Mega Merged: REX Recruitment/Cadetship and Working for REX

[AlasAnAvidAviator]

Signed up to join in on this thread, I have been given a chance to head in and complete the wombat test for REX, i feel pretty confident in my ability to nail whatever it entails as i have a disgusting amount of experience in way too many video games. I however have recently carefully read the REX FAQ and multiple things concern me;

• At any time the company can terminate you at their discretion and you have to pay back the entire loan.
• The total cost of the cadet program is $105,000 that is absurd..
• The F/O position you will be stuck in for a total of 7 years not including the time spent away from family friends and partners in WAGGA pays a sub standard wage..
• Id like to possibly eat food and maybe be able to afford to pay my electricity bill whilst working for REX.
• They have an enterprise agreement for 2014/2015 yet the FAQ states you will be paid under the 2011 agreement, not sure what that is all about.
• It makes no sense for them to be asking for school results regardless of the age / life experience of their applicants.
• If i was reading correctly you wont be gaining command hours during your career.

All of these things are big indications that maybe this cadet ship would not as much propel me forward in the career i want but hold me back over the long term, Is it worth giving up a job earning $80,000 - $100,000 a year, a partner, a home and lifestyle to hope that after taking out this massive loan and hoping that they find me suitable for maybe eventually flying out of the airport of my choice for the company of my choice when it specifically states that the final decisions will be made by the company with no real regard to the fact that you told them you have a preference? I don't really know if its worth even going in and doing the wombat test at this point..

Id love to hear back from some current Cadets some Current F/O's or long term REX employee's as to the current state of affairs within the company so maybe i can side step this potential ****fest.

[das Uber Soldat]

Son, if the prospect of having to move seems unacceptable to you ('but I told them I had a preference!'), this isn't the career for you.

[AlasAnAvidAviator]

Its not so much the prospect of having to move, its the prospect of moving away from everything i currently have to be thrown into debt. I am just trying to weigh up risk versus return here.

[das Uber Soldat]

Well lets have a look at a few of your points shall we.

- At any time the company can terminate you at their discretion and you have to pay back the entire loan.
Yeh yeh nah. You can't get fired 5 years into the program 'at rex's discretion'. Thats not how employment law works.

- The total cost of the cadet program is $105,000 that is absurd..
If you see out the 7 years, its 75 grand from ab initio all the way to SA340 endorsement. You want to have a guess how far 75k gets you in GA training? I'll give you a hint, you're not PIC of a turbine 30 seater.
You're in the holding pattern over Bindook (yes yes) in a 4 seat duchess logging dual.

- The F/O position you will be stuck in for a total of 7 years not including the time spent away from family friends and partners in WAGGA pays a sub standard wage..
You're stuck as an FO for 7 years? News to me. And to the many cadet captains at Rex I know.

- Id like to possibly eat food and maybe be able to afford to pay my electricity bill whilst working for REX.
So would many people working for rex I'd wager

- They have an enterprise agreement for 2014/2015 yet the FAQ states you will be paid under the 2011 agreement, not sure what that is all about.
I also agree that you're not sure what its about

- It makes no sense for them to be asking for school results regardless of the age / life experience of their applicants.
Be sure to tell that to Qantas too. They're trying to gain an appreciation (given most applications limited life experience) of what your rate of learning and capability is. Further, I'd wager its probably not particularly fair to give a cutoff age for asking for school results, as this inevitably leads to people of age X being rejected for sub par grades, but someone of age X + 1 being allowed in with the same grades.

- If i was reading correctly you wont be gaining command hours during your career.
If indeed.

I'm no fan of Rex, and will thoroughly enjoy the absolutely clusterstorm of pain they're experiencing and will continue to experience into the future. I don't particularly like cadets much either. But you need to expend more effort into understanding the position you're interested in.

[AlasAnAvidAviator]

Thanks for the response Uber, I am currently reading into the position and that's why i am posting here i guess maybe my posts are premature.

[Frostmourn]

Anyone being accepted for 2018 March intake

Hi just want to check if anyone has been offered a place in the next intake, suppose to begin next month?

[Frostmourn]

Originally Posted by Patrick11

I am now at the final interview in Sydney with the COO. If anyone has any tips for me, I'd greatly appreciate it.
If anyone has any questions about the previous stages feel free to ask.

hi Patrick11, how did u go with your interview? Have you been accepted yet? do you know how many are they looking to recruit.

[aviation_enthus]

Originally Posted by AlasAnAvidAviator

Thanks for the response Uber, I am currently reading into the position and that's why i am posting here i guess maybe my posts are premature.

Hi AlasAnAvidAviator,

Thought I’d wade in and give you some perspective!

I was never a Rex Cadet however I did work for Rex as a DEC on the Saab. Flew with many cadet f/o’s and met plenty of guys under training at Wagga during sim checks etc. I’ll admit I’m wasn’t a fan of Rex, never intended to work there but sometimes life gives you choices you may not like. In saying that I enjoyed my time there, worked with some great guys, generally found the training reasonable and the maintenance guys were great. Management of the company however leaves many things to be desired.... But like in any company, you can learn to ignore some of the ‘noise’, get on with your job and have some fun along the way.

First up the cost:
You don’t pay the full amount upfront. Last information I had was $25,000 upfront and the rest over the 7 year commitment. Total over 7 years comes to $75,000. Rex will give you accommodation and feed you in Wagga while you train. Once you finish I heard most people waited max 6 months for a start date (given the current movement I’d imagine it would be far less). As soon as you turn up for your Saab groundschool they start paying you.

Compare that to:
Jetstar cadet $100,000+ upfront
Virgin cadet $??? (I think $100k +?)
Sharp airlines cadet $105,000 last I heard
Qantas (rumours of $150,000, probably upfront!!)

As stated by previous posters, $75,000 will just barely get you to IFR multi stage with no work. Personally it cost me around $60-70,000 back in 2003/4.

The 7 year bond:
Yes 7 years sounds like a long time to be stuck to Rex. However most people would agree it’s not an unreasonable timeframe to go from 0 hrs to LHS multi crew on a Turboprop. Again my experience was 6 years to make it to f/o through G/A and another 6 months to upgrade (good timing). Plenty of my friends took a similar time to get that far.

No guarantee of command:
Ok first off why does any airline hire f/o’s? Because one day they want to upgrade them to Captains! (Despite what Rex management might tell you) Not because of some generosity towards you but because these aircraft require two pilots. Hiring DEC’s is not a long term solution for any company hence they hire you as an f/o, give you time on type and training and upgrade you. Given all that not everyone makes the cut. There are a reasonable number of current cadet f/o’s at Rex that may never be upgraded. Why? Because they don’t met the standard. Yes Rex don’t ‘owe’ you a command, but if you put in the effort, learn from others around you and listen (!), when the time comes you’ll get your shot. Just like any other job really...

So in summary, if you are looking for a change of career, it’s probably one of the best ways to get into aviation. $25,000 upfront, pay from day one of actual employment and a good chance of getting to the LHS. No company is going to pay you during CPL days, Jetstar won’t even pay you for the 7-8 weeks you do an A320 endorsement in the UK!

Aviation requires commitment and a professional attitude (plus an understanding wife!!). If you think you’ve got that, then I would recommend you apply and give it a go.

[AirBumps]

Application process

Hey guys,

For Those that have submitted applications...how long was it after submission that you had contact from REX? I submitted a month ago and whilst I wasn’t expecting much thus far, I was expecting some sort of automated acknowledgement that my application had been received.

What sort of timings exist between each step?

Cheers

[Soarrr]

Originally Posted by AirBumps

Hey guys,

For Those that have submitted applications...how long was it after submission that you had contact from REX? I submitted a month ago and whilst I wasn’t expecting much thus far, I was expecting some sort of automated acknowledgement that my application had been received.

What sort of timings exist between each step?

Cheers

I received a response after two weeks or so after submitting my application. It was basically an invitation to sit the WOMBAT test.

Then, 3 days after sitting the test I was invited to do a phone interview. After the phone interview, they called me an hour later stating that I passed the phone interview stage and now moving on to the Wagga interview.

That's all I can share with you for now as I am yet to undergo the WGA interview early next month.

[Frostmourn]

Originally Posted by Soarrr

I received a response after two weeks or so after submitting my application. It was basically an invitation to sit the WOMBAT test.

Then, 3 days after sitting the test I was invited to do a phone interview. After the phone interview, they called me an hour later stating that I passed the phone interview stage and now moving on to the Wagga interview.

That's all I can share with you for now as I am yet to undergo the WGA interview early next month.

Early next month?? you mean April?

[Soarrr]

Originally Posted by Frostmourn

Early next month?? you mean April?

Yeap, April.

[Ultralights]

just dont tell them in any interview that you have an aerobatic endorsement, you will get labelled a "Cowboy" and wont hear anything again from them.

[Frostmourn]

Originally Posted by Soarrr

I received a response after two weeks or so after submitting my application. It was basically an invitation to sit the WOMBAT test.

Then, 3 days after sitting the test I was invited to do a phone interview. After the phone interview, they called me an hour later stating that I passed the phone interview stage and now moving on to the Wagga interview.

That's all I can share with you for now as I am yet to undergo the WGA interview early next month.

Hi Soarrr, what is the phone interview about?

[Soarrr]

Has anyone been accepted to Rex23 yet? The website says next intake is in August for Rex24.

[beached az]

I take it REX employ direct entry FOs these days? if so can anyone advise the wages for an FO and basing options.

Cheers
BAz

[Trojan69]

Hi guys,

I applied for the Rex Cadetship and have been invited to do the WOMBAT test in either Sydney or Melbourne. I was just wondering if I could speak to anyone regarding the AAPA agreement as I have a few questions, mainly centred around the financials of the program.

Cheers,

Lachlan

[Bola1]

The school im learning at is about an hours drive, but they have almost 30 -40 students from overseas. they provide a package for all students, which includes accomodation, transport, and bills

I think it was something like $150 a week. they live in a brand new flat, fully furnished, with beds , furniture tv's etc watever u can think off,, fridge microwave, electricity water and gas in included in the price per week, they also are provided with a vehicle, to drive to school and i supose use the cars for everyother day use, so for the entire year wich the diploma course goes, for for a year acomodation would cost around 7000$ dollars ontop of the 48,000

[RJKELLY]

Hi Everyone,

I have my panel interview scheduled in a couple of weeks and am wondering if anyone has any advice from previous experience so I can better prepare myself.

Thanks in advance and any help will be much appreciated.

[beached az]

Originally Posted by ClarkeKent

Yeah, they’re employing direct entry fos. Alot of them.

Cheers Clarke, I take it the 2014 EBA is the current one?
BAz