get a
BLUE background on your passport photos!