Self employed history, airside passes and CV's

[dontpressthat]

Hopefully somebody can help me out with this one..

Ive just recently entered the job market and am having a few 'difficulties' with my CV. The problem is that I've always been self employed (13 yrs) and am unsure about references and employment history etc etc. It seems that airlines require you to account for your whereabouts and employment history fro the preceeding 5 years. Also, apparently I need to justify any period of greater than 14 days without employment.

For the last 36 months I have been training pretty much full time and therefore have worked very little so as a result there are lots of 14day+ periods of inactivity in my accounts. Prior to that I have all my accounts up to date, however I have lost contact with my accountant and understand he is no longer adding stuff up for self employed types.

Could anybody also tell me where I would stand with getting an airside pass with this type of history, will it be a problem?

Basically my question is... How do you account for a patchy self employed 5 year period whilst still sounding professional?

all replies very greatly recieved as im running out of hair to pull out..:eek:


DPT

[Mercenary Pilot]

Security pass screening is a load of bull**** and only make it difficult for honest people. I would certainly try to get in touch with your accountant and ask him to provide a letter saying that he did indeed cover your books for X amount of years. I would try to get in touch with some of your customers as well as finding some personal referees who are prepared to vouch for your whereabouts. Also, you will need to get references from your training provider to say you were a student there and for what period.

BIG TIP:If you are unemployed at the moment SIGN ON! It provides a great gap filler even if you do feel like a chav!

There is always something that can be done and most airlines do have at least one member of HR who knows how to "play the security game" so as long as you are not an Islamic fundamentalist you should be fine.

Besides, do you really think some of the baggage handlers at LHR have a real checkable 5 year work history? :}

[dontpressthat]

Cheers gang... great answers there, very much appreciated and very helpfull..!!!:ok::ok::ok::ok::ok::ok:
DPT

[badboy raggamuffin]

The whole process is complete and utter bollocks in my opinion! Who the hell can remember what they were doing for a particular two weeks 5 years ago? Pissed me off no end filling out job applications and trying to put together some sort of coherent reference trail, particularly as I have spent a year travelling and along the way had about 5 different jobs, some of which are now un accountable. In the end I just ended up writing a whole six month period off as "travelling", with a mate of mine as a reference. For all they know I could have been up to anything, does this mean I am under suspicion?

And what do the authorities hope to achieve by the whole process? Do they think mr x who has spent 4 months at Osama Bin Laden's terrorist training camp is going to do when he has to provide a valid reference for that period? Is he going to say "oooh no, they have scuppered me here, I cannot account fully for the 4 months I was at Bin Laden's camp. Thats my plan to blow up Heathrow Airport down the drain." Will he f*ck!
If someone is planning a major terrorist act you would think that at the very least they would be able to sort out a dodgy reference. The whole thing is a complete shambles conceived by a bunch of bureaucratic, shortsighted, incompetent bumbling idiots worthy of nothing more than ridicule and disdain.

[Benj]

DPT
If you are registered as self employed with the Inland Revenue they will provide a letter to your employers/Disclosure Scotland. I was self employed and had no problems with this, got pass very easily.

[MrHorgy]

Referencing is a crock if you ask me. Change companies and you have to go through the process ALL OVER AGAIN - the day of a common, national, standardised airside ID won't come soon enough.

I have to get 12 different references each time I apply for a pass, it normally takes me about 3 months!

Horgy