Getting an airside pass after being abroad
Having completed my training I've been looking for temporary jobs such as deicing and baggage handling while I apply to airlines for pilot jobs.
I'm in the UK now however I did my training in another EU country. An employer in Heathrow who I had applied to has now got back to me saying that because I have been abroad they cannot get 'appropriate references' and would therefore struggle to get me an airside pass which is required for the role.
This seems ridiculous, especially is such an internationalised industry. I was within the EU, I can get references from the head of training saying that I was there, I underwent criminal record checks there and was obviously airside a lot during my training.
Has anyone else had problems getting airside passes? What counts as 'appropriate references'? So far all I've found out about it is that if you have been out of the UK for more than 6 months you need an Overseas Criminal Records Check. And I already have one from that country. It just seems incredible that spending some time in another EU country would make that much difference to getting an airside pass.