As someone who left flybe just over a year ago through all the changes and now working with a new employer slightly further afield, I have had the opportunity and time to look back and reflect on my previous experience.
At flybe you will no doubt be working hard - 5, maybe 6 days a week, generally 4 sectors a day (maybe more?!)....and yep, on a dash, which perhaps isn't easy on the eye, or at times easy to fly (I'm thinking sitting at FL250 bumping through the clouds and seeing that if you were just able to climb another 2,000ft you'd be able to sit in clear smooth air)! You may be flying in and out of Belfast and Leeds (or the Channel Islands, Southampton, Aberdeen - almost anywhere on the route network) and it'll be blowing a hooley (again) and you'll be working hard -just to head back in the opposite direction to do it all again! And back to the dash itself -it unfortunately isn't the kindest of aircraft, or as reliable as everyone would like....but all of the above (including tech issues) offer learning and handling opportunities, which you won't get sitting in the cruise on a 737 or airbus for 3hr sectors, doing 4 or 5 landings a week.
You'll work with some great guys and gals at flybe, whether sitting beside you in the flight deck or working behind you looking after the cabin and yourselves. Yes, it's been suggested there are one or two people who may slip through the net/be harder work than would be preferred, but take any large population of people (600 or so pilots at flybe) and that is almost unavoidable...
...but on the the whole the people are great. You'll receive excellent training from the in-house TRTO who have a self interest in ensuring you do well - if only simply because they may be flying with you some day! In the right seat (and if it's your first flying job) you'll fly with guys and girls to your left who have a great deal of experience and, as I always believe was the case for me, you'll learn your trade from them. Yes, you'll fly with newer captains too, but they will have a great deal of experience on the aircraft, company and routes flown - and new captains bring a different experience, plus, we're all new at some point. One of the great things about flybe is you will know your colleagues and a day at work more often than not turns into a fun day out with a few take offs, landings and turn arounds...
..and when you do change seats, those same colleagues will be doing their jobs and making your transition easier. You'll get to fly with brand new guys and girls in the right seat, who'll be motivated and eager to learn and youll learn with them.
I was lucky enough to work in many of flybe's bases and each had it's own identity. I'm not sure on the situation now, but as mentioned there could be a good chance of being based up in Belfast. I was lucky to work out of there when I changed seats and what a fantastic base and place it is. The crew there will make you feel a part of the base from day 1 and are amongst the most welcoming to work with - your day will be a blast!
Looking from the outside in I'm aware that a lot of information I hold is now missing or slightly out of date. I understand as Deano states that there is a lot of night stopping for many and I don't know how hard people are working. One of the things I find most encouraging is the major shift that appears to have happened/be happening with the change of senior management. They want to make flybe a fun place to work, encouraging employees to share their ideas and thoughts and Saad even has done a 'back to the floor day' working onboard with the cabin crew - compared to the old management of not being interested in crew feedback, the usual 'the business model is working', never been seen in the bases/on the floor and so on, this change is more than a breath if fresh air - it's amazing!
The dash may not be glamorous or the aircraft you've always wanted to fly and the pay packet disappointing (especially for the new joiners) but the experience will set you up fantastically for whatever happens for you further down the line. I recognise for me now that my training and experiences have set me up in excellent steed with my new company and with working with colleagues from different backgrounds and cultures.
I hope that with the upturn in the UK economy, new uniforms for the cabin crew, expansion and recruitment the future could well be positive and bright (albeit purple) for my previous colleagues and friends and for the many new crew to join in the future.