V Australia Recruitment (Internal and External)
 

Hi Guys,

Just thought I would share with you all that V Australia recruitment has commenced internally at Virgin Blue. Our applications internally must be submitted by 10th of March, with an anticipated start date of August. The base is in Sydney and crew are expected to relocate at their own expense. From that I understand the process involves feedback from your Development Manager, phone interview, group assessment, interview and references.

For all the externals, keep a close eye on the website as I expect external recruitment will also commence soon after the 10th of March. This is a great opportunity for both internal and external. From a total of 280 start up crew 35% will be internal crew transferring and the rest will be externals.

With regards to the conditions not much has been released yet however in the FAQ's that are posted it states "Industry standard, similar pay structure to Virgin Blue, trips up to 14 hours, day trips (returns) are also included.

Interesting times ahead..... Let the POSTS BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!

:D Cheers SocialFlyer

Thanks for posting this up Socialflyer! Its great info!
Are you applying for it?? .. I'll be putting up the website on my favorite list to keep an eye on it everyday! :}
Apart from flying to the US, where else are they thinking of... to enable day trips it can't be too far off can it?

5 to 16 hour duty times could mean just about anywhere including SYD-PER if they wished to utilize the aircraft this way.

Goodluck to anyone applying.

Hey Futureflier,

No problems about the post, as soon as I know more ill post more as will other crew from Virgin i assume.

I'm actually Melbourne based and I really can't afford to make the move to Sydney in August. Being a start up there could be alot of sitting around before flying starts, and while you sit around all you get is your base salary, hence I can't live off that in Sydney with the costs of relocating.

With regards to V Australia doing day trips, hard to say at this stage, but I agree they could do a perth return (similar to what QF Long Haul do), or a shuttle in the USA, or even a Denpensar return similar to what JQ International do. To be honest who knows, anything is a possibility, really depends on the work rules.

However, to those who can do it, it will be an exciting start up...

I received an invitation today for a recruitment day on the 5th March for Virgin Blue....Anyone else?

Hi, I got a invite to the recruitment day in Sydney for the 4th of March! YES! Im excited... as I have been waiting ages. I hear so many good things about Virgin Blue, and with future opportunities with V Australia, it all seem great. Sooooooo, can any please tell me what to expect on the recruitment day. What should I study up on? What can I do to make an impression? Any tips advice help, anything would be greatly appriciated...

Hey guys I have been invited to Recruitment day in Melbourne next Tuesday 26th FEB. Haven't heard a thing from anyone else on this forum that are attending? I am assuming the MEL day is for normal expansion of the base for crew. If anyone knows how many they need for MEL would be great, as I am really looking forward to the opportunity to join DJ! Regards

Gloria,

In response to your question about how many new crew Virgin Blue need in Melbourne the answer is LOTS. Schools are currently booked for the rest of the year and in some cases overlapping.

I would say if you are successful you could be placed on a hold list and wait a couple of months for a start date. Virgin now like to have a hold list which they can call upon to start ground school.

Goodluck, see you up there..

What do we all think about the new 'Acknowledgement of Country' PAs?

Hi all,

for info there is in todays NT news, an ad looking for recruiting Flight Managers/Cabin Leaders/Cabin Crew for V Australia -info and applications on the vaus website, closes 9 March 2008.

'AtoC' being implemented is positive. It has been a part of process in Australia for a long time, thou not really followed unless it had an indigenous connection.

As for DJ implementing it post the 'apology' by the PM, it can be seen like a political stunt or suck up.

The intention is honourable and I will be offering it on the flights I work on.

kb

AtoC
 

Well, I for one think that this shouldn't be the responsibility of the crew to make these pa's. This is such a sensitive issue and although the company has said its not a political statement, it has come off the back of the sorry speech from the current government.

It is a nice gesture for the company to thank the traditional custodians of the land, however, should we be thanking the dinosaurs who were around long before the indigenous people. Surely they were the traditional custodians of the land before the indigenous people.

Our job is to be safety officers onboard...our pa's should be purely safety related.....aren't there supposed to be less pa's because it interrupts the viewing time of our guests who are watching live 2 air????

I guess there will be a lot of CS's who will not say the pa's....i for one am thinking about not doing them...i have already had some bad experiences.

I agree that the timing of the company initiating these PA's is a bit off, and I do have my personal opinion about them too, I see them in 2 different ways, both good and bad.

As for CS's refusing to read them out onboard, the company has advised that this is a new standard PA and is to be included on ALL flights. It is NOT at the discretion of the CS as to whether they feel like doing it or not. The company wants it done, so do it. If it's not working or you're recieving negative reactions to it, lodge the feedback the way you have been told to do so, so the company is aware and can review the PA's if required - much in the same way you would if you weren't happy with other procedures. I am not advocating the decision to introduce these PA's, I do believe however we need to go about it the right way.

How then do you suggest we communicate with pax regarding onboard service info etc? We use PA's to introduce our onboard menu, Live2Air etc, products which contribute to revenue for the company.

...Anyway, I'm more upset about V Australia being based out of SYD! Hopefully there'll be BNE base opportunities further down the track! :ok:

It is acknowledging the traditional people of the land, past and present. Due to the varying tribes in Australia there is a different tribe to thank depending on which city you go into.
Its being done at various levels of government across Australia and as VB's charity this year is indiginous Australia it is thought to go hand in hand with this. BG has asked CS's to make the PA until the VB Charity Ball in March which is fine for him as he doesnt have to make the PA then explain what its all about. As we have just had our PM say "Sorry" to the stolen generation it has come at quite a divisive time in the Australian political scene and smacks of tokenism by the company. People have to remember that nearly half the population didnt want the government to say sorry and the previous liberal government didnt want to either.
As one CS said to me, under the "keeping the workplace fair" rules it is a political statement and therefore you are being harrassed if you dont feel comfortable making such statements.
People can think I am being racist by not making the PA's but there are other ways for the company to do this, (ad's, voyuer mag, v'licious menu, etc) as usual they are just trying to do it the cheapest way and its going to sound insincere from most CS's if they are forced to make it.

Aaaaah - Thanks! Can see that there might be several different schools of thought on this...
:)

You guys are lucky you don't have to wear the "Sorry" tie that Q decorated us with.

"Acknowledgement of country PA". Now I have heard everything, that is just ridiculous.

Hey all, attended the VRD day o 26Feb in MEL. Everyone was really lovely and was a good day. For those with VRD days coming up, honestly be yourself. The recruiters are great and now makes me even more want to work for VB. It certainly is hotting up in the recruitment stakes. So many people are putting their hand up for QF & JQ at the moment. After the VB day on Tuesday I now know where I personally want to be, just have to get there!!!! Has anyone heard yet who attended if they have progressed. It is going to be my worst wait ever.

Hi Gloria, Good luck with it all. I attend VBRD in Sydney, i made it through the whole day and it was about 2 weeks before i heard i had progressed through to the next stage of the recruitment process. I know the waiting part is the worst. Im still waiting to hear as well, my referee has been contacted and i received an email and phone call saying they havent got a date for the training school in Sydney as yet and we are on waiting list. Now just waiting to see if they contact me to attend a medical. I so want this job, keeping my fingers crossed!! Good luck, i hope you hear soon.

Syd base recruitment
 

Looks like they're now recruiting cabin crew for V Australia and DJ in Sydney! I've applied for both, just waiting to hear some good news!!
Good luck to all applying!

Positive feedback on Acknowledgement of Country PA
 

I have been doing the new PAs on every flight and the response has been very positive. For 200 yrs the indigenous people of this country have been ignored. They are usually very peaceful and humble by nature and there is nothing more gratifying than seeing someone of Aboriginal descent get off a flight feeling proud and with a big smile on their face. It's got nothing to do with the "sorry business". If it improves people's self esteem, recognises them as part of our community and makes them feel valued then that's a good thing. Compare that to the atrocities happening all over the world in the name of religion. Share the love.:D

The PA's have been modified slightly and I think BG might get a few more people making them. I will be using the BNE one for the whole network just changing it to the correct city's name. I think that will sound better than trying to pronounce the correct aboriginal name. At least the average person will now know why we are making the PA, that is if they care to listen.

Understanding the T&C's of Cabin Crew work
 

G'day guys,

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask a question about pay, but I'm seriously struggling with reading the cabin crew pay and working agreements.

Currently as ground crew I'm averaging 45k per annum, as a casual employee, and many cabin crew are encouraging me to join them as I'd be payed 'much better than on the ground.' Now, I've always wanted to be cabin crew, and the pay isn't the attraction for me, but reading through the most current agreement I could find (2000-2004) it looks like the cabin crew level 1 base salary is about 40k, and, adding (for example) 8 overnights a month for 12 months at $80 per night, the total is still at roughly 47.5k per year. Am I doing my maths right? I'd been lead to believe that our crew were on approx 60k p.a. including all their extras. Can anyone give an actual rough figure of fortnightly pay after tax? I've had one guy tell me it was as high as $2200 after tax.

Again, I'm not too worried, I just don't want to step down and find I can't afford to live, and I don't want to head into my application without an idea of what I'm getting into.

Thanks in advance,

~QF5

QF5 said:
I think it was designed that way - to be a struggle!

I've just printed the bridging document from the FAAA website - pulled out some pay slips - and I'll try and help out if possible....

Here's how the pay breaks down:


There are of course other amounts that get added to your pay (all crew are reminded not to rely on these amounts - or include them when applying for loans!)Whilst pays of $2000+ are certainly achievable (mine have been for the last 4 or so months) they can't be relied on. As you can deduce - to obtain a payment of over $2000 you would need to do 6 overnights in the fortnight or at least 5 hours available for each overnight short of that figure.

Because our overnight allowance isn't taxed it makes it a little difficult to compare an estimated total gross figure with that of ground crew. At a total base wage of ~$45k the tax bracket is 32% which on 100 overnights for the year is an extra $3000 in our pockets.

Hope this helps - but most importantly, I hope as you say,

Quote:

---

the $$ aren't the attraction

---

_______
edited due to formatting - alrighty - seems the forum won't allow multiple 'spaces' to allow me to line things up in columns - but hopefully it makes sense.

Thanks so much, that really helps me!

Brisbane recruitment times ??
 

Hey sorry to change the subject just hoping all you lovely people could help me out .... does anyone know when brisbane will be recruiting again ... :sad: ....... i heard they are pretty full but am really wanting Brisbane:confused: ... or how long it will take to transfer from sydney base to bris base


Thanks heaps take care all :O)

E-Jet
 

Hey all,

Does anyone know if E-Jet crew out of BNE are back to getting normal amounts of overnights again??

Cheers,

Overnights for BNE crew have returned to near normal conditions before EJET arrived. All flights are mostly from SYD,CBR to other ports only.

Virgin Blue Questions
 

Hi all,Iam currently in U.K flying with Easyjet(since Oct06),thinking of returning back to Melbourne where I live in near future.

Does anyone know if VB do recruitment drives in U.K and do they have an unofficial age policy,if you know what I mean,as Iam 37:\

What kind of trips would I expect if I was working with them,many night stops?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

JJ, I just got one of those a few days ago. I thought it was a thanks but no thanks email till i read furthur. I guess its a good thing, means that they will probally check your ref's then medical if the ref check is all good. The wait is painful though. I know the heart pumping feeling when ever an email comes in with "Virgin Blue" on it. Good luck though, its great that you have gone so far

JJ_Melb,

I have received that email and it is a positive sign as you have meet the Virgin Blue criteria so far and that is great news!! All I can say is they do keep you up to date on the progress of your application so within two weeks you will hear from them, even if it just states 'they are still progressing your application'. It is tough, i understand as im still waiting to hear if i have been successful for Cabin Crew in Sydney. They have contacted my referees so waiting for the go ahead for a medical, if all went well with the reference checks (fingers crossed).

It is hard waiting to hear and you do check you email constantly with the hope of hearing from them but i am keeping my fingers crossed and everything else that it will be worth the wait.

Great news you have made it this far and i hope you hear from them soon. Good luck. :)

Help with Pays
 

dj_candidate said:
Hi dj_candidate,

I have been Cabin Crew with DJ for over 4 years now and I've always struggled to work out if my pay is correct! On occasion I have noticed that draft payments have been missed on my pays but all the other allowance can be quite confusing. Don't even get me started on my Annual Leave balance!

A Cabin Crew friend of mine recently paid to have her payslips reviewed and they found she had been short paid just over $500 in 12 months. I then also had my payslips checked and was short paid by $244. I was missing a couple of overnight payments and some overtime money. These guys could be helpful to people like me who find the EBA slightly confusing! :ugh:The company is called Paycheck Investigators.
Their website is:
www.paycheckinvestigators.com

Hope the tip helps,

The next internal move of CC from MEL to SYD happens in the May roster I am lead to believe. This perhaps would allow them to start putting new crew with SYD based crews. Perhaps a SYD school will be starting in the next month or so to tie in with this???

Hi all, seems I could be in a spot of bother. I attended VRD late Feb, got an email a week ago that said they were still making some difficult decisions!!! That can't be good. They said I would hear within a week, which is tomorrow. Gee what a wait. I really don't know what that means. All I can say is that I have truly prayed, yep said a pray or two to join VB. Good luck to all who are in the mix.

Jokes on PA
 

When are these crew who think that jokes & carry on on the PA are acceptable going to wake up and realise it is just ridiculous?

It has been said time & time again, that jokes during the safety demonstration are not allowed, and yet time and time again I am still hearing the same old jokes ... pax just look at us like we're a bunch of idiots and like safety is a joke to us...

I'm sure if I bought a 'Premium Economy' ticket to give Virgin Blue a try rather than QF, I wouldn't want to be hearing childish "...as we are on descent please hand over any rubbish, husbands, diamonds, credit cards & children..."

You don't have to be stupid on the PA to deliver great service and make the flight memorable for the pax...

Am curious to know if other airlines; Jetstar, Tiger etc, have this sought of carry on on the PA's onboard??

DJCCGUY - If the jokes happen after "There is a serious side to the flight..." then a safety/hazard form should be completed. Otherwise it is still encouraged on the appropriate flight/time of the day. I know we do it day in day out and the jokes wear thin on us but some of our customers choose us because of those cheesy jokes. It is still a requirement to include a little flair/joke in the landing PA but with the serious side of that PA due to acknowledgment of country PA I wonder whether or not if that is appropriate.

As per the inflight audit checklist, "humour on landing" is no longer mandatory.

PS. wirgin_blew... applied for VAus?

JOKES
 

Iam CC with Easyjet,and although we do inject an element of humour into the days proceedings will usually stick to box p/a,s for landing,boarding and always safety demo.

:)