British Airways Customer Service Agents

[AIRWAY]

Hello All,

Apologies if this is not the right section to post my questions.

Has some of you may know I am doing my PPL with the intention ( probably ) of going commercial but that’s another story, currently I work full time for a logistics company has an accounts manager nothing to do with aviation, I have noticed on BA’s recruitment website that they are recruiting customer services agents to work at LHR, and you guess it right I am thinking in having a go, I think working within BA and in the aviation industry will help me improve my knowledge of the business and other skills ( if I’m successful ), looking at the wage package they are offering base salary of £12500pa (shift pay is not included ) which is less that I am currently on, but still I want to try. The environment where I’m working has become very intensive, people backstabbing each other, talking behind our backs, 4 years and half of this crap is enough, anyway aviation is where the heart is hehehe

Is there any BA Customer Services Agents around here? That could PM me? I’m just looking for some advice.

Kind Regards,
AIRWAY
:ok:

[redfred]

pm'd you airway....

[Bundanoon]

Hi Airway,

My advice, for what it's worth, would be if you are looking for a move into the airline industry then any opening albeit on the first run of the ladder is a good place to start especially with BA.

Like any company, if you are good at what you do, keen and enthuastic then it will not go unnoticed and I'm sure other career opportunities within the company will come your way through the internal vacancy chain and way before anybody on the outside would get a chance to apply.

If you are unhappy as you say you are then I don't think you have nothing to lose in applying though 13k seems a poor wage to survive on, especially @ LHR!

Good Luck, Bundanoon :ok:

[CTBEyes]

Agree with Bundanoon

But you have to be very careful at the interview go along with what they want don't stand out too much but impress as they want to be able to mould you into the customer service agent they need.

Too strong minded and they don't like that at all on selection

Good luck

[AIRWAY]

Hello,

Thanks all for the advice, i have now submited my application, and fingers crossed i get called for an interview. :D
Im really looking forward to start working within the aviation industry, something i have always wanted plus i am doing the PPL now so im even happier :}

Regards,
AIRWAY

[AIRWAY]

Hello,

Good news i got an interview :} Bad news im already nervous :\

Regards,
AIRWAY

[AIRWAY]

Hello

How did u find the group scenario and interview? This will be the first time i have a 2-1 interview :\

Regards

[weis]

Airway, judging by what you've mentioned regarding your previous experience etc you should get the job without any problems, moreover, since we are seriously short staffed for the christmas schedule, they are absolutely desparate for staff.

Have you been told where you might be positioned i.e. T4 or T1? With regards to working environments, its not really a change from your current work place, if anything its a lot worse. You've got around 500 odd staff, the vast majority of them fat, old women, who are'nt qualified to do anything better, other than gossiping all day about anything and everything, and at the end of the day are under the mistaken belief that they run the airline.

There is plenty of scope for career progression within other departments though. Best of luck.

[AIRWAY]

Hello Weis,

Thanks for your post, my interview is next monday. I filled my application online friday night and then they called me the following monday around lunch time, the lady on the phone seemed nice and polite. Got my reference forms and some questionnaires to fill yesterday.

I just want to be able to do something that i enjoy and if im working within the aviation industry i will be happy, very happy actually, and if there is gossip there too, at least i will be able to do my job and still enjoy it because it's something i want to do, also career progression within BA is good, since im doing my PPL who knows one day i might actually be flying for them ( ok ill stop dreaming now :O ) .

Regards

[redfred]

Definately scope for career progression, perhaps thats why theres so many oldens there as all the younger blood moves on once their probation is up but theres many people ive met doing there ppl's on their days off.

Not encountered much gos just they all sit behind their desk planning their next holiday........like everyone else.

There desperate and people come and go all the time and abt 80 or so are transeffering in JAN so im sure you'll be fine.

[LHR_777]

Hello Folks,

Well, this is my first ever post on PPRuNe. I thought I'd chip-in with my recent experience with the assessment/hiring process at BA for CSA's.

First - I applied via britishairwaysjobs.com on Monday October 4th, around 11pm. I was phoned (at work!) on Tuesday October 5th, at 10am. Quite an impressive response time!

The very nice lady at BA recruitment offered me an interview for Wednesday October 13th. Of course, I accepted, even though I had to 'take a sickie'.... ;)

Then, I waited...I wasn't really nervous as such - after all, I had a job, just not in the aviation industry. However, come interview day, the nerves finally kicked in, which I think was a good thing, as it cured my 'over-confidence'!

I turned-up at Hatton Cross tube station at 8.15am and waited for the BA4 bus to take me to 'The Rivers'. Upon arrival at 'The Rivers' recruitment centre, I waited in a queue to see the nice lady at reception. I had to produce my passport, school certificates, two passport photo's and all the reference paperwork that BA had sent in advance. My passport was being renewed at the time, so they asked for my UK driving licence instead.

The nice lady took all my paperwork, then I was told to go and wait in a cafe-type waiting area until I was called. At about 9.20am, I was called with five other people to go into a room and sit around a table. We had to have a group discussion that lasted about 20 minutes or so. It was quite strange, as we just chatted amongst ourselves, about a topic that was given to the group on laminates. There were 5 recruitment people sitting around us, just observing us and taking notes. After the 20 minutes was up, we were all shown back to the waiting area.

Next up for me was the 2-1 interview. I was shown to a little room and introduced to the two interviewers. One guy was from an external recruitment agency and the lady was from BA Recruitment. The interview was actually pretty simple - there were no 'what-if' scenarios', you basically answer questions about your past experiences. It was nice not having to blag anything! The 2-1 interview lasted about 30 minutes, then it was back outside to the waiting area and time for more coffee.

After about 10 minutes or so, 10 of us were called into another classroom and there we sat the 'B.A. Checking test', or 'BAC'. I thought 'checking' meant check-in, but apparently, they're 'checking' our ability to decipher information quickly and methodically. You have 50 questions and 10 minutes to answer all of them, which is a physical impossibility. I managed 38, which wasn't too bad, apparently!

After the test, we all trooped back outside and waited...and waited. At 12.15pm, they called about 40 of us (where the hell everyone else came from, I have no clue...) into a large conference room, where we sat through a presentation from 3 Senior CSA's from Terminal 4.

The entire assessment was over by about 12.45pm and they said they'll take about 10-15 days to get back to us. (Note - the BA website states 5 days for response time)

So, I headed back to work.....

The following Tuesday, I called BA recruitment at 10am for an update. I didn't even give my name, but the person who answered the phone just said "It'll be 2-3 weeks still, don't call back'. How rude, I thought!
10 minutes later, I had a phone call from BA Recruitment! "Hello Mr LHR_777, I'm happy to advise that you've been successful, when can you start?"

I advised that I'd be available on or after November 15th, so the recruitment lady said "Fantastic, there's a course starting November 15th, I'll put you down for that and you'll be assigned to Terminal 4"

Brilliant! Next up was a ton of paperwork, including a trip back to 'The Rivers' to complete paperwork for my airside pass. A week or so later, I received my 'First Steps to Excellence' study pack, which I'm currently working on. I start my 5 weeks training next Monday, at 8am!

I hope this is of some use to anyone reading this! :)