Hi Lovejoy I know it's frustrating and you can't do anything else but don't worry about it. The plan at the moment seems to change with the wind, at my management forum just under a month ago indications were that the FPP's were about to start and some form of external recruitment would reopen at the end of the summer. Now in the space of a couple of weeks, unpaid leave has been offered and I gather some FPP's have had their courses put back into early next year? (All rumour until it's confirmed). So as I said, what's fact now will be last week's plan very swiftly so who knows? I would definitely be surprised though if there is any significant direct entry long haul recruitment next year though as there are large numbers of people now unfrozen and for the coming few years. (Unless of course it really kicks off again and the company can use the training capacity excuse to bypass seniority).

Unfortunately, BA and other airlines have been doing this sort of thing for years.

I know many people who have passed BA selection but never actually joined due to changing operational requirements and a finite hold pool time.

Best of luck.

Thanks everyone.

If I'm honest I'm sitting pretty in my current seat, and reasonably happy where I am, so there is no urgency about it.

It's just the rest of life that's continuing to move along... I need to seriously consider where I am to place my family in the short & long term as we have other needs to address.

My own gut feeling is that we won't hear anything till Q4 this year, with courses to run Q1 & Q2 next year. I base this purely on here say, rumour and wishful thinking.

I've known colleagues to swim & expire up to 4 times before finally getting lucky.

Recruitment is brutal.

Well aware of those figures, but he wasn't talking about LHS. He was asking about initial postings after hold pool...

Ahh yes, should probably RTFQ x 2!

With all the various rumours flying around, an email update is expected for those in the hold pool at some point in the next week or so.

Ah let's not get the truth get in the way of a good rumour :}

It would be appreciated by those of us quietly swimming, if only to keep the dream alive for now.

And one of those current rumours is volountary redundancy for BA pilots!

Of course it could just be wishful thinking!

They really are getting ridiculous now.
My mate is at the bottom of the seniority and hasn't mentioned it haha

It won't be the bottom of the list they are targeting if true. And I don't believe for one second that it is. Growth on the horizon, upcoming retirements and part-time requests to start accepting. They will need bods.

4468 is right, there's talk doing the rounds......

Well haha or not the rumour is doing the rounds in the company, now where it started and whether it is credible is another matter, could be just rumour, could be management testing the water/flying a kite.

Personally I'd be suprised to see vouluntary redundancies being offered before the company has seen the demand for part time working under the revised arrangements.

Edit to add: Just seen elsewhere one of the Union reps saying it's almost certainly a rumour.

Hmm, in that case expect a memo in the next few days offering it.

To All the Hold-Poolers,

Hang in there guys and stay strong; I know a round of expirations is imminent.

Frustration does not even come close to explaining it I know, but trust me, persevere with it. Re-apply if you need to, suck up the hold pool again (and again, and again...). Work out some way of steadying your nerve at each stage. If it is what you want, you will get there.

It is acknowledged as a ridiculous system from pretty much every department except HR, who appear to be the controlling element.

The reward does out weigh the pain, however, if an equally good job offer comes along in the meantime and you NEED to get out of where you are: take it. I would probably take a definite over a maybe. The BA process has a habit of opening up reasonably regularly; the others may not.

I have been where you guys are now (more than once). The hardest bit was not the hold pool; the hardest bit was during a re-application when mates who previously passed, failed. That was tough.

Good luck and really hope it all pans out.

What is the earliest someone is expiring? Isn't it October?

Hold Pool
 

Nothing new here - after 18 months, people sank in 2009. Recruitment opened again mid 2010.

After 18 months, people sank in 2013 (myself included). Recruitment opened again in late 2014. Those previous 'swimmers' were all 'fast-tracked,' however it was back to Day 1.

LC was a good guy about it however being a professional, wouldn't share his honest opinion on the matter (obviously). Candidates, pilot recruitment & flight operations have to deal with the psychometric profiling piff-paff being line fed to HR, who appear to have the final say. 'It's the way that it's always been done at BA' was the common chorus that I heard at the time. After 12 months swimming you were on the cusp of not being the same person that was assessed. After 18 months you were deserving of a straight jacket!!

The second time around, someone must have seriously screwed up the numbers because with less than 12 months of 'sinking' and the horizon looking extremely bleak for DEPs, recruitment went warp factor 10!

I genuinely hope no one needs to go through this again. However I expect it means little to the powers that be. BA can open DEP recruitment at any stage and have an influx of applications.

Has anybody just emailed Lucy for an update? Wasn't that what she said we should do when we saw her over sandwiches?

I emailed but go no reply. Am just going to see what happens here but apply to everyone I can think of back in the UK. Someone has to be hiring soon hopefully.

To clarify; BA is now offering Voluntary Unpaid Time Off in the Month of June for the B744. So not voluntary redundancy but just a few weeks extra unpaid leave in the summer for those that want it. Limited places available... Hope this helps.

oh dear....

thanks for the update at least it gives some more clarity

I am expiring end of October. Seeing as my sim buddy started his TR in February (he is 320 rated though) just before the slowdown, I'm guessing I'll be one of the first to drown. Still keeping my fingers crossed for a Jan/Feb 2018 start date.