towser i'm sure you are right- (you probably interviewed me) and that some guys with 2000 hrs may have got in. However, if you're telling me it is not a coincidence that out of what must have been hundreds maybe few thousand applications, which didn't even include the FTE guys (as the FTE guys didn't apply they were recommended by FTE- oh and the FTE guys didn't even need to do a sim as part of their interview, if they passed day one, they were in!) that if 8 jobs were going, and 4 or 5 guys from FTE managed to get through, I simply don't believe there wasn't a hidden agenda.
The fact they were able to provide BACF interviewers (who had pretty much the same experience as myself) with better examples of CRM and other various experiences, purely based on their single pilot CPL/IR training, then someone in my position with 2000 + hrs multi pilot 737 experience proves to me that they had an agenda to hire a certain amount of cadets. I don't think there is anything wrong with this at all, in fact it's admirable, just don't tell me it isn't true. I wouldn't believe you anyway.
For me it was a total waste of time to have turned up. I know for a fact 4 guys from FTE last round got in, and I believe there were 8 jobs going - 2 of which were for Captains.
In all honesty I went for the interview practice, with the money they offer, I couldn't afford to live near london city even if I was currently debt free. Even though they offered me feedback, I pretty much disregarded it, having heard who they hired.
Sure it's a nice enough company mind, people seemed friendly, but then I guess they always do.
VJW