I'm very sceptical about the value of verbal and numerical testing when it comes to airline recruitment. I've completed and passed half a dozen or so of these bloody things since entering the industry. In the early days I guess it's a measuring stick when there's nothing else to go by. However, passing the Basic flight training without the ability to read, comprehend and deal with numbers would be very difficult.

The benefit of these tests dwindles with experience and for guys with a type rating and hours on type they become nothing more than another way for HR to justify their corner of the wage budget. My 2p worth anyway.

Back on topic, when I joined J2 a number of guys and girls were asked to repeat one or more of the test elements if they were Type Rated and a quick bum on a seat. My point is that these tests may not necessarily be a barrier to joining the company and this is particularly true at a time when J2 are DESPERATE for experienced, rated pilots.

Recruitment processes always turn into a farce the minute HR are involved.

Do a sim test, chat for 30 mins ( the widely known share El sheikh test).

Just look at big airways ? They took on two of the biggest tossers I ever met, but turned over many good people I know.

It seems like they've kept those standards for the latest round of recruitment too.

Doesn't it Sean?

Management at Base level are getting it and are concerned! Chatting to the lads leaving, LBA is in its own little world!

Re: Jet2 Recruitment
 

Hi, can anyone enlighten me about the current recruitment drive at Jet2? I am currently at Turkish Airlines, but The DGCA is at loggerheads with the CAA. They won't validate UK licences currently, so have to look for a new position!
Any info would be great, from salary to conditions and recruitment process?
Lincoln

You can browse the pilot vacancies at http://jet2careers.com/career-search?searchkeyword=Pilot

NTR recruitment
 

Does anyone know how many NTR FO's will be recruited this year ? Having read most of this thread (if believed) it seems to be a changing landscape at Jet2 so a rough idea of numbers would be great.

I was told that over 150 pilots will be recruited over the next year, with the pool of type rated pilots currently running somewhat dry. No mention of FO/captain split.

Lucky old training department.

Have any non rated people been called for the next stage yet?

Don't be daft, of course not. Hardly food for thought.

Assessments
 

I also did the tests about a month ago now. I'm guessing that I passed them as I've had no feedback to the contrary ? Profile just says application recieved.

Chating to an old friend still in the Jet2 family, he advises 165 pilots required to bring them up to full strength for next year with no expansion and that flights have been cancelled recently due to a lack of crew.

I don't know if he is correct, but it appears to closely match what other ex colleagues have suggested, if correct then the trainers are going to be stretched and so will the sim centre, this doesn't allow for any further attrition from "the airline of choice".

165?, thats a shed load of inexperienced guys. Even if half have 500 hours and a P2F 737, hardly helps on a dark windy november night for a newly promoted Capt.

Btw how many hours do FOs need for command upgrade?
Do current FOs get by passed by direct enteries with more hours?

Are DECs hated by the current crop of remaining FOs who couldnt get into BA ?

They could always do the unthinkable and employ guys with some other aviation e experience to fall back on ! Sick of beating this worn out old drum :yuk:

Before I am lambasted for my last post, I realise J2 are about the least guilty airline of destroying the industry with P2F !

4Screwaircrew same what we were told within the base.

I would only recommend Jet2 if you are non rated and are planning to use it as a stepping stone to get yourself moving up the career ladder again. If you are rated I wouldn't recommended it.

You are always going to find negative people and overly positive people on pprune. The latter group are generally people we live local to the base, the ones who had a fast track career and those who have passed the point were it would be sensible to move on. The first group on the other hand are generally the people who have worked for other airlines and are unable to cope with the (unstable) summer roosters or the company culture.

Whichever of those two groups you find more convincing within this topic or the Jet2 topic within "Airlines, Airports & Routes", with over 15% of the pilots leaving (and many more to come) there must be something going on.

PressTheTit if they could they would. However a pilot who hasn't flown a heavy turboprop or medium/heavy jet would need 40 line training sectors, if they have it's 20 line training sectors and rated would be 10 line training sectors.

With the amount of pilots who have left the training department doesn't even have enough capacity to train the heavy turboprop or medium/heavy jet guys who joined. They tried to find rated pilots but realised they couldn't find any who were willing to apply and pass the selection.

Shame for me.:ugh:

or (standard answer) you have seen how much worse it can be elsewhere, want to get back to the UK, want to live in the north, want to be home every night, want to have really easy winters etc etc
Not so sure about the BA thing but in my time as DEC NTR I have only flown with one person who made it abundantly clear they had a problem with DEC NTR. Pretty much every other FO/SFO I have flown with have been talented people, some very experienced and more often than not a real pleasure to fly with especially when you are new on type. The big suprise to me was how many of these much more experienced on type FO's/SFO's would show real respect for you as captain and would very much want to tap into your previous airline experience on other types which for some of us is considerable.

I think quite a few SFO's at my base just can't be bothered with the difficult command procedure as it may mean a base move or failure etc so are happy to just sit tight or wait for other jobs they are applying for. Pity for the company/them but great news for people like me!