No longer interested in the RAT?
 

Today i was doing some thinking and it came to me that i do not think i am any longer interested in working for the mainline Qantas.

- Management obviously anti-workforce.
- Fact that professionally de-skilled as a SO for the foreseeable future (i particularly enjoy flying every other leg).
- Humiliating and degrading recruitment process.
- Distinct possibility of being phased out in reference to Jet*.

I'm sure there are many more and i think it's sad as growing up i always wanted to work there and it just seems these days the company is a ghost of what it appeared to be years hence.

Anyone else feel this way?

With Cathay and EK looking to hire to Aus basings, Virgin expanding and the rapid growth in Asian Aviation, Qantas is no longer holding the recruitment monopoly of Australian pilots.

The uncertainty of Qantas new-hire conditions and future progression make a Qantas career less attractive. I know of many pilots who have recently accepted positions at Cathay, Dragon and EK - all of whom did not / and never intended to apply to Qantas.

I just wish QF Management would take the hint and acknowledge that without quality Tech Crew, they don't have an airline. Pay peanuts, get monkeys.

The Red Rat
 

I turned my back on the red rat 7 years ago and I have never looked back - currently a B744 FO. If I persisted with the rat I'd be a glorified radio operator now.

Cheers :ok:

Good for you.....I am glad you shared your career aspirations with us.

Please tell me how the QF process is "Humiliating and degrading"???

Skills and Psych.......nothing too humiliating and degrading there

Sim ride......how disgraceful that an airline asks you to prove yourself in a sim

Interview.....again....QF are simply terrible expecting you to have to handle yourself under pressure in an interview.

Tempo

I think Dux is referring to the "perceived culture" at QF and there are many who would agree with him.:E
We are constantly hearing accounts of an aloof and arrogant management at QF who are hell bent on devaluing the skills of their staff:=

Duxnutz

I agree totally, myself and a few mates who were/are on hold with QF have taken jobs elsewhere.

Being an SO for 5+ years and then an FO for another 5+ years no longer appeals to a lot of wannabe's

Too many good jobs out there with relatively quick progression compared to the Rat to choose from. And i hear there are a lot of Wa$%er Captains on the 400..

Pretty glad I won't get to fly with you then "Kavorka":}
Good luck in your quick progression overseas.:)

To think some of these wannabes call QF pilots "skygods"!:ooh:

Kavorka, what airlines don't have Wa$%er Captains? Name one please. It seems from my experience "Wa$%er Captains" are very much in a small minority these days at Qantas. I think you would find the majority are really good blokes.

Still a good job if you are young enough to wait ten years for an upgrade. Pays well, staff travel good bases etc. Believe me difficult Captains aren't confined to QF, every airline has them.

If you are young, want to stay in Australia and are happy to accept slower career progression go for it.

If you can't afford to/don't want to wait too long for an upgrade and are happy to go overseas you can do better in the long run.

Each to his own.

Rise Above it Guys!
Most companies will ask for an interview and Sim ride. Thats industry standard. The skills & psych test is crap , we all know that!

Let the QF converts fork out their $ 200 for their stage one interviews. The rest , heads down and good luck with your applications elsewhere.

RC

When I did my Qantas interview I was sitting next to a good friend (an AN F/O. Great guy whom I'd flown with often. A TOP (9000hr+) operator.). Due to family circumstances he needed the job a lot more than I did.

Result? After 3 hour sitting in front of the bloody computer, I passed and he failed. This excellent and highly qualified PILOT was not good enough for the rat because he couldn't mentally fold cubes to the required standard.

He next job? Flying a 737 with a big white rat on the tail around NZ (he had a command within a year). It was OK for him to fly QF passengers around, just as long as he didn't get paid too much.

The Skills and Psych are FAR too humiliating and degrading. The have left QF without the services of many very good pilots. They are a joke and a disgrace.

Thanx a bunch! Enjoying the personal attacks, would never have thought it a possibility on pprune?! The username is more of a glass half full expression than of over confidence so yeah stick that where the sun don't shine.

What a fatuous and petty thing to say.

So anyone who seeks a better deal in another airline than yours isn't worthy of sharing your cockpit?

Perfect example of the attitudes you insist don't exist in Qaintass

Let me start by saying I have no interest in working for QF, this is an observation and opinion...

The recruitment process does not put a good taste in people's mouths about the company from the start. There is a need for a company to make recruits feel like they would be valued employees. They should be trying to sell themselves as much to you as you are trying to sell yourself to them- it is a 2 way street.

Having to pay for Psych and skills tests, medicals, security checks etc is a joke and it is getting worse! I know of someone who is on hold, had jumped through all the hoops...and because QF haven't put anyone on for so long, the "successful" candidate now has to re-do P&S and the medical because it has been 2 years since P & S was last conducted. Besides the fact they they could potentially miss out, they have to go through the stress of it all again; the rudest part is THEY HAVE TO PAY FOR IT ALL AGAIN (tests, flights, accommodation, time off work, medicals etc etc)!!! :ugh::yuk:

I doubt QF will ever realise there is a problem until they start needing large numbers of pilots...and they aren't there anymore.
Have fun guys...

Wankengine,

You have just reinforced my decision not to go to QF, it seems as soon has someone has a differing opinion on the "The worlds greatest airline" they are stood on by people like you...:mad::mad:

I don't know if it's jealousy or what but it really gets quite boring..

And by the way, noticed today that JQ will soon be heading to Europe and West Coast U.S, it seems to me that for such a "****" operation and no money making ability QF are putting a lot of eggs in their basket!!!!!

One should not confuse the "Silly" QF recruiting process with actually being employed by QF. Very different!!!!!!

Everyone knows someone who hates QF and would rather have Quick progression elsewhere- great enjoy it.- Benefits from this!

Everyone also knows someone who does not mind being an S/O then F/O for a long period of time. Benefits from that too

Just because you don't like the recruiting process of a company does not mean you can bag the job:(

Kavorka, what makes you think you'll end up with an airline? :zzz:

I'm with one already.......

Did qf interviews 2 1/2 years ago, got a letter saying I was on active condiseration,

About 1 year later after updating my file I was told I had to sit another interview, sim and medical.......:ugh:I did only to recieve the same letter again...Now recently get a phone call seeing if i'm still interested....NOT BLOODY LIKELY.....

It cost a lot of cash with no transpency, i've heard of peole being on hold for years..so i decided to go to another airline, which at the moment is looking a whole lot better than qf for flight crew....

QF could do things a whole lot better for hopeful candidates.

I know of quite a few recently that have knocked back the "offer" to go back and do yet another set of tests that they had already passed.

Personally i haven't applied. Folding boxes and 3 hrs in front of a computer just doesn't inspire me.

Wizofoz,
You got me wrong, I don't think that seeking a better/different job elsewhere is wrong or unworthy, the way things are going at the Rat there will be many to go [Aussie/US$ rate stopping a few!]. Have you read some of Kork's other posts?
If he does not want to work with QF [as his more recent post gives some reasons, fine!] That I would not want to share a flightdeck with somebody who obviously does not want to share one with me shouldnt be hard to understand!:=
Kavorka,
You are right, the QF recruiting system could be much better.
Good luck with your new airline job, just think about that "jealousy" quip though in 15, 20 years time! :hmm:
There is snobbery and inverse snobbery, which is worse?:ugh: