GBB,
First off, being from the middle east, I know a bit more than you think. But, if indeed what you say is true, I know you are just guessing, I have lost some respect for EY.
1- If they really want to position themselves as a leader in the area, and probably the world, having half assed schemes that are poorly set up, and poorly managed is quite surprising. Suddenly, they realized that they have too few seats to fill? What about planning? What about setting quotas for each city? What about more aggressive eliminations? I did not apply for a position in Toronto thinking its a walk in the park. Frankly, getting accepted to the next round is almost like winning the lottery. But, from an internationally acclaimed organization, that is marketing itself, and repositioning itself to actively compete with giants such as EK, and to be a worldwide hub, actions such as improperly calculating the number of seats required to fill, and how many from each city is frankly surprising.
2- How can they decide that they can get enough quality from JNB, AUH, and SYD without even conducting the assessments? You really think that in YYZ, JFK, and SIN they wont find enough qualified people of high calibre?
3- Life tends to be very unfair, I know and accept that. I have no problems with the whole issue of the unfairness in life. Yes it is unfair that the assessments got canceled in the last 3 cities, but I do still expect to recieve a notice regarding the issue. Reading about it on PPRUNE, and only knowing what is going on with the assessments through PPRUNE is quite dissapointing. And I find it unbelievable, that EY would have trouble in sending out a mass email to the 2400 people who applied for spots in YYZ, JFK and SIN.
4- About your "wasta". I have been screwed, royally screwed from this "wasta" many times. I know how it works, I know what it does. But, if upper management wanted to get their sons and daughters into the cadet program, what are the chances they would actually set up an international search, travel to cities around the world, spend lots of money just so they can put their loved ones in the preferred spots? Why not just do it in the local Emarati scheme? I know for a fact they are having very difficulty encouraging Emarati's to join the program. Dont forget we're talking about pilots here. Regardless of what "wasta" someone has, if someone is not cut out of being a pilot, he/she will simply not be trained.
And dont you insinuate that I have no idea what is going on with the aviation industry, or any industry for that matter. Being fired from jobs because of the economy, having close family and friends get the axe because of the economy, and living in a country that is so affected by the economy makes me know first hand what the hell is going on. Had EY canceled all other assessments as well, I would believe the economic downturn played a major role, but just canceling some, and not immediately, I find it hard to believe.
Honestly, I always had a plan B. Figuring out that one has about a 1% of a chance of getting in, no one in their right mind would consider this the ultimate plan, and the only one.
To close this rant of mine, we are talking about EY here. With 45 aircraft on hand, and another 115 on order, its a big, going onto being a huge airline. Anything less than a professional approach to dealing with candidates, especially those who have been affected be the what seems to be a random cancelation. And so far, I have not felt the professionalism, and so do many others.
Cheers,
okees