Received a call 2 weeks ago with a start date in January for the 737, non type rated FO. Did the sim and assessment in late August, so roughly 2 months in the pool. Been following this thread as of late, and bearing in mind the lack of positivity on this post regarding start dates, I was very surprised to receive a call with my first choice base, with the contract sent the following day.

I don’t understand not getting a start . They’ve just advertised again

Do you mind me asking what base preferences you had?

also keen to hear base choice!

New Entrant Training Costs
 

Hi all,

does anyone know where new entrants do the type rating with Jet2 and what’s paid for and what isn’t? Is the training and accommodation paid for? I’m going to apply to join them but info on costs paid for and what applicants pay for would be super helpful. Also info on other airlines for that matter. Thanks in advance. PB

You get paid, and you get hotels (unless the training is carried out at your base (MAN for example). You get breakfast provided (and usually a discount on hotel food).

There is no cost for training, only a bond that ties you to the company for 3 years.

Seems to have been somewhat of a hold pool emptying this last week. Many people I know and myself all given dates, largely Airbus but a few 737. Surprised as I thought most of their hiring was done for next year.

apparently we are haemorrhaging pilots so need a lot more

A disconnect between the propaganda pedalled by few posters here, and the reality then?

perhaps….for the record, I’ve stated before that I’m very happy here and can see myself being so for the foreseeable…But I have no interest in long haul. The job market seems pretty great currently and for one who fancies long haul then it seems there are plenty of options to give it a go. Equally if easyJet are hiring and J2 guys on the Airbus want quality staff travel and a bit more variety in destinations then it’s a serious contender.

I’ve certainly never known of so many to be leaving as I have of late. I’ve also had friends who previously left pre covid and have decided to come back after giving long haul a go and for one reason or another didn’t like the idea of it for the long term.

anyway, choice is good…the more choice out there the better the T&Cs should become everywhere as companies compete to keep people etc

Or perhaps just a fairly recent development 🙄

Hardly, given pilots have to give 3 months notice. Discontent has been growing for some time, with a perceived disconnect between what is pushed out from on high vs what is faced during daily operations.

3 months is not a long time.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record. Would anyone who has recently gone through the NTR FO assessment be able to offer a few nuggets of wisdom/insight.
Especially in regards to the A321 sim. It would be greatly apprenticed.

Happy New Year! 😊🎈

What is the bonding arrangement on either fleet please ?

What dates were offered if you don’t mind me asking?

Depends on whether you're rated, and how much training you're determined to need, Whatever the figure is, it stays level for a year before decreasing pro-rata over the next two years.

March and April start dates.

Applied early December and was told I would be contacted within 4 weeks for a short telephone interview initially, but never heard anything since, colleague applied same time as me, and has already completed his interview and sim assessment, seems to be a bit hit and miss.

It can be. It’s nothing personal, we need pilots, particularly Airbus rated. It helps if you know someone in the company already, ask them to chase up Will Strickland. He’s friendly but very busy and in demand. Failing that, get in touch with him via LinkedIn. He’s been posting recently on there for pilot recruitment, and they’re still running roadshows. As always, they will prioritise those who require the smallest training footprint, but clearly, they can’t fill all vacancies with experienced/rTed people. The recruitment team are friendly and helpful in my experience.

all the best!

There seems to be a black list or at least that's the logical conclusion I'm left with. Three applications in 3 years rejected without an invitation or reason supplied. 7000 on type (A320), 3000 PIC. I've worked for a certain ACMI they fell out with. Will ignores my emails. Anyone else?

Well! I ate those words quickly!! Just got invited for an interview and sim assessment

My cousin received an assessment invite in the last few days too

Can anyone shed some light on what life is like at the BFS base? What an average roster could be like. Is there a timeline for airbus replacing 737s there?

Will send PM

Is it possible to even get an interview with a European license?

Have you completed the application process? What does it say on there?

Same question! B737 sim. Feel free to PM if preferred

Thanks in advance :)

Just went through the TR recruitment, happy to help though PM if anyone needs advice?

New
 

Alas, I can’t drop a private message as I’m brand new but if you could message me with info on the TR assessment I’d greatly appreciate it!

What is the time to command for the 737 at the moment for an experienced FO with thousands of hours on type? Seniority based?

no seniority involved in it. 6 months post final line check and if your sim/line checks were ok then you’re able to apply as long as you hve the hours

So there are guys that have been there since joining getting jumped by direct entry FOs if they have the hours and after 6 months? Wow. In reality does it work like that?

Meritocracy based - subject to OMD and grading minimums.

They would probably be wondering why “an experienced FO with thousands of hours on type” has not achieved Command yet.

biggest issue is if you’re in a “dead man’s shoes for command” base and you are relatively inexperienced but ultimately want your command in that base. The risk would be that while you don’t yet have the hours, external joiners could join with the required experience, apply and get a command or at least on the waiting list for that base.

that being said, if you’re on the other side of the coin could work well for you. Horses for courses. Different people will have differing views on whether or not that’s a good way to do it-but in this day and age most people will be able to go into it eyes open and make an informed choice about it

CU is a lottery, goalposts changed in the last year or 2, now need all 4's or above in sims leading up to getting approved to join the program. Problem with that is some TRE's seldom give 4's, others give them liberally, standardisation is not their strong point so sim grading is down to the TRE on the day. One may be forgiving of a minor faux par, another might mark you down for it and you only need 1 x 3 to throw a spanner in the works.

That said, if you were in the RAF, then you're in. Once in the program you will see just how unstandardised the process is, some guys getting very simple issues on their command assessment sims, others getting fully loaded and set up to fail.

Ultimately if your BTRE & PBM like you then you should be alright and they can overrule a 3 in order to move you on. If not or you are unsure where you stand with them then it will be made abundantly clear by how difficult it is made for you.

There are some things in Jet2 that are good. The command upgrade process is not one of them.

If you’re in the company but don’t have have the hours for command yet, of course someone with the required hours will jump the queue.

If you have the hours and have applied then you’ll be ahead of new joiner experienced FOs. And although you can put yourself in the system as a new joiner after six months, in reality it will be well over a year before things start to happen.

Also worth bearing in mind that there’s a contraction of the 737 fleet, so Airbus commands are likely to come quicker in future.

Any thoughts on how long does a pilot typically remain in Jet2 hold pool before being invited to start type rating training?

I think it might depend on how flexible you are on basing, if you're happy to go anywhere you will probably get an earlier start date. If you absolutely want a particular base it may take a bit longer. Of course it also dpends on you being rated / non rated and on training capacity. In my experience being flexible on basing can be an advantage if this is a company you want to join. The company are very good at getting new joiners to the base of their choice.

As regards the command upgrade process, I can only speak for the Airbus fleet but I don't see any of the issues mentioned above. I don't have any experience of the Boeing side of things here.

I went to one of their roadshows in Dubai a while back, really impressed me with the pitch.

Have a couple of mates based in STN who speak very highly of the airline.