British Airways DEP Selection - THE lowdown Part 1
Join Date: Mar 2005
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visualappr and elixir
When did you apply and when did you get the email invite for a selection day?
Just wondering how long the wait will be.
Also what is your experience.
Thanks
a2d
Just wondering how long the wait will be.
Also what is your experience.
Thanks
a2d

Join Date: Mar 2007
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Hold Pool
Anyone in the hold pool at the moment, or anyone been offered course dates starting soon? Also does anyone know what aircraft types are being offered and is there gonna be any long haul places in the very near future?

Join Date: Nov 1999
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In our latest training mag it was stated that all new starters for the forseeable future would be short haul as it is predicted that all longhaul requirements could be met via internal movement.

Join Date: Jul 2005
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Ooooooooooh, I can feel an 'internal movement' coming on now!
Good luck everyone, a mate of mine recently got 757/767 DEP as a training space became available and he was willing to take the short notice change so there is still a small amount of flexibility there!

Good luck everyone, a mate of mine recently got 757/767 DEP as a training space became available and he was willing to take the short notice change so there is still a small amount of flexibility there!

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The problem with the 757/767 fleet is that it has become a very 'senior' fleet due to internal movement (
) onto the 'mixed' fleet.
If anyone drops out of a conversion course last minute then they might well offer it to a DEP as in the case of my mate. The only fly in the ointment with that is that you will be at the bottom of a long seniority list for a very long time and therefore have little control over your rostering (blindline hell).
As with everything BA seniority is key so don't hold out waiting for that fleet when another is available. You can always transfer later.

If anyone drops out of a conversion course last minute then they might well offer it to a DEP as in the case of my mate. The only fly in the ointment with that is that you will be at the bottom of a long seniority list for a very long time and therefore have little control over your rostering (blindline hell).
As with everything BA seniority is key so don't hold out waiting for that fleet when another is available. You can always transfer later.

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Yes, that is true, but the reason the fleet is so senior is because it has a large amount of very nice destinations and a lifestyle to suit. Senior pilots wish to share in it and have the seniority to do so. A mix of short and "medium" haul is seen by lots of people as being ideal.
Destinations such as Madrid, Rome, Stockholm, Edinburgh, coupled with Chicago, JFK, Nassau, Dar es Salaam, Tel Aviv, Moscow..the list goes on.
I know this doesn't really address the issue that one does not have much control over one's roster, but at least you are pretty certain of going to nice places...
Destinations such as Madrid, Rome, Stockholm, Edinburgh, coupled with Chicago, JFK, Nassau, Dar es Salaam, Tel Aviv, Moscow..the list goes on.
I know this doesn't really address the issue that one does not have much control over one's roster, but at least you are pretty certain of going to nice places...

Join Date: Jul 2005
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SET 18,
The main point of my post was to point out that trying to swim in the BA pool until your 'preferred' fleet comes along is not really recommended.
By far the better option would be to take the 'bus as a fleet and then wait out your training freeze bouncing around Europe, also with alot of good destinations and excellent crews, before transferring across to your preferred fleet a few years (4) later with your seniority and a little life control.
There have been people who have turned down a course to wait for another fleet and end up at the bottom of the pool again
Hope that cleared it up.
Cheers
W2P
The main point of my post was to point out that trying to swim in the BA pool until your 'preferred' fleet comes along is not really recommended.
By far the better option would be to take the 'bus as a fleet and then wait out your training freeze bouncing around Europe, also with alot of good destinations and excellent crews, before transferring across to your preferred fleet a few years (4) later with your seniority and a little life control.
There have been people who have turned down a course to wait for another fleet and end up at the bottom of the pool again

Hope that cleared it up.
Cheers
W2P

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Join Date: Mar 2002
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All,
For those of you trying to download that verbal reasoning test, I wouldn't sweat too much over it. It's not the one used by BA. In fact it's not even by the same company - BA use SHL while the one from that link is a Watson Glaser test. It's still good practice, but there are better places to prepare.
Try:
1. How to pass Civil Service Qualifying Tests book. There's a relevant section in there on critical reasoning.
2. Practical tests for critical verbal reasoning, Peter Rhodes.
3. The Ultimate Psychometric test book, M Byron. Another relevant section.
I would only buy 2. The other two books have the critical reasoning sections which are in the same style as SHL, but the rest is largely irrelevant.
No. 2
For those of you trying to download that verbal reasoning test, I wouldn't sweat too much over it. It's not the one used by BA. In fact it's not even by the same company - BA use SHL while the one from that link is a Watson Glaser test. It's still good practice, but there are better places to prepare.
Try:
1. How to pass Civil Service Qualifying Tests book. There's a relevant section in there on critical reasoning.
2. Practical tests for critical verbal reasoning, Peter Rhodes.
3. The Ultimate Psychometric test book, M Byron. Another relevant section.
I would only buy 2. The other two books have the critical reasoning sections which are in the same style as SHL, but the rest is largely irrelevant.
No. 2

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747
Hello everyone
I have a sim ride in June on the 747 through the SSP scheme.
Does anyone have any usefull hints or tips to fly the 747 sim.
Any helpful advise would be welcome
Thanks in advance
I have a sim ride in June on the 747 through the SSP scheme.
Does anyone have any usefull hints or tips to fly the 747 sim.
Any helpful advise would be welcome
Thanks in advance

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All,
Brilliant feedback so far but as this is the Ts & Cs forum, can anyone field the following please? No material I have found, official or otherwise, is clear on any of the following:
- Is there a charge to attend the SSP selection in the first place?
- Are you likely to be hit with any ATPL technical question in the interview?
- Does the normal payscale apply in the probationary first six months or is it a flat-rate retainer?
- If getting through means being posted LHR/LGW for Xyrs are you due any relocation allowance to up sticks from 00s of miles away and start afresh as you would any other graduate firm?
- Ditto a London allowance? (ditto given as standard by all the usual graduate employers).
...or as I fear do the last two ironically bypass those that have spent half a house just to be eligible to apply to selection?
Thanks very much in advance
C-ski
Brilliant feedback so far but as this is the Ts & Cs forum, can anyone field the following please? No material I have found, official or otherwise, is clear on any of the following:
- Is there a charge to attend the SSP selection in the first place?
- Are you likely to be hit with any ATPL technical question in the interview?
- Does the normal payscale apply in the probationary first six months or is it a flat-rate retainer?
- If getting through means being posted LHR/LGW for Xyrs are you due any relocation allowance to up sticks from 00s of miles away and start afresh as you would any other graduate firm?
- Ditto a London allowance? (ditto given as standard by all the usual graduate employers).
...or as I fear do the last two ironically bypass those that have spent half a house just to be eligible to apply to selection?
Thanks very much in advance
C-ski

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5xNo
1) No. BA don't yet consider recruitment as a revenue stream.
2) No. All current reports indicate that it's all questions found elsewhere on this site.
3) Not 6 months. I believe you are on the SSP pay scale for 5 years.
4) No relocation allowance.
5) No London allowance.
1) No. BA don't yet consider recruitment as a revenue stream.
2) No. All current reports indicate that it's all questions found elsewhere on this site.
3) Not 6 months. I believe you are on the SSP pay scale for 5 years.
4) No relocation allowance.
5) No London allowance.


Join Date: Feb 2001
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Hi everyone,
Just a quick one. Any idea how long it takes from submitting the application to getting any kind of response.
Any ideas would be most appreciated.
Thanks
Speedbird 1
Just a quick one. Any idea how long it takes from submitting the application to getting any kind of response.
Any ideas would be most appreciated.
Thanks
Speedbird 1
