MAM or Jetstar?????
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MAM or Jetstar?????
anyone got any thoughts on this......either from personal experience or that of a friend???
im a MAM casual and am possibly going to the Jetstar recruitment seminar this week- i havent quite decided yet whether to go or not. im in a bit of a quandry as to whether im better off staying with MAM... OR (if i get the opportunity of course) working for Jetstar????
i love flying, and i've got great friends at Qantas, but the irregularity of our ours from month to month is really starting to get to me after 13 months of flying- i really feel for our friends who have been doing it for over 3 yrs! i do love the flexibility and being able to choose my days off, but as my partner & I would like to buy a home in the next 12mths and have a family in the next
2-3 yrs, im starting to feel like the up & down rollercoaster in the hours is just going to make all of that difficult financially.
In many ways we are almost like part-timers as MAM but without the benefits of actually being part-time, so now i have to admit that i might as well be in a full time job with all the benefits?
Any input on the pros & cons of working for either airline would be good food for thought......ive been mulling it all over in my head and im just making myself more confused!! is it 'better the devil you know", ie. better off staying with MAM/Qantas & ride the roller coaster of hrs from mth to mth - & STILL be expected to work christmas day
but basically some mths do pretty well money wise then really bad other mths?
OR
take a chance with an unknown entity and go for Jetstar? i have heard the money with Jetstar isnt great? around $36K which isnt really much for a full time job. i dont know how many hours per mth this is for? BUT perhaps for the sanity of regular hours and pay it isnt so bad!
Any opinions on this?? and i dont mean all the negative political stuff, just looking for some helpful advice from anyone who may have gone from MAM to Jet* or vice versa?
thanks!
andie
im a MAM casual and am possibly going to the Jetstar recruitment seminar this week- i havent quite decided yet whether to go or not. im in a bit of a quandry as to whether im better off staying with MAM... OR (if i get the opportunity of course) working for Jetstar????
i love flying, and i've got great friends at Qantas, but the irregularity of our ours from month to month is really starting to get to me after 13 months of flying- i really feel for our friends who have been doing it for over 3 yrs! i do love the flexibility and being able to choose my days off, but as my partner & I would like to buy a home in the next 12mths and have a family in the next
2-3 yrs, im starting to feel like the up & down rollercoaster in the hours is just going to make all of that difficult financially.
In many ways we are almost like part-timers as MAM but without the benefits of actually being part-time, so now i have to admit that i might as well be in a full time job with all the benefits?
Any input on the pros & cons of working for either airline would be good food for thought......ive been mulling it all over in my head and im just making myself more confused!! is it 'better the devil you know", ie. better off staying with MAM/Qantas & ride the roller coaster of hrs from mth to mth - & STILL be expected to work christmas day
but basically some mths do pretty well money wise then really bad other mths? OR
take a chance with an unknown entity and go for Jetstar? i have heard the money with Jetstar isnt great? around $36K which isnt really much for a full time job. i dont know how many hours per mth this is for? BUT perhaps for the sanity of regular hours and pay it isnt so bad!
Any opinions on this?? and i dont mean all the negative political stuff, just looking for some helpful advice from anyone who may have gone from MAM to Jet* or vice versa?
thanks!
andie
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Re: MAM or Jetstar?????
Hi andie,
I don't know about MAM not ever having worked for them, but hear you on the whole "casual" thing as I have friends who do.
Here's my list of JQ benefits:
Full time permanent
Can put name on list after 6 months for part time (yes it's a long one)
Staff travel benefits
6 weeks paid annual leave
Paid sick leave
Rostered up to 140 hrs mostly 130 hrs for the calendar month
10 days off for the month
Available days that can be nominated live to earn extra income
6 preferential bids to ask for days off, lates, earlies etc
Swap system with other crew if you need to change things
Average day 8-9 hours
Home every night in your own bed with your loved one
Easy service on board
Great people to work with
Huge expansion domestically and internationally
On the downside
The money's not great but it beats David Jones or Big W, and it is regular income and you know the banks love that!
So I may be biased but as you can see there are some great things about us.
Good luck with your decision. My advice is go to the seminar, see what they have to offer and if you get to the end then make a decison. Don't throw away an opportunity until you know what it is.
Cheers
Iguanahead
I don't know about MAM not ever having worked for them, but hear you on the whole "casual" thing as I have friends who do.
Here's my list of JQ benefits:
Full time permanent
Can put name on list after 6 months for part time (yes it's a long one)
Staff travel benefits
6 weeks paid annual leave
Paid sick leave
Rostered up to 140 hrs mostly 130 hrs for the calendar month
10 days off for the month
Available days that can be nominated live to earn extra income
6 preferential bids to ask for days off, lates, earlies etc
Swap system with other crew if you need to change things
Average day 8-9 hours
Home every night in your own bed with your loved one
Easy service on board
Great people to work with
Huge expansion domestically and internationally
On the downside
The money's not great but it beats David Jones or Big W, and it is regular income and you know the banks love that!
So I may be biased but as you can see there are some great things about us.
Good luck with your decision. My advice is go to the seminar, see what they have to offer and if you get to the end then make a decison. Don't throw away an opportunity until you know what it is.
Cheers
Iguanahead
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Re: MAM or Jetstar?????
hey Iguanahead, thanks heaps for that detailed reply!!! i really appreciate it!
i have to say it all sound pretty good. Im also wondering do you guys have seniority? if not how do they allocate the work?? is it random?? and how often to do you get the days off that you bid for?
andie
i have to say it all sound pretty good. Im also wondering do you guys have seniority? if not how do they allocate the work?? is it random?? and how often to do you get the days off that you bid for?
andie
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Re: MAM or Jetstar?????
...Iguanahead, also forgot to ask in my last post, how many working days would you average per week? at 140 hrs, 8-9hr days im guessing maybe 4?
i like the fact theres no overnites! i know its extra $$$ with o/nites but i find it a bit of a pain in the butt being away. id actually prefer only day duties. i'll never be one of those F?A's who want heaps of o/nites for the money. plus when i have kids i'd prefer not to be away all the time too. its all about quality of life for me- a job i can enjoy, with good people, but also allows for quality at home too! sounds like you love it anyway!
what about the pax????? what are they like to deal with considering its a 'leisure' carrier- or whatever they like to call it. do people still have really high expectations and therefore make it frustrating to work with? i know how high Qantas pax expectations are- usually rightly so.
i flew with Jetstar in Sept to Cairns and have to admit the crew (same crew flying up & back 5 days later... is that usual???) were not overly 'happy' looking...no occasional smiling, grumpily asking people to move out of the aisles waiting for the toilet etc, and one so rude to a male pax that i was shocked he didnt tell her off. all except for one Jetstar girl who was exceptionally nice and friendly etc- a real credit. made me wonder if the rest were enjoying the job...... but perhaps it was like anywhere -you get great staff and average staff regardless of who they work for- we just happened to have the exact same crew both times who didnt seem overly enthusiastic about their job. the one friendly girl really stood out, we all (my family & friends in our travel group) noticed her!!
i only bring this up bcos i have had a few Qantas F/A's tell me that they 'know someone' who works for Jetstar and 'apparently they get a lot of crap' from pax....and the implication is that therefore they dont enjoy/like the job that much. I've taken it all with a grain of salt of course, i dont like to go too much on hearsay bcos it leads you down a dangerous track of generalisations- like saying all casuals hate being casuals, or all 'low cost carrier pax are badly behaved and demanding (which we certainly werent on our holiday to Cairns! : )
anyway, thanks again!
andie
i like the fact theres no overnites! i know its extra $$$ with o/nites but i find it a bit of a pain in the butt being away. id actually prefer only day duties. i'll never be one of those F?A's who want heaps of o/nites for the money. plus when i have kids i'd prefer not to be away all the time too. its all about quality of life for me- a job i can enjoy, with good people, but also allows for quality at home too! sounds like you love it anyway!
what about the pax????? what are they like to deal with considering its a 'leisure' carrier- or whatever they like to call it. do people still have really high expectations and therefore make it frustrating to work with? i know how high Qantas pax expectations are- usually rightly so.
i flew with Jetstar in Sept to Cairns and have to admit the crew (same crew flying up & back 5 days later... is that usual???) were not overly 'happy' looking...no occasional smiling, grumpily asking people to move out of the aisles waiting for the toilet etc, and one so rude to a male pax that i was shocked he didnt tell her off. all except for one Jetstar girl who was exceptionally nice and friendly etc- a real credit. made me wonder if the rest were enjoying the job...... but perhaps it was like anywhere -you get great staff and average staff regardless of who they work for- we just happened to have the exact same crew both times who didnt seem overly enthusiastic about their job. the one friendly girl really stood out, we all (my family & friends in our travel group) noticed her!!
i only bring this up bcos i have had a few Qantas F/A's tell me that they 'know someone' who works for Jetstar and 'apparently they get a lot of crap' from pax....and the implication is that therefore they dont enjoy/like the job that much. I've taken it all with a grain of salt of course, i dont like to go too much on hearsay bcos it leads you down a dangerous track of generalisations- like saying all casuals hate being casuals, or all 'low cost carrier pax are badly behaved and demanding (which we certainly werent on our holiday to Cairns! : )
anyway, thanks again!
andie
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Re: MAM or Jetstar?????
Hi andie,
OK here goes ( I hope I don't forget any of the questions ).
There are bidding pools which are rotated so that every month a diffferent pool gets a turn at being the most senior. It depends as to what you're bidding for as to whether you get it. Some like weekends, some parents like earlies, or weekdays off etc., some crew are studying and need Uni days etc. Really everybody wants something different so it's difficult to judge. Of course someone will always be disappointed and don't expect not to work on public holidays 'cause as you know that's not going to happen.
I usually have a 5 day week and then a 4 day week. You can request your days off in a block if you like and have a big break in the middle. I prefer to spread it out so that I don't have to do 6 days in a row.
Take home pay so far this year has avaraged $1400 clear a fortnight. Lowest 1300 and highest 1600. So focus on the take home pay.
The pax I find very easy to please as the expectations are'nt that high. It's all about the cheap fare and on time departure. You're not getting complaints about lost special meal orders, seating allocation ( choose your own) and Frequent Flyers upgrades, they get points only if they have paid full fare. There's no pillows and blankets, newspapers or magazines, buy your own headset and hire your own IFE if you get on a flight long enough. The pax are in control and they choose how much or little they get. Since working here I've honestly found the pax to be great, of course there will always be a few to test your patience but on the whole pretty good.
As for the crew, it's a mixed bag in any job, any airline etc, but I believe it's getting better. I'd like to think you just had a one-off but there are no guarantees. Unless you're on my flight and then of course it's smiles for miles.
Hope that helped.
OK here goes ( I hope I don't forget any of the questions ).
There are bidding pools which are rotated so that every month a diffferent pool gets a turn at being the most senior. It depends as to what you're bidding for as to whether you get it. Some like weekends, some parents like earlies, or weekdays off etc., some crew are studying and need Uni days etc. Really everybody wants something different so it's difficult to judge. Of course someone will always be disappointed and don't expect not to work on public holidays 'cause as you know that's not going to happen.
I usually have a 5 day week and then a 4 day week. You can request your days off in a block if you like and have a big break in the middle. I prefer to spread it out so that I don't have to do 6 days in a row.
Take home pay so far this year has avaraged $1400 clear a fortnight. Lowest 1300 and highest 1600. So focus on the take home pay.
The pax I find very easy to please as the expectations are'nt that high. It's all about the cheap fare and on time departure. You're not getting complaints about lost special meal orders, seating allocation ( choose your own) and Frequent Flyers upgrades, they get points only if they have paid full fare. There's no pillows and blankets, newspapers or magazines, buy your own headset and hire your own IFE if you get on a flight long enough. The pax are in control and they choose how much or little they get. Since working here I've honestly found the pax to be great, of course there will always be a few to test your patience but on the whole pretty good.
As for the crew, it's a mixed bag in any job, any airline etc, but I believe it's getting better. I'd like to think you just had a one-off but there are no guarantees. Unless you're on my flight and then of course it's smiles for miles.
Hope that helped.
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Re: MAM or Jetstar?????
again thanks a million for the advice- it does sound pretty appealing. I just got back the email confirming the recruitment seminar for this week so ive decided to definitely go. theres no guarantee i'll even get thru and if i dont then i still have MAM and will make the most of the good things!
i just realised my first aid cert is out of date by a few mths (which i need to re-do for Qantas anyway!! Yikes!) i remember that some people didnt yet have theirs when we interviewed with MAM but were able to say they had 'enrolled' and that was acceptable....any idea if this is the case for Jetstar????...theres no way i can do it between now & Fri! plus at this time of the year everything slows down / closes down anyway
thanks once again.
andie
i just realised my first aid cert is out of date by a few mths (which i need to re-do for Qantas anyway!! Yikes!) i remember that some people didnt yet have theirs when we interviewed with MAM but were able to say they had 'enrolled' and that was acceptable....any idea if this is the case for Jetstar????...theres no way i can do it between now & Fri! plus at this time of the year everything slows down / closes down anyway
thanks once again.
andie
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Re: MAM or Jetstar?????
My advice, watch what is happening in parliment. When the 1:50 rule is passed a casual position is not going to have you in good standing. Go to the inteview, you can always turn down a start date once you get in.
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Re: MAM or Jetstar?????
Jetstar will be the future of Aussie domestic travel. If it were my choice (and I am personally acquainted with a few of the management team) get on the *asap.
My 2 bob's worth
My 2 bob's worth
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Re: MAM or Jetstar?????
thanks for the interest star84!
in the end after much thinking and talking with my partner i decided not to go to the interview. there were various reasons for this, but the main one being that i want to go back to study either in Feb or mid year and i simply couldnt do that working full time with Jetstar. i love flying but i dont really see myself doing it in the long term (ie more than 5 yrs), and so i need to pursue the study option. Getting that email from Jetstar really threw me into a bit of a tizz!!! i had applied ages ago & forgotten about it, so when the email came i kind of got caught up in the momentum & it seemed like too good a chance not to take. but in the end i had to keep my head screwed on and keep my eyes on the ball so i could remember what it is that i really want. i gave up going back to study a couple of years ago & i regret it now, so this time i feel ive made the right decision.
in all honesty staying with MAM is really the perfect job while i study, and i'd be hard pushed to find another job that i could make fit around studying, that pays as well & is as enjoyable. Sure there are some downsides to being casual from time to time, but hey such is life!! there are also lots of positives too. i like the people i work with and the pay is good so i'll stay with MAM.
so theres my longwinded answer! : )
in the end after much thinking and talking with my partner i decided not to go to the interview. there were various reasons for this, but the main one being that i want to go back to study either in Feb or mid year and i simply couldnt do that working full time with Jetstar. i love flying but i dont really see myself doing it in the long term (ie more than 5 yrs), and so i need to pursue the study option. Getting that email from Jetstar really threw me into a bit of a tizz!!! i had applied ages ago & forgotten about it, so when the email came i kind of got caught up in the momentum & it seemed like too good a chance not to take. but in the end i had to keep my head screwed on and keep my eyes on the ball so i could remember what it is that i really want. i gave up going back to study a couple of years ago & i regret it now, so this time i feel ive made the right decision.
in all honesty staying with MAM is really the perfect job while i study, and i'd be hard pushed to find another job that i could make fit around studying, that pays as well & is as enjoyable. Sure there are some downsides to being casual from time to time, but hey such is life!! there are also lots of positives too. i like the people i work with and the pay is good so i'll stay with MAM.
so theres my longwinded answer! : )
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Re: MAM or Jetstar?????
Hey andie, best of luck with your studies. the decision that you feel comfortable with is ALWAYS the right one...
I am sure that the opportunity will come again if it's meant to be later on.... all the best and keep us posted!!
I am sure that the opportunity will come again if it's meant to be later on.... all the best and keep us posted!!
