Virgin Blue Recruiting for FAs

[QTSOA]

The Virgin Blue recruitment team will be travelling interstate to Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide over the next couple of weeks and would love to meet with those of you who would like to move up to sunny Brisbane and become part of the Virgin Blue family.
Please apply online. Successful applicants will be notified via email with further details.
Taken from the VirginBlue Website, www.virginblue.com.au (http://www.virginblue.com.au)

[deepvainpain]

I advise all you Aussies to go for it. Virgin is a really good company to work for. I live in the UK and work for Virgin Atlantic and it is the best airline that I have ever worked for, and there have been many(Britannia and BMI). Virgin try to create that family atmosphere, this could still be going at Virgin Blue as it is still small, and you never know soooner or later you will be taking flts onwards from Virgin Atlantic as hopefully we will soon be flting to Australia. Dont get your hopes uo though as we have been supposed to be coming to AUS for ages. You nver know though with our being brought half out by SIN.

[Takeoff]

I have heard from a good friend, that Virgin aren't that great to work for, you do long days, clean the tiolets on turnarounds, and you get paid half or less tha AN or QF, now QF are recruiting I believe, it would be much better over there, also I belive turnover at Virgin is high, no wonder. The bosses never get how hard flying is on your body, you can't expect people to work so hard for peanuts!

[Tomb Raider]

Takeoff,
That must be the "family" atmosphere talked of.We have to clean toilets in our family home too!Don't get paid for it either.Not that much of a turnover of staff though. :D :D

[Next Generation PSR]

I flew Virgin Blue back in February SYD-BNE, and although the crew were friendly and the aircraft was new. I have to admit there were times when all that messing around on the PA by cabin crew during Taxi, Take-Off and Landing did concern me a little. I think a license for "creativity" should not compromise professionalism and safety.
Get the balance right and I think you will have an even better airline.

[cabinboy]

Has anyone ever been through the interview process twice on different occasions with Virgin Blue ? I was one of the first people ever to be interviewed for Virgin Blue and the competition was tough. I wasn't successful but have resubmitted my resume via mail and via cabincrew.staffcv.com and have not been invited back to try again ?

It upsets me because I was good enough well over a 1 1/2 years ago to be selected for an interview out of thousands of applicants....and now that I am even more skilled for the position I haven't been invited back !
Is this because they will only ever interview you once and once only ? I really want to work for them......can someone help out ?

Cheers

[Takeoff]

Save your time and effort Cabin Boy, you may want to work for them now, but after a lot of hard work in the air, and not being paid much, you'll get sick of it. Sure the 'family atmosphere' must be great, but hey, it doesn't pay the bills does it? :rolleyes:

[Theo Racle]

Cabinboy et al... bear in mind the difficulty in getting a permanent contract with the others (as opposed to 6 month casual which is all that appears to be on offer these days) and the crappy seniority system which will see you getting the ****ty rosters for years to come. Virginblue gives you the opportunity to get to the top within months if you've got the skills and enthusiasm. Conditions can't be that bad as I see from another thread (Impulse Airlines/Qantaslink pay & conditions) that the new EBA quoted just happens to be VB's existing EBA verbatim! Seems the FAAA are quite happy with it then.

[cabinboy]

Theo Racle, hence my enthusiasm for wanting to work for Virgin....I am already established in BNE and they offer FULL-TIME work....it's seems crazy that one should be so excited about an airline offering full-time work these days ! :eek:

I am quite happy with the Virgin/Impulse EBA....I have a feeling that virgin won't have me back for an interview because as "advised" by certain industry members I tried a gimmick with my 3rd application ( which virgin apparently like )...obviously they did not like it. I have tried my best to get another interview so what more can i do :)

Maybe QTSOA (the person who started this thread) could fill us in more.....you are obviously from Virgin Blue..... :p

[Sweet N Innocent]

Hi All,
I registered on the Staff CV website on Saturday, applied online for an interview with VB and was emailed a confirmation on Monday. My group interview is on Tuesday.

I am also waiting to hear back from QF - Made it to the last round of recruitment 3 months ago - have had my med, psych tests and refs have been checked.
Keeping my options open at this stage...
So can anyone help with what to expect @ the interviews on Tuesday for VB?

Thanks a million :)
SNI

[Theo Racle]

Biscuit chucker - I believe VB are running ground schools every month. As all Cabin Supervisor and ad-hoc trainer are recruited internally with a ratio of 1:4 (ie 1 CS for 4 CCs) that looks to me like quite a few promotions will be required.

[Mr Seatback 2]

I too have been invited back (2nd time now) for VB next week!

The last time, they did group activities and only group activities. Useful, but you can't get a true picture of someone's ability based solely upon group scenarios. Especially the case if you're paired with someone who doesn't exude charisma, enthusiasm or warmth.

I imagine much the same this time if anyone else has an update...

[Mr Seatback 2]

Further to your post Biscuit Chucker...

I believe Cabin Supers and Pursers (for both VB and Impulse) earn approx $42K per year - plus any relevant allowances, etc. I understand they don't receive anywhere near the level of allowances crew at AN or QF receive, but the info I have from the FAAA suggests DTA, meal allowances and so on are payable (at the very least at Impulse)...

Anyone have any further info here?

[Sweet N Innocent]

Mr Seatback 2,
Considering the fact that an FA works as part of a team ( with the exception of some Regionals ) its understandable that the recruiters wil be looking at this. Its rare that you will run the show on your own in the A/C so why would they be looking at your style and charisma as an individual? I mean, sure its great to have it, but to have charisma as a team is powerful. Dont think you should be criticising the othe candidates in your group. Use them as your allies. You migh be pleasantly surprised.
Oh and by the way, got my successful letter in the mail from QF today.. Must have been my charisma! :D

SNI

[Sonique]

*****************************************
Sweet N Innocent - I here what you are saying but methinks you are missing the point. How can one truly show their qualities as a " team player " if the others in the team (i.e - virgin blue interview) are...well.....to put it bluntly - " idiots ". After attending Virgin Blue interviews myself I have come to the conclusion that team work is not looked on at all - it seems your ability to flirt, paint faces and sing is all that is required.

Three of the other interviewees in my interview did not know what a Boeing 737 was...go figure. How can anyone make good of a group interview when the candidates aren't fit for the position or interview in the first place ?

Good Luck at QF ! see you at centrelink in 6 months time with the rest of my fixed term mates !

*******************************************

[Mr Seatback 2]

Here we go...

Look, team interviews are good in the respect of how well you interact with others of a diverse background...this I cannot disagree with. What I do disagree with is making a judgement on someone's suitability for the position based solely upon group activities...I could not agree more with Sonique - A team is the sum of it's parts, and if some members of that team aren't the sharpest around, it doesn't reflect well - no matter how hard you attempt to inject team playing etc into the group.

True, the chances of you being by yourself on an a/c are slim (unless of course it's a S340 or a DH8) - but you are required to work independently AS WELL AS in a team (two very different skills which need to merge in order to be part of a great team).

This - and the fact most people act up in group scenarios to suppress any leadership skills anyway - means that it is probably better individual interviews are done at the same time to ascertain the TRUE individual and their personality. Then again, which airline has the time and resources to do that...

Congratulations Sweet N Innocent on getting in - contract or casual? Hope it was the latter...

[Ditch]

I have to laugh. Group interviews seem to be the norm these days for Flight Attendant recruitment. I suggest those "desperate" to fly should get over it and give it all they've got. :rolleyes:

For those interested, I have a couple of mates who are Cabin Supervisors with Virgin Blue. They love it... Paid on average around 45k, including allowances. 4 and 5 day trips are common, with excellent slip time in ports such as Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.(Up to 24 hours) Am told by them, they are looked after by management. These friends only flew on line for 6 months before being promoted to CS. Hows that!! Go for it guys and girls. Ps... Is this not what this thread was about in the first place? :confused: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Cart_tart]

Is the only way to apply through staffcv?
I applied through them a couple of months ago before it was advertised on the web site that they were looking for FA's & again when I saw it advertised on their website. Both time's I've only received the standard reply and have heard nothing further.
I have been a flight attendant for nearly 2 years, have my Senior 1st Aid, Responsible Service of Alcohol, blah blah blah. Can anyone shed any light on why they may not want to even give me an interview? :confused:

[Takeoff]

My question is this, if virgin are so great to work for, why such a high turnover rate?? I have a good friend who resigned from Virgin, a few months ago, she was sick of the hard work, and lets be honest, very low pay, a Flight Attendant ( permament at AN or QF earns nearly 20k more a year than a Cabin Manager at Virgin!!!! Work that out!! Yes, I know there are no 'permament' positions in An or QF at the moment, but it's a shame, that companys like Impluse, and Virgin rave on about their great staff, but pay them the industry standard, oh no we don't think that highly of them! And as for being a Cabin Manager after 6 months, thats a bit silly, isn't it? What sort of experience do yuo have after only 6 months?? I don't think in any industry you progress that fast, must be a way to hang on to staff!!!!!Promote them!!!!

[Cart_tart]

What you are paid in relation to other carriers isn't relevant! If you can get a job with them then great, go and earn more money....if money's the only thing you're after in life!
For me personally, I couldn't give a **** what I get paid...I love my job. It's a pleasure to go to work every day - yes even at 3am and although I really do bitch and moan about it at times - as everyone does about ANY job - I'm lucky to have it, I get paid a hell of a lot of money for the hours I work (what other job could you do where you work on average 25hrs a week and get paid the equivalent to someone working 50?)and the main thing is that I love it. At the end of the day there are thousands of people that want our job & would probably pay to do it! So be grateful for what we've got and if money really is the only thing you're after go & marry a millionaire!
;) :p

[Ditch]

An Aircraft is an aircraft, widebody or not... I know what I would do, and its logical..go for the permanent stuff. Bugger this six month crap, in the end you end up with nothing..go figure? :p

[xtc]

:eek:
Well folks hats off to cart tart. u hit the nail right on the head.

Guys and gals, getting a job in the flying industry as cabin crew is to say the least extremely hard, so it really doesn't matter where you start and for how long your contract is and for how much money. In the end its the experience that you rack up that makes the diff.

Sure its not always the same for everyone and not everyone is pleased all the time.. Simple fact of life.

For all you people out there don't ever listen to the critics, go for it and if decide for yourself if its for you, don't let total strangers decide whether you will like it or not.

I have a few friends that had left EK to work with VB and they are having a ball.

Just to end up i remember when i wanted to start out in the world of flying and accepted a job as a receptionist with KLM in Syd just to get a foot in the door, and now am a senior with EK and loving it.

Good luck everyone hope it all works out for you all, and for those still trying hang in there.

Remember:

IF U DON'T DO WHAT U WANT TO DO THEN U A STATUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mr Seatback 2]

No more hanging for me...after 3 years trying to get into flying (having spent those same 3 yrs with airlines anyway), I am now starting a training school on the 20th August with Impulse/QantasLink.

Suddenly, those 3 years seem VERY insignificant now!

[cabinboy]

HERE HERE ! Mr Seatback....congratulations again my friend ;) Welcome to QF...Welcome to ONEWORLD !

I wonder if all the alcohol you have consumed over the past few years will seem
insignificant to the amount we will be consuming the night away of your party on 18 AUG ? :D

Wide-body, Narrow-body...Any-body
I want to fly ! Come on Virgin...where is my invitation ?

[be142736]

A guy and his wife who have just joined my company both used to work for Virgin Express in Ireland and having heared their experiences I wouldn't touch Virgin with someone elses very long barge pole!!!! They were both made redundant this year even though other virgin companies were recruiting and they were perpared to move anywhere in the world! Although the press were told that all staff were given very generous redudancy it was the minimum required by Irish Law. No one at Virgin HQ in the UK would even show their faces in eire before the airline closed! :mad: You have been warned!!!!!!!!!!!

I was also under the impresion that the forums weren't to be used for advertising or am I wrong?

[ 06 August 2001: Message edited by: be142736 ]

[ 07 August 2001: Message edited by: be142736 ]

[Deep Cover Gecko]

I agree with be142736. I worked for Virgin Express in Ireland, and whilst the crews were great, :D , management were not that good. :mad: And as for when the company was closed - well - every week we were told that there would be an announcement the next week. I was offered a temporary contract with another Virgin company, but couldn't go through the stress again as the company was closing six months later!