I just thought I'd add my two cents.
I read a lot of people calculating the odds of being selected for these cadet programmes. My advice is this. Ignore the odds. They are not a true reflection of the chances of being selected.
I applied to BA three times, Virgin once and Aer Lingus once and I managed to make through to the final stage in each of theses processes. Now, I'm either incredibly lucky or there's something I and the other final applicants are doing that the majority aren't.
My advice is this.
1) Don't rush your application. Use up every single minute available of the application window to put together a strong professional application. There's no bonus points for getting your application in first! Once completed, have at least two people proof your application on your behalf. I cannot explain how important all of this is. Your initial application carries a lot of weight.
2) Prepare. There's no such thing as too much preparation. Learn about the company, their culture and their values. Learn about the flight school, their location, course structure etc. Practice some aptitude tests if you can and make sure your mental arithmetic is on point. There are lots of sources of information on the internet but I would start by browsing pprune. Also, practice competency based interview questions over and over and over again. Prepare some examples from your personal life where you have demonstrated skills such as teamwork, leadership, problem solving, customer service etc. Without this, you will not get past the CTC selection phase.
3) Make sure you fully understand the role of a pilot in full. It's important to know what qualities contribute towards being good airline pilot. There is so much more to being a great pilot than aptitude, especially with a heavily customer focused airline like Virgin Atlantic.
I hope this helps.
Best of luck folks. Break a leg.
