I think it boils down to this:

easyJet seems a very secure, relatively well run airline.

If you are currently concerned about your future and want to have security and a good rating, then the gamble may be on.

If you're not bothered about either of those, or are less concerned than that, I doubt you'd bother.

But....you only have a decision to make once you get offered a job and start date. It seems these jobs are for 12 months time, so what is not to like? Apply and see how you get on. Don't over analyse the situation is my advice.

Exactly my thoughts NR. I'm in a secure job with a financially stable employer. However, I would like to move on. Time to command has recently taken a big hit, we're not the best paid around and I believe easy to be a good long term prospect. I've put in an application as a punt.

However if I don't like what I'm offered, then I'm in a position to stay where I am.

So what does this mean for PARC?

Gorter if you are looking for a quick command don't come to easyJet. Currently time to command is already over 6 years (for cadets that started 6 years ago) and that is only going to increase. I suspect the present command list is enough for the next 3 years.
Obviously with experience you will need to do at least 2 good recurrent sims (1 year) with easyJet before you are allowed to start the command process. And that list is even longer then the command list. During that year obviously more people will join the list ahead of you. Which will go a lot faster as well since people can now apply to start command process at 2000hrs factored instead of 2500 (plus 2 good sims).
The command system has changed so that unsuccesful candidates are no longer kicked back to the back of the queue, but get frozen in their position. So there is less fallout that could expidite your move up the list.

All in all, I wouldn't expect an experienced DESFO to get a shot at command before 4-5 years from joining.

Looked at from an industry-wide historical perspective that's still very good. Besides, there are a lot of FO/SFO who will in no way be ready for command after 3000hrs or so. Come on in, the water's (still) warm.

Old Easy holding pool
 

Ciao to everybody,

may be some insider has idea about the following.....(i have one:(,but never say never).....i have been in the holding pool from july 2008...now obviously not valid anymore...any remote chance to revive that position somehow??
thanks a lot.

Hi Hamilton,

I know one other guy as well from the old holding pool.
Awaiting an offer of employment. Than the recession was there followed
by the flexi cadets joining EasyJet.

Do you have some old previous EasyJet E-mails from back than?
Otherwise, E-mail again to your HR EasyJet contact?Perhaps you can find
more fellow pilots from the old holding pool. And speak up as a group.
EasyJet and you invested some time and money for your assessment.

Good luck

I doubt they will be interested in you guys. Your selection was cancelled, this means that your file was destroyed and you will need to re-apply.
5 years is a such a long time. The company knows how you were 5 years ago, they will need to see how you are now.

Ok, this is throwing up a good few questions in my mind. I don't think anyone would be able to advise me though as I don't think anyone knows what the answers are yet!

The main one I have though is that the advert states "fixed term contracts". So is this just going to be a 6 month seasonal thing with a chance of being kept on at the end? Obviously, no matter how shaky the ground is in the current place, I do not want to get involved in anything that would move me to a more risky position 6 months down the line. If this is the case, is it akin to the deal that you're kept on, if your performance is satisfactory?

I'll double read through this thread in a bit to see if the answer is out there already, but my main reservation as an experienced pilot is that I could be potentially shooting myself in the financial foot with no guarantees on longevity of the job.

Above quoted directly from easyJet website.

Hopefully there will be some clarification forthcoming from easyJet on this statement as to what will actually be on offer. I want to believe that this will be an excellent opportunity, however, I don't think that I personally would be giving up a full-time permanent job (especially if self-sponsoring a TR) for only a fixed term contract. Unless of course, as someone stated above, my company was on the "precipice of administration".

It strikes me that companies want pilots to make safe, sensible decisions based on assessing risk (or Threats these days) and act accordingly. Yet in your first move with eJ you could be expected to wager the expense of a TR and giving up your existing job on the prospect of a fixed term contract. Undeniably it is good that this is not a flexicrew contract and undeniably eJ are a very strong and secure company. However it still appears to me (based on what I have read on the website) as excessive financial risk-taking for anyone in full-time employment already. I do wonder just how many pilots will be willing to accept this deal in its current apparent form.

Vrb03 - great minds think alike!

I am a big easyJet fan and have worked there many years. The New Entrant Contract, however, is a shambles and has caused nothing but trouble. Indeed, it may yet lead to a strike at easyJet. My hope is that the Company are going to look long and hard at the implications of this imposed contract and return to the table with a credible plan to get out of the mess.

Nonetheless, there are a few points worth making here for those thinking of coming to easyJet as there is some ill-informed disinformation on this thread that needs to be corrected. Both our CEO and Head of Flight Operations, who is the driving force behind our latest recruitment campaign, are absolutely adamant that these are permanent contracts that WILL, not may, result in full-time employment by easyJet as regular employees after 2 years probation (ie on flexicrew). Therefore, subject to satisfactory performance as is the case with every airline on the planet, you will be given a permanent contract. Clearly this begs the question as to why we are having the first two years administered by a company like Parc Aviation, who in my view have no place at easyJet. I cannot give a satisfactory answer to that, but I can say 'watch this space'. There is a lot likely to change in the coming days, and it can only be for the better. Once BALPA and our management actually get round a table again I am hopeful of a proper thrashing out of some of the problems. The key change likely to happen is that all the selection will be done at the beginning rather than after 2 years and it will just be the Base Captain that signs off your permanent contract. That means if you have turned up to work when you should, not drawn unhealthy attention to yourself on your sim checks and not been a berk you will be permanently employed as a matter of course. This therefore is not a risk and you should not fear not being employed as a permanent employee of easyJet at the end of two years - you will be. I hope that helps.

ADM
 

Like Alexander de Meerkat, I work for a large company. Not an airline, but in the FTSE100. I am in the aviation division.

I would still urge people to apply to easyJet if you even have a glimmer of interest, because you don't have a decision to make until you are offered a position. These jobs are for a year away remember.

The only problem I have is that a 2 year probation period is an unacceptably long period.

It would be good if that could be reduced to a rather more normal 6, or at a push, 12 month period IMHO.

monkey.tennis
 

Absolutely hit the nail on the head. To get quality experienced guys that are in "relatively" stable employment they are going to have to offer something that makes sense. A two year flexi deal certainly does not.

ADM, where are you getting the 2 year flexi bit from?

It wasn't in any of the internal comms I have seen and this is recruitment for a contract with easyJet - whether it is fixed term or not, it appears to be an easyJet contract.

I think you are confusing the issues here.

In the cabin crew world within easyJet a fixed term contract was one for X months but it WAS an easyJet contract and not an agency.
If this was flexi crew recruitment, I believe they would be following their usual and on goings paths with Parc / CTC adverts.

ECAM Surprise - I hope you are right that we are only going to offering 'permanent' jobs. You have to think, however, what our current flexicrew are going to think if a whole lot of new pilots come straight in on permanent conditions (which I hope they do), but they still have to remain flexicrew. At this juncture I am not convinced that the pilots we will be taking are going to be employed directly by easyJet for the first two years, although I stand to be corrected. A significant proportion of our current flexicrew guys are pilots with many thousands of hours on the Airbus, so they are not just 155 hour cadets. I may stand to be corrected but as I understand it these will be on flexicrew (or whatever name they give it) terms. Regarding the probationary period, I tend to agree that 2 years is too long, but that is effectively what it is. I would have to say that the airline industry is not the same as other FTSE 100 companies and that effectively every 6 months you have a 'title defence' in the simulator anyway.

Finally, people here are saying they would not apply here without the necessary assurances. That is of course one point of view, but I can tell you that easyJet are literally being swamped by applications already from pilots willing to do anything to come and work for us. Therefore easyJet have no concerns about not picking up the right people - they are anticipating literally thousands of applications from fully qualified (i.e. Frozen ATPL, Current IR, 1500 hrs+, 500 multi-crew etc) pilots who want to come here. So if you do not like what you see, that is absolutely fine, but there are many who disagree with you.

Anyone thought about eJ just trying first to get a feel for what's out there? Remember, still a long way to go. It's only hold pool for now.

If it's the heavy TP and, perhaps, RYR drivers they're after, but only very few applying, they'll have no choice but to up the package, i.e. paying for rating, perm contract from square one.

upgrade req
 

Hi all,

What is upgrade req within Easy? If non-rated captain apply for RHS.
How soon do you think should an upgrade come?

Applying for experience pilots is free, so until all terms and conditions you mentioned here are told to applicants by HHRR of Easyjet, there will be a lot of experience pilots interested.

But if after all is confirmed flexi roster, self sponsored TR, long way to get the left seat, etc... Most of them will say no, thanks. In my opinion that's obvious.

Regards!

ADM, time will tell I suppose.

When the NEC was first announced the company put quite obvious hints out to all the flexis who didn't want to sign the contract that they would look at recruiting for summer 14 directly onto the NEC and by passing flexi crew.
That's why I believe this new wave is something other than the usual 2 year pay per hour deal.

I do hope i'm right and you are wrong, for the industry on the whole, but we will soon see.

Have a good'un!