I don't think the bond repayment acts as a tax break. As I read it - they just pay you back the money
on top of your salary - over 7 years, tax free.
So if you remain with BA for 7 years, then the £84,000 part (so, excluding living costs and loan interest) is free...this scheme is effectively fully sponsored.
From the BA website:
"Because this is a sponsored scheme, this entire £84,000 security bond will be repaid to you, tax-free" ...
"The security bond is repaid in equal monthly instalments over your first seven years of employment, all in addition to your remuneration package"
And with regard to qualifications:
You're not initially applying to BA, you're applying to FTE/OAA/CTC, and my experience with CTC - from applying 3 years ago, was that if you didn't meet the minimum qualifications, you simply got a negative response at Stage 1 - applications were not reviewed at depth to look for extra qualities, it's a yes or a no.
I'm taking my final year Bsc exams in 4 weeks, with results in November, so hopefully i'll get them in time (and I'll get a 2:1)
