BA Holding Pool
 

Hi everyone!

Assuming forthcoming interview & sim success, has anyone got any estimates on how many are currently in the BA holding pool and/or how long the average swim is? Similarly, how far into next year has anyone been offered a course?

Cheers...

BA Have a holding pool!! Cool. Well if its as long as the wait for command I hope that you are in the detachable door/raft rather than treading water :ugh:

Holding Pool
 

I joined about 2 months ago, just doing my line-training at the moment. Speaking from personal experience, the whole process from interview to starting the JOC course took about 6 months. However, I spoke to a guy recently who said that he had the selection and sim ride in the same week and started his JOC course about 4 weeks after that. I don’t think there is a hold pool as such, and on our fleet (A320) there’s between 4 and 8 new FO’s being trained each month. I’m sure it’s about the same on the 737 at Gatwick.

I think that there sometimes is a bit of a delay in the system as the guys who do the recruitment process and sim checks also fly on the line and so are very busy and sometimes don’t get enough time to get the paperwork done, so everything gets put back a bit. Also, once you get the OK you’ll have to get security clearance which sometimes can take a while to come through.

When I did my selection and sim ride, all the people in charge of the process where really great, and made a real effort to make you feel at ease during what is quite a stressful period. Hope this helps a bit, good luck for the selection.

hi stunter&bunter,

Are you being interviewed as a Direct Entry Pilot (DEP)?

If so there is most definitely a hold pool, however the timescales in the pool are quite variable.

I passed my sim over a couple of months ago and have not had a course date yet. I also know of a couple of other people in a similar position and we are all currently rated on different aircraft.

You will enter the hold pool based on your original interview date. I think BA then try and take people from the pool in order. However, if for instance they had a 757 course and only No1 in the pool and No30 in the pool already had the rating, then it is likely they would get the call rather than just taking No1 and No2 (say Airbus rated).

As far as numbers I have no idea as BA do not usually pass on that information.

A friend of mine passed his sim about 6 months before me and was in the pool for only 1 week, so really it is just luck on the day.

Hope this helps and good luck for the interview and sim.

I am aware of a chap who has been in the pool since early 2006 and BA are still umming and erring about a course for him. Variable? Certainly.

Good luck and all the best to all of those just joining us....;)

At least youre not bonded so when you realise how absolutely awful it actually is, you can jump ship asap. :D

great expectations has clearly never worked anywhere else!

hi

whats wrong with ba then, i am just about to start??

thanks

Wait and see... Oh, and be prepared to strike :cool:

GE
Given that you hate it so much, perhaps a change of career would be better for you? Life outside BA is certainly not much easier, they all have their pros and cons.

In the EU law on bonds thread in the T+E forum GE seems to want to do just that. He also suggests that he has a bond so maybe all is not as it seems with him?

Eff Oh
Maybe GE knows what's she is talking about. She is rather turned on... I mean switched on.

GE
How are you doing these days? Never you mind not long now 'till the bond is up then you can go become a Virgin, or lady of leasure.

Kabaka
Unless you know better, why do you assume all pilots are male. You know the girls are rather good at it and perhaps you need to realise it's not a mans domain. Maybe "he" is a she and is quite a honey ;)

GE

May I respectfully suggest you sod off to somewhere else then, and leave BA to those of us who rather like it.

I suspect the problem is you are not up to the standard and therefore struggling and unhappy

Fair enough angels, I have flown with some very capable girls, and have no problem with women in the flight deck. It was more of a generic "he" than an accusation!

TheKabaka

Take the time to read GE's posts and you can fathom out for yourself where the gorgeous and I forgot to say, delightful, GE works.

Nigel

Nigel by name and Nigel by nature. Why give out and assume that if someone is unhappy with their conditions they are not up to the job. If GE wants to, then she can easily stick around and be number one on the seniority list for a number of years and the world within her airline will be her oyster. I know many a pilot who has left BA to Cathay, Emirates etc. and vice versa because the grass was/is a whole lot greener and the lifestyle choice suits them. Perhaps for some the dream wasn't all it turned out to be and for others like yourself the dream is fullfilled. Everyone deserves to find their niche where they can be content. Just unfortunatley bonding makes it harder for some to get out when the reality is different to what was advertised.

Angels 1-5
I do know GE, and her situation. My "advice" was purely based on how she appears to feel about her job. As you have an obvious infatuation with her, presumably from her time in Jerez, perhaps your observations and judgement is a little clouded. In matters not how much of a "honey" any pilot is. Generally this industry is competancy and skill based, not based on looks! (Thankfully) :E

Eff Oh,
I appreciate your input, however I don't believe that someone would have to be infatuated with me in order to see my point of view.. It's an unpopular view point outside of the company and especially with those who are trying to get in - but it's a common vibe within the company... notwithstanding the mandatory handful of true nigels who lack the personality or imagination to meet any view that may not comply with their own. :rolleyes:

Look, quite frankly, the vibe within is that if the pensions go, many of us go too. And, in answer to the nigel who is concerned I may be struggling, Ive got an ATPL, loads of hours & cadet background so just like many many others around - I have options. Eyes open or eyes closed, we all make our choice about how we view reality. All I say is that if you have options, now would be the time to maybe consider looking at them with regards to this particular employer.

Eff Oh

I know you know her well so why not give her your 'advice' a bit more friendly like on the phone instead of being rude about it and as you know, GE is more than competent enough.

"Why does someone always have to be so nasty when anyone asks a question!!! ???"

I imagine it must be for those bonded to see Direct Entry FO's who perhaps were not able to get a Cadetship but did a year on a tuboprop jump into the same job as a DEP not TEP yet below on the seniority list but significantly better paid. After a few months that would grate after 5 years it could really get your goat.

The "infatuation" remark was ment to be tounge in cheek! :ok:
GE
I agree about BA. I would never swap what I do for that. I have never wanted to, and never will! However, what I'm trying to say is, the job both inside and outside BA is the same. The difference is pehaps the company philosophy. Both will have good points, and both will have bad points. BA will, and does suit many, however it will not be everyone's cup of tea. It's not mine, and it appears that it's not yours. There is nothing wrong with that, and that is the beauty of what we do. We can fly turboprops round the Scottish islands or into dirt strips in Africa, or B747s into Hong Kong or JFK. Again both have their advantages and disadvantages.
You will always get boring numptys in any company!! Sad, but true. The idea is not to become one of them!! :8 :8 To finish, if you truely enjoy the job but not the company, then for your career and sanity's sake leave! If it's not the company then a new career is the answer. Whatever it is, and whatever you do, good luck and I wish you all the best. :ok:
BTW I didn't know you BA Cadets were bonded. I thought that BA didn't bond? Or is that all a distant memory now??

I did not know BA bonded its cadets either. DEP have no bond. If ge does move she may find that a different uniform does not make you any happier, and may well find things are worse.

I join BA in a few days as a DEP and if it is not a vast improvement on my current company I will pay my first years salery to great expectations.

:ugh: :ugh: :ugh:
Hey, this thread is all about our new entrants. Shall we give it back to them - with our best wishes - and allow them their own paths. I will take everyone's advice, and go back to lap dancing... :p

A famous military commander said, " If the troops arn't complaining, there's obviously something wrong.........." (or words to that effect)

Back to the subject of the hold pool............................................:hmm:

Prob a hell of a lot more money than us pilots get!!!! :} :}

How to apply?
 

I am currently flying 737NG and have seen on a few job sites that BA is currently looking for FO's with 737 or A320 ratings. Is that correct?

If so; How can you apply?

There are never any openings on www.britishairwaysjobs.com/. Is there another method of application?


Thanks :ok:

Angels

Would you like to share with us the number of pilots who have left BA for other airlines.

Lets take the last 10 years shall we?

As for lap dancing, I would say about 10 BA female FO's would qualify to earn more than a bit of sympathy.

Kabaka

Welcome. I'm sure you will love it. It's not perfect by any means, but it's the best flying job in the UK by a mile.

If GE would only do herself a favour and sod off and maybe fly for a charter airline (and see how she enjoys it) then there would be more room for the likes of you.

Normal Nigel.

Forgive me for being a pedant! But I have to disagree.

I wonder what your recent experience is of any flying other than BA?

I'm not sure any airline job could be so described!

Are you a cadet by any chance??

Really? Who? I know of one person who has gone to Emirates and he was ex-CFE and was at the bottom of the seniority list. I've not heard of anyone going to CX in the last 5 years, in fact they've been coming the other way.

GE - I don't know you, but as another P2 you sound like a right pain in the a**e. Do please go to Easyjet or Virgin or anyone else and spare us your moaning. The flood of applicants coming the other way would suggest its simply another flavour of !!!!! over there.

Carnage,
Ur right, I am a pain in the a****. :D And why should you know of me anyhow?? Just because Angels knows me? Angels is somebody who goes way back and who has seen it all before.
I dont take it very seriously. Its not a real job.. it's just what I do to pay for nail polish...but at least i dont sit naked on the flight deck waving my **** around and posting it on the internet.

One went to SQ, a couple went to the sandpit and one went to a small regional op. There are very few others.

The next group of entrants onto the 737 will be around March 07.

Nigel
Your view of female FO's at BA is rather derogatory. What's wrong didn't mummy cuddle you enough? Were you a TEP and the girls on the course got the better pass marks? If someone doesn't like your dream job don't take the hump. Give your opinion and let the woman give hers and let everyone else make there own mind up.
Nigel on another part of this message board you say of your beloved BA "Maybe we can derail the Gravy Train once and for all for these idiots" what way do you want it? You want to ruin it for some but when some want to just vote with their feet and leave and warn it's not they expected you winge. Make your mind up or do you just dislike every viewpoint that isn't your own?

Well then perhaps the sooner you head to another company or career the better. I'm sorry if you're chosen career didn't live up to your expectations. Nonetheless if you don't like the job thats your problem, not anybody elses, so get a grip and do something about it instead of whining on here. If you really were determined to leave BA you'd know that not one of the former cadets who left have been pursued to repay their training costs as the so called 'bond' doesn't stand up in a court of law. I am assuming you've seriously researched leaving BA as opposed to just carping on about it.

That would be a welcome novelty. It would make a change from BA lowering the bar repeatedly in order to avoid chopping a female. Curiously enough those particular TEPs continue to struggle when they get into BA, but what price political correctness?

"Look, quite frankly, the vibe within is that if the pensions go, many of us go too."

GE

Im not going to get involved with the abuse that has been put your way (even though from some of your posts you probably deserve some of it).

But your above comment shows a huge amout of ignorance to the world outside of your BA comfort zone.

Show me an airline that pays you as much and offers such variety and has the perfect pension scheme because unless you sleep in the Compass Centre and are totally unaware of the outside world very few if any airlines left in this country offer a final salary pension scheme. So please tell me which airline you will be moving to in order to match your view of the ideal airline.

Without causing the thread to creep too much, this is truly the vibe. The point is not that we may or may not get a better deal elsewhere. The point is that few of us will be prepared to work for a company which has been taking us for a ride for years. Stealing the pension is the straw which will break the camel's back.

It's called a principle. Unfortunately, that isn't a word which features in the management dictionary.

Right, back to the holding pool.......:rolleyes:

No and don't be ridiculous.

Eventually I deciphered what you mean.

I refer to the very senior manager gravy train. Yes I do want to ruin it for them.

As for leaving the trouble is no-one does. They just stay and whinge and annoy the rest of us.

Tandem

Not recently, unlike you who has had the wonderful benefit of BACON.

However I have the ability to converse with other people who work for other airlines.

No

Nigel,
I assume you are P1. Lets pray you're not a P1 who flies with me. :eek:

Are u talking so big to make up for smaller things????!!!! :cool:

You're a number. Thats all you are, so it doesn't matter if you're better than me at the job. The funny thing is, my licence is the same colour yours is. So, there's no difference. You don't sound like the nicest of people and Im just glad I know better and therefore won't end up like you.

Five years, and not one unstable approach or sesma event outside of training.... so, thanks go to you and those on whose behalf you speak for keeping me massively entertained with your sesma reports.. all that experience and half of you still cant manage to be stable by 500 ft. ;)

And as to whether or not Ive researched my position, Indeed I have, however on previous occasions Ive also been threatened by management over the bond when I tried to leave.... because actually I already tried a while back, and it wasn't made easy. So Im finding my feet and my voice and this time it's all going to be on my terms. :)

GE

Please grow up. You sound like ranting cabin crew.

I am sure you have a perfect SESMA record, but we as pilots are only as good as our last landing.

I hope and pray you never have the misfortune of a set of unforseen circumstances that push you to the limit, but then again, you have just told us what a great pilot you are, so it won't matter, will it?:D

Back to the thread
 

If its as bitchy as this, will I have to get a handbag to join BA ???

On a serious note, are there many in the holding pool and are BA likely to start recruiting again for DEPs onto either short or long-haul fleets ?

Cheers

Jenson:cool:

I'm pretty certain the bitching would soon come to an end were this not an anonymous forum. For those above (angels and GE), care to reveal a name behind the bravado? No i thought not.
I'm dismayed at some of the childish comments from fellow BA pilots that would be best suited to a school yard.

3Greens
Here I quote you"Well J.Don i hope you enjoyed your many years of flying during the "golden years" how many hours per year were you flying back then? i bet wasn't circa 900hrs as it is now. Oh and i trust you are/will be enjoying your nice big cryistalised APS pension.
Regarding you comment about ordinary workers i find that absurd and borderline offensive; i think you will find that it's the other way around. I assume that you are now retired as the present outfit is a far cry what it was in the seventies"

Man if your going to accuse folks of being bitchy don't do it yourself. This is all getting far to yadda yadda yadda boring.
As I wrote before, GE made her statement, let her have her say. No need to slag her off for it.

This is SO far off topic. Time to shut it down.