AL Cadet programme

Railjon

And right on cue..

http://www.ftejerez.com/news/aer-lingus-select-ftejerez-preferred-flight-training-provider

Pains me to see the twenty quantified, but best of luck to them. One of them I know of was a Limerick Aeronautical Graduate who is leaving a job at Bombardier in wing design.

xflyer

Jocry, that's the way it often is nowdays. I've even had interviews where I've NEVER heard back. Still eagerly waiting for that letter.:( Companies are only interested in the successful applicants. There are never in a hurry to let unsuccessful applicants know.

So no one on this boards got it?

Interesting that the one guy we know of was in fact an Aeronautical Engineer. It would be interesting to know the backgrounds of the others. It would give an insight into what Aer Lingus look for in a cadet.

Aero Kid

That ends it for me. Still waiting on the PFO but from mid December, when the phone calls went out and I hadn't got one, I was under the impression I wouldn't get it.

I'm currently a 3rd year Aeronautical Engineer. The pilot in my interview was, and I quote "extremely impressed" with my degree and the results I had achieved thus far but if I were to be offered a place on the cadetship this time round, I'd leave university with nothing. I'd miss out on a BSc by 2/3 months and I get the BEng in 2013. She kept on coming back to the fact I was still at university and why I wanted to leave so it seems they are interested in people who have completed their degrees or people who have only started so won't have wasted much time at uni.

Along with other things of course, but I do think my uni situation was what went against me....if they run it this year though and I do get to the interview again, I can say if I get offered it this time I will leave with something to show for my hardwork.

inkogneetoe

I wondered if any of the lucky 20 are monitoring this thread could PM me. I'd like to get a feel for what AL was looking for so I may fine tune for the next round if it happens?

*clutching at straws* :-)

A320

Jesus Nut wrote: »

An Air Corps Cadet (who didnt make it past the curragh training camp bit) is one of the 20 I heard!.

So,maybe the military route wasnt for him/her,running through ****e in the curragh for 7 months doesnt make you a good pilot,well done to all!!!! Page 7 of todays mirror has a snippet

globemaster1986

A320 wrote: »

So,maybe the military route wasnt for him/her,running through ****e in the curragh for 7 months doesnt make you a good pilot,well done to all!!!! Page 7 of todays mirror has a snippet

No but if you want something bad enough you put up with the ****e you have to go through to get there! Who's to say same person won't throw in the towel again when they find something really difficult? If I had been on the selection board I wouldn't have touched that person with a barge pole!!

xflyer

We don't know why he dropped out or was dropped from the cadetship. But you can be quite sure Aer Lingus knows why. Remember the military want military officers first and pilots second. That may have been a key factor.

Bond Villain

globemaster1986 wrote: »

No but if you want something bad enough you put up with the ****e you have to go through to get there! Who's to say same person won't throw in the towel again when they find something really difficult? If I had been on the selection board I wouldn't have touched that person with a barge pole!!

You fail to see that the Cadet, against very tough competition was selected to be Air Corps Cadet . And then again, against even tougher competition was selected to be an AL Cadet.

He or she observably displays in abundance the qualities that such organization look for. Such qualities, from your somewhat bitter post you are lacking!

Don't let this thread become cancerous, to the unlucky guys who came so close, focus on the next selection (if AL run one) and give yourself the very best chance next time.

BV

Dacian

Bond Villain wrote: »

.......to the unlucky guys who came so close, focus on the next selection (if AL run one) and give yourself the very best chance next time.......

I agree. EI have stated that they are hoping for 100 cadets throughout the 5 years of the programme. So start now and use the experience this year to build yourself up for next year. Getting over the let down and trying again shows character and determination.

Moon_Shadow

I don't think we should talk about or target anybody individually. Annonymity of the internet makes it easy to say things you wouldn't if we were all in a room together.

I'm sure we've all had jobs/courses we've started and for whatever reason we just didn't click with that organisation. It shouldn't hold you back if your reasons for leaving were right.

Wouldn't it be a very boring world if things were as clear cut?

Moon_Shadow

Dacian wrote: »

I agree. EI have stated that they are hoping for 100 cadets throughout the 5 years of the programme. So start now and use the experience this year to build yourself up for next year. Getting over the let down and trying again shows character and determination.

I sincerely hope they request feedback from people from all stages and make improvements to their process. It needs attention regards contact with candidates.

My view is they wanted to keep it hush hush right up to the end in order to have a good news spectacle. They probably got a little carried away with the excitement of it all and unfortunately left a bad impression amongst the unsuccessful candidates. Hopefully, that will be addressed in coming years...

globemaster1986

Bond Villain wrote: »

You fail to see that the Cadet, against very tough competition was selected to be Air Corps Cadet . And then again, against even tougher competition was selected to be an AL Cadet.

He or she observably displays in abundance the qualities that such organization look for. Such qualities, from your somewhat bitter post you are lacking!

Don't let this thread become cancerous, to the unlucky guys who came so close, focus on the next selection (if AL run one) and give yourself the very best chance next time.

BV

I'm not bitter, I didn't apply for an EI cadetship. The fact that as you say he/she was selected against very tough competition for the Aer Corps Cadetship supports my point even more. They did so well to get it in the first place but then quit??? Doesn't exactly speak for strength of character!

Well done to them for applying and getting an EI cadetship. Obviously they do well in aptitude testing and come across very well at interviews, and ,maybe they will succeed, in fact I hope they do. I was merely saying if I was on the selection board the fact that the person had quit during an Aer Corps cadetship would have raised big red flags! That kind of opportunity is not something you should just give up on when you get it, many people would have lost out on that AC cadetship to that person for them to squander it. I hope they make better use of their opportunity and good fortune this time!

el tel

Am surprised at the huffing exhibited by one or two individuals re. lack of correspondence and Aer Lingus' management of the process. I'm sure the successful applicants were more than satisfied with the process. My advice is don't be bitter, just turn the disappointment into determination to go further next time. If you are still bitter over not getting official notificaton of your non-success in your preferred time frame, I dare say your personality/character might not be right for the job. A repectable proportion of AL pilots were unsuccessful applicants and only got In at 2nd or 3rd attempt.

Moon_Shadow

globemaster1986 wrote: »

I'm not bitter, I didn't apply for an EI cadetship. The fact that as you say he/she was selected against very tough competition for the Aer Corps Cadetship supports my point even more. They did so well to get it in the first place but then quit??? Doesn't exactly speak for strength of character!

Well done to them for applying and getting an EI cadetship. Obviously they do well in aptitude testing and come across very well at interviews, and ,maybe they will succeed, in fact I hope they do. I was merely saying if I was on the selection board the fact that the person had quit during an Aer Corps cadetship would have raised big red flags! That kind of opportunity is not something you should just give up on when you get it, many people would have lost out on that AC cadetship to that person for them to squander it. I hope they make better use of their opportunity and good fortune this time!

I don't agree. Sometimes it takes more strength of character to leave (rather than quit or drop out) under the very pressure you are exerting yourself than to stay somewhere you are not passionate about or can't stand. There's always a degree of attrition with these things. I'd almost say it's expected. Probably with the EI cadetship as much as anything (sure isn't it written into the contract?)...

Moon_Shadow

el tel wrote: »

Am surprised at the huffing exhibited by one or two individuals re. lack of correspondence and Aer Lingus' management of the process. I'm sure the successful applicants were more than satisfied with the process. My advice is don't be bitter, just turn the disappointment into determination to go further next time. If you are still bitter over not getting official notificaton of your non-success in your preferred time frame, I dare say your personality/character might not be right for the job. A repectable proportion of AL pilots were unsuccessful applicants and only got In at 2nd or 3rd attempt.

I disagree. It could be handled better. I'll say no more. I won't rise to your attack on character.

Bearcat

bombs away wrote: »

Nepotism exist's to a certain extent in all careers, always has always will. The fact that it possibly exists in Aer Lingus is not new information and is not unusual either.

It can work two ways I suppose, if the auld man was a b@llox this will certain not bode well for juniors chances which is equally unfair.? I don't buy this nepotism b/s especially with all these physco tests.......I'd like to think the process is fair and equitable.

EI2012

Hi Folks,

Just coming back on the topic, I completed the panel interview and still no word back from Lingus. Fair to say that at this stage its a non-runner as the babies seem to have been chosen already. I wonder if there is anything that could be done to get official word.....

I have seen some posts saying its all OK to not get a response, perhaps so but we all jumped through hoops to get to the panel interview what with police reports, eye sight tests and bank funding approval as well as documents pertaining back to school exams, in my opinion I would expect that since other applicants at previous stages got informed then so should we, but hey, thats only me. But it's fair to say that emotionally we all invested a lot in the process and from that point of view I'd like to get an answer from them, I know i was told by the panel I would be informed either way and I see that as professionalism, part of that is communication.

If others have any other info on their panel outcome of late please spread the good word. Perhaps then we can play the on-time trumpet!!!!

Regards
EI2012

basill

I suggest you email the CEO and explain how poorly the process was handled. How bad it reflects on the company for them to announce publicly the commencement of courses without letting you guys know.

No pointing complaining to HR or flight ops as they will just circle the wagons. I would say he would be surprised at how consistently poor some of his staff can be. He probably won't reply but I would be surprised if questions weren't asked internally.

Remember be polite and don't burn your bridges as you might be asking him for a job at some pont in the future.

roundymac

This reflects very badly on EI.If nothing else, it is pure bad manners out of EI to treat those people like that.

EI2012

Yes Basill,

Perhaps your right, I think its a good idea to print off this thread and post it to him without my details, and maybe the CP & Flight Op's director too. Not that I'm bitter or anything......
Maybe I'll suggest they charge for applying and that'll pay for someone to auto-reply, the application was run on software anyway so I'm sure its just the press of a button to do so, but maybe charging is too low cost for them, I'm sure they wouldn't want to be confused with their low cost neighbour.

Was that low cost or low standard, or is it the same thing.......

I have a headache

EI2012,

While I get your frustration about not hearing anything, I wouldn't let it get you down or dwell on it. I don't know if you got further than the panel interview, but I got called back to be interviewed by the two psychologists two weeks before Christmas, and like you am now waiting for my PFO. While disappointing not to have made it, nor to have received anything yet, I'll carry on regardless and hopefully the next time I apply for a job with AL will be more successful.

Also I have one friend who got in, he flies out to Spain tomorrow, starting ATPLs on Monday, won't be home until July for a week then not again until Christmas

EI2012

Did anyone else just get the polite 'not this time....'

Feeling rejected, like a puppy in the window.......

I suppose I'll try again next time, at least I know that next time its oil/gas exploration all the way, if its not the fracking technique, might be a leitrim swear word before we know it.

All the best folks, me and the thread are finished, our virtual kinship has been supportive

Over and out!!

Aero Kid

Just got mine also. Good to finally get it even though I resigned myself to the fact I didn't get it back in December.

Would be interesting to see what the reason was for the delay. This kind of rules out the possibility of a technical fault when they were initially sent out and receiving it only a few days after the 20 were officially announced, some kind of shortlist maybe?

Ohwell, next time I apply (should they run it again) I'll have a degree on my CV coupled with a summer work placement, as well as being a year older, more mature and have more life experience - lets see how that goes!

globemaster1986

Seems like somebody in EI HR was reading boards.ie

I have a headache

Has anyone else not gotten their PFO yet?

Suits

Hi all,

I was recently doing ATPL exams so became a little divorced from reality.
Is the whole process still ongoing? I was of the impression that all was to be wrapped up before christmas and people heading down to FTE in January?

I dont wish to toss puss amongst the winged rats but I was told by an EI pilot(albeit casually) that the whole cadetship had been a disaster. Like I said I havent been keeping tabs, but the impression I got was that sucessful quality cadets were in short supply.
I dont mean that as an attack to anyone, I was just wondering what the up to date situation was and to make sense of his comments?

el tel

I guess no one here believes in "no news is good news"

re - lack of quality applicants; I've said before that statistically its regarded tha you need about 350-400 applicants per available place in order to get one really goodun'. Even at that, this goodun' could might not work out.

In this current campaign there was nothing like 7-8K applicants.

Suits

el tel wrote: »

I guess no one here believes in "no news is good news"

re - lack of quality applicants; I've said before that statistically its regarded tha you need about 350-400 applicants per available place in order to get one really goodun'. Even at that, this goodun' could might not work out.

In this current campaign there was nothing like 7-8K applicants.

I was called back after the group interview but declined on the strength of a conversation I had with Aer Lingus HR regarding terms etc for the cadets. They stated they could not guarantee certain minimums after the IR and so as I am admittedly lucky enough to be able to just about fund my own fATPL I thanked them for the chance but declined the interview at the next stage.
Personally I know a lot of guys who have gone through part/fully funded cadetships and was advised by them to ask certain questions and seek certain guarantees from the airline. Aer Lingus could not give them so I bowed out. It was very much a "horses for courses" issue.

The conversation I refered to with the EI pilot had be taken aback a little. Admittedly as I said I am out of touch with the goings on with this cadetship, but the impression I got was that the whole thing hadnt yielded the results Aer Lingus hoped for. That may just be the feeling of one pilot, but perhaps the delay had something to do with it..?

For those who did not get it, dont cry over it. To be honest from what I learned from HR DE would be a more desirable route. Plus this is 2012 and we all know that if it looks too good to be true it usually is!

Bond Villain

Suits wrote: »

I was called back after the group interview but declined on the strength of a conversation I had with Aer Lingus HR regarding terms etc for the cadets. They stated they could not guarantee certain minimums after the IR and so as I am admittedly lucky enough to be able to just about fund my own fATPL I thanked them for the chance but declined the interview at the next stage.
Personally I know a lot of guys who have gone through part/fully funded cadetships and was advised by them to ask certain questions and seek certain guarantees from the airline. Aer Lingus could not give them so I bowed out. It was very much a "horses for courses" issue.

The conversation I refered to with the EI pilot had be taken aback a little. Admittedly as I said I am out of touch with the goings on with this cadetship, but the impression I got was that the whole thing hadnt yielded the results Aer Lingus hoped for. That may just be the feeling of one pilot, but perhaps the delay had something to do with it..?

For those who did not get it, dont cry over it. To be honest from what I learned from HR DE would be a more desirable route. Plus this is 2012 and we all know that if it looks too good to be true it usually is!

I'm sure the 20 successful cadets feel that the the DE route (which offers, at best a short term contract) is the best route for them. No doubt that they are kicking themselves at the firm A320 contract knowing that they could have had a 3 -6 month contract instead!

I'm equally pleased that the pilot who spoke to you expressed his concern that the cadet scheme had failed to deliver 20 suitable cadets. The 20 cadets who were successful can rest knowing that they are under par for what Aer Lingus looked for.

Or maybe you are talking just S**T and one of many bitter unsuccessful?

Please feel free, on completion of your self funded IR/CPL to chat to on this forum, to those who hope next year to be successful with AL, just how the self funded route is working out for you!!

Kind regards,

BV !!

xflyer

Bond Villain, living up to your name a bit? Nothing Suits said justifies an ad hominen attack on him. On the contrary you come across as the one carrying chip!

Suits has a point and clearly has the right attitude. He took a cold hard look at the terms, didn't like them and bowed out. How that can be construed as criticism of the 20 who made it through, I don't know? This is a job not the X factor.

The fact is nothing is guaranteed for the cadets. Not a job or a place flying an A320. Nothing. On top of that they have to front up a substantial amount of money to pay for it all.

Like any job, people really need to take a more pragmatic view of it than simply regarding it as 'dream come true'.

Now I'll be accused of being bitter.:cool: