Doesn't sound like much hope for long haul for new guys then.

Has anyone heard anything from recruitment after Monday?

11th May
 

Anyone scheduled for the 11th May induction followed by the A320 rating? PM me please. Looking to connect.
Good luck to all those applying!

Sadly for some, yes, OTOH it takes the process back to the way it generally has run in the past with Long Haul slots filled by internal bids.

As far as I'm aware BA have only ever recruited DEPs directly to Long Haul when forced to, by, say, a lack of training capacity and/or short haul being so attractive nobody wanted to leave ( stop laughing at the back, it has happened..a long long time ago...).

I suspect that this apparent return to near normality, whilst a blow to prospective DEPs, will be a relief to some already in BA Shorthaul....then again as was pointed out that was the plan this morning, so don't give up hope.

Yep - I applied on the 11th and got my invite to day 1 yesterday

I was hoping for long haul based on my circumstances and current location.

Let's see how far I get before I worry!

As someone who has been in BA for 4 years I would be mighty upset next year if I lost out to a long haul slot to a DEP.

I know 4 DEPs going onto LH and only 1 onto SH. None of which have wide body experience.

Likewise however I fear that for this round of recruitment it will be mainly SH.

Unless you want to be a very junior blindline holder for the next five ish years, that may turn out to be a good thing if you want at least some control over your roster!

When I went to uni, I was examined on things I'd been taught over the last three years not months, and no I didn't do any past papers - they were not available. University was about being taught a subject - not just passing an exam.

My point was that there is no need to do previous practice for the tests because they are designed to detect your ability to learn and adapt. If you are rubbish when you start off, it's really not a problem. The areas where you do need to be good are your team skills, and I made this point too. I was actually attempting to be helpful, and get you targetting the important areas that you can't just learn and adapt to on the day, but that seems too have flown overhead.

Nice idea about showing learning and its a valid point but it relates to the sim part of the interview process. You best hit the mark in all the papers and aptitude tests otherwise you won't get the chance to show you can learn. That's my experience of it from the past years

To be fair Stocious I joined early this year onto LH and got myself a tripline with the weekend I wanted off in May.

It does happen I grant you, just not as often as if you were moving steadily up the seniority list.

As they would need to put you through a conversion course then recruit a DEP into your SH position and put them through a conversion course, I'm afraid, they would recruit direct DEP to LH, thus incurring only a single conversion course, as long as a shortage of experience is evident on the SH fleets or a training backlog exists.

Might be a bit of a wait I'm afraid.

Maybe Wirbs, and I'm sure that's how the bean counters will always view it.

OTOH if large numbers of our short haul colleagues coming out of basic/initial freeze, or for that matter those currently stuck on the 76, are denied a move by a significant continuation of DEPs to the 747/777/787, simply for economic reasons, I think the BALPA reps could be in for an interesting time.......

Very true Wiggy, it seems the rumblings have started already! :E

No BA SH pilots allowed to move to a LH slot in favour of DEP? That would be enough for us on SH to seriously consider all options available to show our feelings. We would see our career progression stall, salary suppressed and life work balance seriously effected.....Again!

LH is not for everyone but I would be very angry if the option was taken away. If we are to become career short haul then give us the 5 on 4 off rosters over the 6 on 2 off we have now and put us on parity with LH pay.

bex

I'm not sure such a move would be actually banned unless BA reverts to being BEA and BOAC....at which point I rather suspect BALPA in short haul at BA would be finished.

I think the move of the training facilities from Cranebank to west base this year allowed the company to credibly claim a lack of training capacity, and trigger significant recruiting direct to some of the Long Haul Fleets. It will be very tough for BA to use the same excuse again in the foreseeable future. That said given the nature of the beast and the costs flat/cost cutting mantra I wouldn't be surprised if BA suggested it again to our negotiators.....Hedging my bets I'd guess that whilst we'll continue to see DEPs there will be probably be far fewer onto Long Haul for a while.

Looking on the bright side, when you do move, which you surely will, you'll always be above the current DEPs on your status list.

Bex, sadly the company will argue we should consider ourselves lucky we ever have the option to change fleets through choice. BALPA will be fearful of short haul being split off from BA altogether, removing forever the ability to move to long haul. They will therefore convince everyone not to rock the boat, and maybe even to take some kind of pay reduction in order to fund the continued ability to transfer when training can cope.