Agree with the above. Saddens me to see pilots telling fellow pilots to keep quiet when they've been shafted; particularly when aimed at those earlier in their careers.

I don’t think anyone is telling them to keep quiet. What we are saying is this sort of behaviour is not limited to Jet2. And just because you managed to get into a hold pool that is no guarantee of a job. It’s a lesson most of us learn very early on in our careers.
It’s not a nice lesson to learn, but this is aviation, and like I said before, no one asked you to apply.

No one is saying 'keep quiet'. We're saying that not getting a job is normal life, and a Company doesn't owe you an explanation for not giving you the job. Feedback maybe nice, but then maybe a Company also likes candidates to work out for themselves if they need to improve?

By the way, why does not getting a job equate to being 'shafted'? And where has anything been aimed at pilots early in their careers? The majority of new joiners at Jet2 seem to be young, so that can't be true? They are also every bit as good as the older new joiners.

I don't want to get into an argument about any of this but think it should be acknowledged that the way in which this has all been handled was poor.

It was a massive effort and financial commitment for those that applied, myself included. I had to re do my me-ir and then paid for an a320 sim to practice after a couple of years away from commercial flying (due to airline collapsing just during covid). I also paid for travel and hotels to attend interviews and sims.
I finally felt it was safe to return to the airline world and was overjoyed to meet the benchmark for a job with jet2.
After waiting eagerly in the hold pool for 4 months i felt it was poor show for jet 2 to reward my patience and effort with an automared email but more than that. I found it very strange for them to have spent money and effort recruiting me. Informing me I had met the standard, flushing me as though they didn't need any more pilots and then running a "pilot roadshow to recruit more pilots at Bournemouth the same week.....

I posed the question to a recruiter that wouldn't it make more sense to leave me in the hold pool until a position becomes available rather than recruiting more people and was told the head recruiter would call me and discuss when he was back from leave (2 weeks time). I then contacted the same recruiter 2 weeks later and was palmed off with a dismissive automated rejection email when i asked if he was available for that call....

All round quite a disappointing experience from an airline that I had really, genuinely, believed cared about people.

I now feel I was nieve to have thought that maybe pilots were becoming valued and cared for again and that the industry was becoming a stable, safe option.

that’s awful . Just when you thought you were back on your feet ! I still maintain entry to a hold pool is a precursor to employment , or it’s just a data gathering exercise that costs the candidate .

Even RYR seem to offer you a post if you pass their selection !

this is an awful way to treat someone. I have heard countless people being treated like this by j2 over the last 10 years, it seems to be baked into the culture. It reflects very badly on them as an organisation. I have never heard of another UK airline treating people like this.

for what it’s worth, and for some balance, once established almost everyone I know at j2 is happy.

In a dramatic turn of events I've received an email re-confirming my position in the hold pool.....

I'm so confused......

I've received both a rejection and acceptance email In the same 24hrs....

But the rejection was second and my profile online says unsuccessful....

Have emailed for clarification....

I have every sympathy for someone who’s been out of the industry and has gone to great effort and expense to try and get back in. This should be commended. However, this would have to be done anyway before any interview, which could have resulted in a flat out failure anyway.

But please allow me to make one final comment before I retire from this debate…

If a hold pool is a precursor to a job offer, then surely it’s acceptable for Jet2 to demand evidence that the candidate has given up their place in any other airline hold pools, and will not join any other airline over Jet2. Or does this thing only work one way? Maybe when a candidate chooses to join another airline over Jet2 they should be expected to phone up and explain their reasons to the recruitment department.

Good luck, and hopefully see you on the line after a second more fruitful interview next season.

For the umpteenth tedious time to repeat and continue to fall on deaf ears…Jet2 really does not have a dismissive attitude to pilot careers nor are individuals treated poorly within the company. For some utterly bizarre reason, Jet2 is castigated by a minority without having the slightest idea of what they are talking about. I am talking from the horse’s mouth because I flew, trained and recruited for Jet2 and sorry to have to repeat that as well. I concur that not hearing anything for a considerable time is frustrating; however, you can be reassured that this will be workload related and not a Machiavellian plot to hack individuals off. It would be instructive to have a reality check on the status of the airline industry: aircraft deliveries are being delayed with both major manufacturers. Today’s pilot requirement can change by tomorrow. Jet2 does not have to explain why the situation might have changed, brutal though that might be on a personal basis. All I would finally say is that perseverance and a level headed approach will probably be rewarded so just be patient.For those that hang in there, ease back on the public complaining and they would benefit by working for the best airline in the UK, my opinion of course. As I have retired from the fray, there is no personal gain from my ‘brown nosing’.

I’m curious…. What, exactly have Jet2 done wrong here?
They are simply responding to business needs at the time, and will have an internal process in play for recruitment.

Stop trying to blame Jet2 for being horrible. If you get knocked back, accept it, reapply, don’t reapply. Your call. But stop with the entitled attitude. Jet2 do not owe anyone a job or an explanation.
In the same way, many pilots have several interviews and may be in the hold pool more than one airline. I have also seen pilots simply not turn up for day 1 of a course without any explanation. But you don’t see the airlines bleating to each other about it!

If you want a long career in aviation, you need to learn to accept disappointment and then pick yourself up and move on.

I have no skin in the Jet2 game. I have, however, seen them offer great opportunities to many pilots / aspiring pilots over the years.

Thanks Newhairdo for a common sense post. There needs to be an understanding that airlines are businesses. They really owe nothing to external applicants. It is a harsh and ruthless world at times. Neophyte pilots should know that when they join any airline they are expected to follow the rules, prepare well for training events and flights, turn up on time. A disciplined and professional approach is mandated. They are not flying clubs. Attitude is key. No one cares if you were Red 1 or the latest cadet off the L3 production line. The rules apply to everyone. Follow them and you will have a great career.

I'm afraid, I am on the side of the candidates here. Indications are that Jet 2 is a great place to work, so it is a bit dissapointing to see this...

My understanding is that the hold pool is where they place successful candidates whilst they await a course date and job offer. Everybody understands that requirements change but surely an explanation of "all courses are filled up and we are not able to offer a position before your time in the hold pool expires, so your status has been changed to unsuccesful in order to allow you to apply in 6 months time again", or words to that effect would be better than, you failed, despite us saying you were successful.

Recruiters sole job is to find new candidate for the company, so when you see unhappiness as seen here, they should take it onboard and see how they can improve. Perhaps candidates do not understand the function of the hold pool and it's limits. Again, this is down to them not getting the message across.

My experience with them left a bitter taste in my mouth. My aspirations ended at the roadshow when they said they would not employ me on a spouse visa. When I bounced that off BA, they said not to worry about the spouse visa as they would sponsor me for a work visa. Little acts speak volumes...

As someone who has been in the industry many years, I understand that an airline owes me nothing, but I believe I have earned a modicum of respect from potential employers. And, no, it is not entitlement, it is simply a two way street when you go down the selection process.

I don’t know how you came to this understanding, but please be aware it’s not correct. All the airlines I know of can pick and choose the best candidates from a pool. I don’t know of any that chooses them based on some sort of pseudo-seniority (I’ll ask about BA but I’m pretty sure they are the same).

Also, while you mention your discussions with BA, if you were offered an interview with both BA and Jet2 would you go to both or turn one down based on loyalty to the one who offered you an interview first? Just think about it.

Maybe the wording of the email could be more touchy-feely, and describe it as 'successful but not needed'. If that makes candidates feel better I’m all for it. It doesn’t change the fact that you’ll have to reapply though.

I hope this doesn’t sound harsh or cruel, or even disrespectful… but sometimes a direct approach is needed to explain the state of affairs. If this experience contrasts with your values just let Jet2 be, and apply elsewhere to see if those airlines are any different.

[QUOTE=Newhairdo;11729133]I’m curious…. What, exactly have Jet2 done wrong here?
They are simply responding to business needs at the time, and will have an internal process in play for recruitment.

Stop trying to blame Jet2 for being horrible. If you get knocked back, accept it, reapply, don’t reapply. Your call. But stop with the entitled attitude. Jet2 do not owe anyone a job or an explanation.
In the same way, many pilots have several interviews and may be in the hold pool more than one airline. I have also seen pilots simply not turn up for day 1 of a course without any explanation. But you don’t see the airlines bleating to each other about it!

If you want a long career in aviation, you need to learn to accept disappointment and then pick yourself up and move on.

I have no skin in the Jet2 game. I have, however, seen them offer great opportunities to many pilots / aspiring pilots over the years

You need to read the posts . It’s nothing to do with being “ knocked back “ ( except one person who seems to have an axe to grind ).

It’s passing the selection , and then getting kicked out their pool, seems to be the issue

Come on GC, thats a false equivalence. In terms of recruiting, when a candidate in the pool turns down a course in order to go to BA, Jet 2 simply moves down to the next guy on the list, whereas, the candidate going from successful to unsuccessful is a gut punch.

I no longer have a dog in this race - I just think Jet 2 should aim to do better.

No clarification or reason was given..... apparently they wanted me in the pool on the 8th and for absolutely no reason, changed their mind overnight.

But they've invited me to re apply, to which I asked "If I do, how would the outcome be any different" and this was again met with no explaination.

I think im going to stick to my new job as a firefighter (re-trained due to covid) and a flying instructor on my days off.
Commercial avaition has let me down one too many times and there comes a point where resilience meets "doing the same things expecting different results". Im fairly confident Firefighting isnt going to grind to a halt and go bankrupt if covid 2 hits or another war makes oil too expensive. I have two young children to feed and at this point in life I need stability. Something commercial aviation seems to severly lack (monarch, thomas cook, flybe etc etc)

Best of luck to everyone on here. I hope the industry does right by you all.

Stay safe.

Just out of interest what is your experience level in terms of hours and types? If your experience is low and you are slightly older than the average for your experience level, you may be seen as a higher risk to training.

I can’t read the minds of the HR department, but I do know from speaking to guys who have failed the Second Officer interviews that Jet2 likes applicants who are in this position to go and get a job on a smaller type (turboprop etc) and come back when they have a bit of experience. This way they are much less of a training risk to the company. Historically those who start their careers a little bit later tend to take up more training resources and time. If this is your circumstance I’d definitely persevere the smaller aircraft route and come in back in a couple of years.

Although I’m not a manager of any sort here, I can tell you with 100% confidence that those at the top of Jet2 like hard-working, positive personality types who go the extra mile. Thats pretty much the business model, and why the Company loves to push the ‘meritocracy’ line.

Best of luck.

Started flying ppl at 14 yrs old, air cadet, qualified cpl at 21 flying instructor on and off for the last 15 years, 2 yeara at flybe on the Dash 8 Q400.

3800hrs TT, 1000hhrs Dash8 for flybe. 35 years old.
I would certainly consider myself hard working and positive.I had to be to pick myself up and completely change my career during covid. Securing one of 10 jobs in the fire service with over 3000 applicants.
I've just been stung a few too many times by commercial aviation. Flybe collapsing, Thomas cook folding whilst I was in their hold pool etc etc.

I'll never say never. If a worthy flying opportunity arises I'll take iit.
Might try BA euroflyer again as I narrowly missed it this time round (failed the computer test but passed the rest)......who knows?

So illegally discriminating based on age? I’d really hope that’s not actually what they’re doing and you’ve possibly misread what they’re doing. That’d be a real shame for people who’ve worked and saved for the course rather than just taking a withdrawal from the Royal Bank of their parents.

30 year career at BA beckons if you want to try again - potentially 12-15 of those LHS of a widebody if that’s your jam.