Virgin Nigeria Recruitment minimums
 

I see on VK's website they have further reduced their minimums to 220 hours and no mention of type rating.Sounds too good to be true:confused:

That doesn't just sound a little low to me, that sound :mad: low!

You dont need more than that to fly these planes (B737 or EMB 195). I came out of school straight into the B737, no big deal. Come on guys, hurry and send the CVs in before they change their minds.

Regards
DMan

Yeah u right !

With the right training( proper conversion)and''sound'' SOP's)and a with a experienced P1 in the left seat you will pick up the"ropes'' quickly and then it's just time that needs to tick over to build the actual experience that you can't buy or read''up'' on,but what you just have to see to believe to experience !!

GOODLUCK to ALL the boys and who know's girls that will apply for this job!!'

BIANCHI !:ok:

Any word on what they're like to work for, conditions etc...?

Cheers,

Burner

Any one nows what it's like to work there??

When you guys ask 'what is it like to work there?' are you asking about the company, the country or both?

To give a viable comparison it would be useful to know where you are at present.

When I was working in Nigeria the leading two to work for were Virgin Nigeria and Aero. Since then Arik has started but there seems to be a lot of contradictory info re what they are like to work for so I cannot comment.

I also think you have to know what your personality is like before making a judgement. If you are used to being pampered and wet nursed in a major carrier in Europe or North America, living in well ordered suburbs, then perhaps Nigeria will be harder to adapt to than if you are from a smaller carrier where you have to fend for yourself more and the routes take you to some less priviliged parts of the world where the mod cons are not so mod!

I'm not a pilot, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Nigeria and have some very good friends there.

A lot of the negative comments on here re Nigeria come from people who when challenged admit they were last there 20-25 years ago and apart from the airport only ever saw the hotel.

Life and places are to a large part what you make them.

"I'm not a pilot, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Nigeria and have some very good friends "
Quite a revelation there man.

Working in Nigeria
 

If you are ready for the HEAT (to struggle), then you can go for the adventure. But then, challenges are always a motivation to move forward.:eek:

WP

Flying Bucket,

Not sure what point you are making?

Not too sure where most of the expat aircrew are accomodated but a mate of mine said he was housed in a compound.

He spoke of a few kidnappings but there are armed escorts available from compound to whereever.

Guys in the know please post.

Maxweight:ok:

SN I think he thinks you are a pilot or have been in the past and not coming out with it:confused:Given your rather indepth knowledge.....but as you said you worked in Nigeria and have friends there.....makes sense to be !!!
Well i am no mind reader, i might be totally wrong on this one:yuk:

Nigeria needs the new generation of Pilots . BA still have cadets,who come out with a frozen JAR ATPL 200 hours....and get into the righthand seat of A jet airplane with an MCC under their belt and some multi engine jet sim time at
age 19-24 i think......look at what is happening in India....so not too low,that thought process is OUT SIR :ok:

"QUOTE:"
BA still have cadets,who come out with a frozen JAR ATPL 200 hours....and get into the righthand seat of A jet airplane with an MCC under their belt and some multi engine jet sim time at
age 19-24 i think......look at what is happening in India


Agreed Hotmj43, but then look at the airlines personnel and infrastructure you just mentioned and its dedication to first class training when it comes to their pilots, cadets or experienced Captains!

They have training captains and centers dedicated to producing formidable pilots, backed up by an airline that will stop at nothing to get the best.

So watchout when these cadets come in with low hrs and experience, it comes down to the airline and its training personnel and not some ego tripping fella on the left with a big grin, chukling "oooh u in big s:mad:t now" abi!!!

India :eek: well uh, hmmmm will see about that one later :ok:

B

downsouth.

rather shovel :mad: in Argentina. Its a lot safer. the day the universe gets an enema the tube will be plugged in Nigeria

Oom, with ill informed remarks like yours I think the tube might well be attached to you.

Well Balewa... lets look at it this way, BA ,cadet, infrastructure and all that you have framed up, something to work towards,we have to pull our heads out of the SAND,it can be achieved......so i see it as NO mission impossible.
We just have to get out of this Negative gig ,jive on Nigerian Aviation.
India is marching Forward,.... it is in that light,that i am turning too,they have unstuck the Finger !!!!

Oom have you travelled ? or you just feel you should open your mouth....... I SUGGEST YOU.close it ,a S..:confused:T fly might POP IN.

hi guys

i sent my cv to Virgin and they replied got through to the next stage anybody else got a reply? does anybody know whats next in the interview process and where the interview are held?

Cheers
Darren

Atr 42 Drivers
 

Hi out there,
I hear VNA will be looking for aTR drivers soon,for 3 ATR 42's, anybody with facts.
Thanks.
p.s. oom I dont think they will be needing you:{

Pilotd,
next in the sequence will be an invitation for an interview either in Lagos or London,
Interview Day 1,
Is an introduction of the company either by the Chief Pilot or some one from HR....then it is a panel interview, A pilot,HR staff and a Human Factors specialist,suggest you read the Ace Pilot,it is all very relaxed they do their best to relax you,no Arsto Physic questions....then a technical quiz 50 questions all from the Ace Tech Pilot Book, YOU COULD DO QUIZ FIRST BEFORE,INTERVIEW IT ALL DEPENDS ON YOUR GIVEN TIME ON THE DAY.
If you get through all that,you will be invited for a Sim assess in the UK Gatwick ,Gecat was used in past,they now use Alteon. Sim is 737 CLASSIC EFIS,some Pilots in the past got the 767
If you get through that you are offered a Job,with a course date..... from start to finish this process should take about a month !!!!,if not less given that they are looking for Pilots.
GOOD LUCK.....you are BONDED IF YOU ARE NOT TYPE RATED, 3 YEAR BOND.:ok:

Work permit
 

I'm waiting for a job offer from Virgin Nigeria as 737 FO
Anibody knows how long it takes to get a work permit in Nigeria for a European citizen.

Depends on the handling imigration officer:confused:

Work permit shouldn't take long.

There are two observations i have about the Low time that VK now advertises.
1. Initially, they had advertised ATP with 3000 hours for first officer.
"Nigeria needs the new generation of Pilots . BA still have cadets,who come out with a frozen JAR ATPL 200 hours....and get into the right hand seat of A jet airplane with an MCC under their belt and some multi engine jet Sim time at
age 19-24 i think......look at what is happening in India....so not too low,that thought process is OUT SIR".
If i understand you clearly Mj43, you're now and advocate for whats applicable world-wide or at least in the immediate western world?
This was applicable before the commencement of VK operations. Why then was there no pressing reason to have what is now applicable in the beginning?
If i remember clearly, there was a lot of noise as to what calibre of pilots Vk got at the time and what is Vk getting now?
I have come to realise that high time does not make a pilot, but what the pilot is capable of handling when "Sh*t hits the fan".
We have for years simply just appointed people based on personal bias and and the fact that they either belonged to a certain camp or not.
A lot of people did not gain Vk employment initially because some of us (Nigerians) held on to this fine 3000 hour line like the bible itself!
What is now consoling is that the Oyinbos have now come to set things straight since we cant!
2.As for Oom Kaspaas,
I think you should remain in Argentina shoveling sh*t, thats where you belong mate!
Like Mj says, maybe you need to keep your trap shut if you have nothing constructive to say, ding-wit!

LJT,

A comment that I can agree on.

Shortly after 911 a new market surfaced in aviation: Training of self sponsored pilots. New TRTOs saw daylight all over the world, and they all went for the guys and girls who either had saved around USD 20 to 30k or who could convince mama and papa to mortgage the house in order for the young pilot to obtain a type rating.

Before that, some airlines had run a cadet scheme, aka Ab-Initio training, where they took them "off the street", put them through initial training for a frozen ATPL and a medium jet type rating. I have spent time in the cockpit with several of them. 200 hrs + and keen. I cannot say I remember one who did not do a good job.

But back to the self sponsored guys. This trend brought a lot of low time pilots on to the market. Many of them had to continue paying for line training on revenue flight, which makes me and many others :yuk:. But the key here is that these low timers can do a good job providing they have been part of a training program from day 1 geared for the right hand seat of a medium size jet, and that socalled high timers do not necessarily perform better than colleagues with not so many hours in the logbook. There is no quality assurance in a lot of flying hours ;)

LJT I believe that the early rationale behind the high hours requirement was that the first intakes of joiners were likely to provide the future management pilots for the expanding airline therefore greater experience was sought. I seem to recall that it was always intended that this requirement would lessen as the airline reached maturity.

It made sense to me as a non flyer to do things this way, and my opinion hasn't changed with the passing of time.

Hello Sn,
I need you to understand where I'm coming from.
The point here has nothing whatsoever to do with whether the Airline needed high time pilots to end up as management or not.
If that were the case? Where are all the so called high time pilots initially employed by Vk now?
Only a handful of them remain there as we speak.
My problem is, for starters, we knew then what we know now and thats my beef!
There were lots of pilots who had the time but no ATP's who didn't get in because of the high handedness of our brothers, and this is fact, not fiction!
We know whats right, but never do it! Instead, we go chasing after shadows of our so called enemies, like we are actually important enough to have enemies for real?
Has it ever occurred to most of us that flying airplanes does not make us any different from, or any smarter than those riding in the back seats?
Infact, it is my take that those at the rear, do have cause to feel special, cos they're ferried by the most qualified and specialized flying idiots who cant make a dime outside the cockpit.
This is not personal, but i must stress that we all know whats right, but never do it, when sh*t hits, we all say, "Oooo, I knew what the solution could have been"?
Please take note, that my comments are not directed specifically at any one person, but the lot of us (Nigerians) and it certainly includes me!

LJT,
Surely Not,has taken the reply out of my mouth,he got to you before i did.
What SN puts down was,the rationale of the VK Ops management at the start of VK, for the B733,not all the start up Pilots would end up in Management of the Airline. i am still an advocate of all things right....:ok:
The high time jet pilots with NO ATP,was a spill off,of the old WT days when it was the Airline who sponsored your ATP,which for some pilots was a money making venture.....WT is not endorsed in the License (ATP) but the pilots name......the VK requirement at the begining was an ATP AMONGST other requirements.....a fair number of the high time jet pilots had no ATP and expected to be interviewed......no sir,Dont have an ATP, HR responded.
it is nice to see now that many just pilots, have sponsored their ATP,when they realised that not having one,was the obstacle to a desired job !!!!
Remember the Frozen ATP is the desired route now for many a bugging Pilot.
As to what Nigerians want or dont want ....is a conversation for another day.

It should not take long VK needs you:ok:But they have no say in the immgration process..... i am sure they will have done all that need be done as
regards filing etc....worse guess they will get you in on business visa,get you flying while they follow up on the applied for work permit.... something to that effect,the process is constantly changing though towards perfection they say!!!!

Hotmj43,
Having said that, i'm glad you could bring up some clarification on that. Various people had asked in the past and even recently, and i though i'd throw it open for you to respond to since you may have inside knowledge of the procedures involved. Thanks.:ok:
At least those in doubt can see for themselves what the answers are and not think there is/was any hidden agenda.:D
My ten cents.
Cheers.

Thanks LJT.......Well ,i hope it will be seen in the light of clarification of this matter.:cool: i would have prefered dollars as opposed too Cents.... Naira would have been excellent though:ok:

Hi All

Got email today for interview in December for B737.

Anyone one else out there got the same. If so please pm me.

Cheers

paddy

virgin nigeria requirements
 

Hi gentlemen,
congratulations to all those called for the next phase with virgin nigeria. I would appreciate if someone knows something about their requirements to post it. Thank you in advance and good luck.

I was invited to..But I don't know yet if I go there.

hi guys

to all that got invited for an interview we have to pay our own travel cost to London or Nigeria which i think is BS as a major airline like Virgin i think the least thaey can do is provide discounted tickets.

In my experience companies that play cheap from day one ie. travel to interviews etc. are not really worth working for.

I too have been invited to the interview, and will probably be attending as I should be in London at the time.

Few questions to the other guys who may know more.

Should you make it through the first stage after paying for flights etc. The return sim assesment, will I have to pay for that as well?

Is the jump straight on to the 737 co jo to much of a jump from a caravan? Obviously the size is hugely different but will the guy in the left seat look at you the same way as maybe somebody with a few hundred twin turbine hours?

And Lagos, To live there? Descent places to stay? Im sure I have visited worse, but not for three years....

Any input would be great!

Cheers, and good luck to the others who have been invited for the interview.

QUOTE FAKAWI:" In my experience companies that play cheap from day one ie. travel to interviews etc. are not really worth working for."

In my experience new companies that spend a lot of money lavishly dont last either,and are not worth working for as well.

If you are serious about joining,why not invest?
would you say Emirates is not worth working for?
I paid my way to dubai myself when i went for thier interview.

QUOTE WINGS23 "Is the jump straight on to the 737 co jo to much of a jump from a caravan? Obviously the size is hugely different but will the guy in the left seat look at you the same way as maybe somebody with a few hundred twin turbine hours?

Dont worry how the guy in the left seat feels about you, CRM solved that problem already.What should concern you is how you fell about yourself,nothing comes easy,so if you are determined its not an issue.
All i can say we where not born flying jets!


And Lagos, To live there? Descent places to stay? Im sure I have visited worse, but not for three years....

Any input would be great!"

if you can hack j'burg, lagos is a piece of cake

You have to pay your flight for the interview.

It's a first selection of candidates, those who don't want to pay are probably not the more motivated to join.

If you pass, the first stage, you're invited to the Sim and Psychometric test.

For the second stage, at the time I went there, the ticket was refunded.