Job Hunt: Two Months In (easyJet)

This news brings to a close the somewhat hideous job hunt process and takes the huge weight of uncertainty from my shoulders. I can certainly relax a bit now knowing that I'll be able to meet loan repayments into the foreseeable future. 

For those readers who will no doubt ask, in total I applied to several airlines. I sent in applications to pretty much all of those airlines who happened to be hiring low hour pilots at the time. Here's a few of those and the results next to those I'd heard from:

• Aurigny
• easyJet UK/Europe -- Interview Offered
• easyJet Swiss
• Eurowings -- Interview Offered
• Flybe
• Jet2 -- Declined My Application
• Norwegian
• Logan Air
• Ryanair
• SAS
• Thomas Cook IAGO Scheme
• Turkish Airlines -- Interview Offered (L3 Hold Pool)
• WOW

As you can see this is quite a number of applications and in the timeframe of two months I'd only heard back from four of them. It literally is a waiting game for Whitetail graduates. How long you wait for that first response can vary too. Take Ryanair for example, a coursemate and I finished on the same day and he had heard back, been interviewed and offered a job inside of four weeks whereas I'm still waiting to hear back at this point. It's just a game of luck at times I'm sure of it. Or, right place right time. L3 CTS will tell you that the average is about 6 months across all of their graduates and I would agree with that given my experience and the experiences of my peers. Let's not forget of course, even if you hear back in a week of graduating, some airline recruitment processes can last weeks in themselves so that's something for future cadets to bear in mind.

• L3 Airline Academy
  Thanks so much to all of the instructors and training staff who believed in me. Despite feeling a failure at times you pushed me to be my very best. I've got so much to thank so many of you for in that organisation that it's impossible to reach out to you all. Without every single one of you I've come into contact with I would not now be able to say I'm a future easyJet pilot. I'd like to pass a special thanks to my flying instructors Katrina, Mark, Wayne, Simon and Daryl for the imparting of your knowledge. I'm super pleased to hear some of you have since secured your own airline careers. Thanks to Karen and Chris for all of the events I've been a part of. Thanks to the L3 Marketing Team both former and present up in Crawley for allowing me to create this blog to the level of detail I've gone into. Finally, I would like to pass a special thanks to both Colin (Head of Training) and Kevin (Placement Executive) for support in the final weeks of my time at L3.
  
  
• Family
  I've thanked all of you loads already, but thanks once more for your support be it financial or just an ear to moan to during times of stress. This process certainly isn't possible without a support network behind you and I couldn't have asked for a better one.
  
  
• Friends
  Both at home and within L3. To my CP, to Zak, to Joe, Siobhan, Harry, George and every other person which has been there for me during my struggles out in New Zealand. Thanks to each and everyone one of you for helping me get back on the saddle and eventually end up where I am today. To those of you on the easyJet courses, who knows... we may even be based near each other. Can't wait to start a career alongside some incredible people.
  
  
• easyJet
  Finally, thanks to you. Thanks to you for taking part in ITV's Airline many years ago. This TV show inspired me to become an easyJet pilot. Right from a young age I had my sights set on flying your aircraft and now it's becoming a reality. Thanks to your cadet recruitment team for offering me the opportunity to attend a selection event despite being outside of the initial requirements you set. Thanks for giving me the chance. I'm looking forward to starting my career with you and honestly can not wait. Bring it on!

easyJet have told us to expect to start our inductions with them in either September, October or November. This means our type ratings will work backwards from these date. My start date is to be confirmed in due course. It will then be time to complete a few further weeks of study on the Airbus before hopping in the full motion simulators to put it all into practice. It's likely my type-rating will be completed with one of easyJet's partner schools be that L3 in Southampton or Gatwick, or CAE Burgess Hill. It's now a little bit of a waiting game to find out the next step. I've also got to start finding the funding for the estimated £30,000 type-rating. Where this will come from we'd already pre-planned prior to starting on my Whitetail course we now need to speak with the bank to finalise things.

Those of you wondering where I'm going to be based, the answer is your guess is as good as mine. easyJet asked us our preference in our interview but said they can not always guarantee it but will try their best. Ultimately, I'm happy to fly wherever and as we join on permanent contracts from day one we can join the transfer list soon after which is a plus.

So there you go. It's only few months now (I hope) until I find myself climbing those steps to the Aircraft and turning left for the first time. Thanks to everyone for following along with my journey. This blog will continue throughout my type-rating and into my first few weeks at easyJet. Beyond that I suppose is down to the airline's public relations team. I'd like to hope I can continue it, but we shall see. Thanks to all of you for your kind words over these past couple of days and weeks. The emails i've received from parents of both current and aspiring cadets have been lovely-- many bringing a slight tear to my eye. Still can't quite believe the reach of this blog!

For now then, until I have some more news...

All the best,
George Botley
Future easyJet Pilot

^^ Feels weird writing that!!