New Cabin Supervisors @DJ

[exmax]

Hi people,

A friend of mine is on a training course as Cabin Supervisor and I was wondering what the general consensus is at the moment with regard to them being direct entry supervisors?

exmax

[Anna Spanna]

The reaction is a bit mixed. I personally have no gripes.
You can understand that there are quite a few unnhappy about it. They are the ones who have either applied for CS and not got it or believe that if the new guys wanted to work for Virgin they should of applied for Cabin Crew.
It is dissapointing that Virgin does have to look outside the company for suitable candidates.
I think the newbies will be met with hostility from some though.
As with most workplaces, gossip is queen! Don't be surprised if most crew know the life history of the newbies before they start!!
Rumours run rampant here!!

I wish your friend the best of luck.

[QF skywalker]

I was lucky(?) enough to meet one of the new CS's the other day. She has never had an interest in aviation nor worked in the industry before. She has been a chef for 7 years though ??? I don't get it ? In charge of 180 pax and 4 other crew with no prior airline experience ? NONE !

I asked her about hostility and she said that the cabin supervisor role is a newly created one as prior to this the cabin crew just worked as a team, so it shouldn't be a problem - I politely informed her that this is incorrect and DJ have ALWAYS had cabin supervisors on board.

Then she started telling me how she can't wait to fly on the Boeing 767's !!

She was a nice girl and everything , but I fear for her safety at DJ if this is all she knows ! I really think internal promotion is the way to go. Personally I know I would not be happy taking instructions from this lass or those who have no prior experience.

My 20cents worth !

[exmax]

Yeah, I agree QF Skywalker:D It concerns me a little bit (not that I won't sleep over it mind you;) ), that ANY airline would hire someone to be, in effect, in charge of staff and passengers - with NO experience whatsoever. The dynamics within a restaurant and an aircraft are two completely different things and where I don't doubt this persons' ability (because I don't know her), I hope that she will be good at her job and cope with all the intricacies of it as she's literally thrown in at the deep end!:eek:

I have worked for a company where, due to expansion we didn't have enough or even suitable crew to promote all of them, therefore direct entry pursers was the way to go and it actually worked really well. It's worth mentioning that they were all ex-flyers. Luckily I was one of the ones who were promoted to that role but of course understood the frustrations of those left behind so to speak. In time, they were promoted of course but I think if you want something badly enough you have to play ball, work hard and get recognised for your efforts, even if it means standing out a little bit.

Thanks Anna Spanna for your words, helped a lot and keep up the good work, have flown with DJ a couple of times already and doing another one next week.:ok:

Exmax:)

[cabin secure]

I got a guernsey for CS as well.

Applied for cabin crew and because had CM experience at another airline, was asked to sit CS interview after initially sitting cabin crew assessment centre and interviews.

I have flown overseas and internationally as well as domestically and regionally in Australia.

I can kick ass in an emergency and have dealt with more medical emergencies than I can recollect. I also have a nursing background.

I am aware we may cop disgruntled crew online, but I've been dealing with and managing people for many years.
You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. We just have to prove we can do a great job and gain our crews respect with our wealth of knowledge and life experiences.

I know the girl you are referring to and I believe you may have misheard her. We have been putting in really long days and we are all pretty tired. She may have just said something in her delirium. God knows I felt delirious today.

She will be an excellent CM. She has a beautiful nature, a delightful personality and will make a great CS.

My understanding is everyone can apply for CS but most don't want to sit through the assessment centre. You can't expect to have everything handed to you on a plate. You have to show initiative and go after what you want.
Don't sit around whinging about it. Put in the effort and go for it.
We are here because we have the maturity and life experience to cope with the curve balls!:ok:

[smile]

well said Cabin Secure,

Looking forward to seeing you out on line. When do you start flying??

[GalleyHag]

This is a great topic and it will be interesting to see how things go once on-line. Cabin secure please keep us updated.

When Australian first started they recruited from within initial ground schools and I believe some of the crew promoted to Cabin Manager were non flyers before as well. I havent heard how this worked for them but it is a similar situation in a way.

I agree with QF Skywalker it would be very difficult for a non flyer initially to operate as a CS or CM, therefore interesting to see how it all goes.

[ISHIHARA]

Posting on behalf of name owner here:

Marvelllous...

Expect to get another memo from Godfrey regarding low morale and disgruntled cc.

Logic???

[cabin secure]

Thanks for the support SMILE.

As usual your supportive and lovely nature is always visible in your posts.

I still have 3 weeks to go in training. First day on line will be the 21st of March.

Looking forward to it.:D

[missleadfoot]

Firstly congratulations to all the crew who made DJ Cabin Crew Supervisor positions from first entry. Well done and I hope all goes well, especially to B.M.

This is a tough role to fill, and maybe a risky desision by DJ to take this approach. Not dangerous by a business point of view but dangerous in the fact there will be crew who will become resentful and jealous of the fact they weren't promoted ahead of the new entry. I congratulate DJ for their insight and recognition of other experienced crew from other airlines and only wish this had happened when many of us needed it most, 2 years ago.

Have DJ finally realised that experience does count? Virgin are carrying a huge percentage of customers and not all of them fit into the initial DJ brand. I think it's great that Virgin are employing many more experienced crew and adapting the business to suit the customer. I am sure DJ have a policy for promoting in house before recruiting outside, just like most other airlines, but obviously those that chose to apply for promotion didn't fit the bill, therefore Virgin chose to recruit Cabin Managers externally.
You should welcome these managers with grace and respect. They were chosen because of their leadership qualities and abilities to deal with situations. They can teach you a lot and personally knowing a few you will have a great time with them, so please dont give them a hard time.

The days of seniority are long gone, and most of you DJ crew probably dont even know what it means. Personally it's for the better. Enjoy flying, cause you're in a better situation than most people elsewhere in the world.

Nana.