Thomsonfly/Britannia

[l.buswell]

Does anyone have any interviewing tips at thomsonfly/Britannia. I have an interview set up in the middle of March. Thanks

[fladder]

Interview is in the second stage of assessment isn't it?

PM me

[Jinkster]

is that for captain or First officer?

[Touch'n'oops]

Hi all

I am also going for interviews this month. I have 1,000Hrs TT and 700Hrs B737-300.

Could anyone give an idea of what I could expect for the FO's process. So far I have only been scheduled for a Psychometric Test (Luton) and Sim ride (Manchester).

I would assume the Psychometric test is about verbal, arithmetical and spatial.

Sim ride/s? How many and what do they throw at you? I assume this will be done on the 737-sim. I have not actually been told whether I am interviewing for the 737 or 757/767. Of course I am also assuming 737 again.


Cheers,

T'n'O

[Quincy M.E.]

May I just interject and ask:

They still psychometric test you even when you already have flying experience?

Ta

[FlyingTom]

TFly put great emphasis on the pysche test, I think they are looking for stable/intravert types (or invertibrate?) . Its worth it just to get probed by Gronwyn.

All the best.

[Touch'n'oops]

On the move

I am a 737 driver and I have just been told that I am on the 757 sim. Isn't funny how both of us have been put on to different aircraft for the sim.

So lets help each other out!!!:cool:

Check your PMs... I have sent you a run down on the 737!!!

T'n'O

[Pilot Pete]

I think they are looking for stable/intravert types You reckon? Gronwyn It's pronounced 'Gronya', but spelt something like 'Grainee'.

PP

[A Very Civil Pilot]

Grainne. She's Irish. Gronwyn sounds a bit too Welsh.

[Sky_Captain]

Would anybody have any contact details (email) for Grainne?

S.C.

[maverick777]

psychometric tests for brittania/thomsonfly are the watson glazier type.

these things are ancient but they are still used by PARC, brittania, thomsonfly.

dont ask where you can get your hands on them. i cant help you there.
:ok:

[Pilot Pete]

these things are ancient but they are still used by PARC, brittania, thomsonfly.

Parc run the tests for Thomsonfly, that's why they are still used. Britannia doesn't use them any more because they don't exist any more.

PP

[notdavegorman]

...and brittania has never existed.

[BigGrecian]

I think they are looking for stable/intravert types
I very much doubt it.
I think a little revision of some of that ATPL Human Performance, regarding personality factors is in order:
In terms of pilot selection we can see that the stable extrovert is the personality most likely to have desirable pilot qualities.

And shouldn't this be in the Interivew, Jobs & Sponsorship Forum?

[FlyingTom]

I didn't make my point very clear. Most airlines want stable/extrovert. Britannia want s/intravert. I'm not a pyschologist but I think there is some truth in this if you know the pilots, they are a slightly different breed. Of course I can think of some exceptions, I was one for starters.

Not many airlines employ a pychologist purely for interviews like Brits so it must be important to them.

And my point was that Gron-whatever is so nice don't even bother about it, be yourself (perhaps a little less extrovert though).

Just an observation but most airlines like gold stripes, Brits and a few others like platinum. A little understated, perhaps a reflection on what the company looks for? Great company, go for it.

[ifleeplanes]

Sorry to hijack the thread a little but I am up for the second stage interviews and sim in a few weeks and would love a rundown on what to expect in the interviews. Along the lines of, are tech questions asked if your already type rated and the general format.

Many thanks

[MAX]

Ignore the introvert/extrovert bollox. After you fill out the 300 questions just be sure of one thing..... If you lied, you will get caught out.

The rest has been covered a million times. Do a search as the procedure hasnt changed in as many years.

Good luck.

MAX:cool:

[windshear-a-head]

Hi

I've been called up to attend day one, appllied way back in nov and the call has come a little out of the blue, are they recruiting to re-fill the hold pool?? any ideas which fleets? I currently have 1600 total with the majority on 737 (1400).

Cheers

[Robbie Naish]

I've been in the FO's holding pool for a few months now and have heard nothing as yet.
Heres hoping!! :)

[rockbound]

Can anybody tell me what is involved in a 1st stage assessment at Thomsonfly?
thx
rb

[FlyVIP]

Dear Candidate

We are looking to recruit First Officers for the 757 fleet to start a course around June & July.

I have 2 assessment days planned for 20th & 21st April.

If you are interested in attending either of the above dates, can you please confirm how many hours approximately that you have flown in the last 6 months.

[Touch'n'oops]

Robbie Naish
I haven't heard of a holding pool for Britannia! I don't want to be rude, but are you sure you got offered a place?

Rockbound
There is already a lot of recent material about the 1st stage written. And I have found to be correct and very useful.

But if you want a big tip for the math paper... RTFA... Read The answers...

Good Luck to those all stages.

T'n'O

[Robbie Naish]

T'n'O
I believe there was a holding pool for FO's due to the number of DE Captains requiring training. Not sure about the current situation as I now have a start date.
RN

[dire straits]

Anyone on here with a tip on what books to read and where to get them for the 1st stage at Thomson???:)

[Post Mod 516]

Sorry to interupt the thread slightly but does anyone have any info regarding if and when TF will be looking for F/O's? The website has just stopped asking for DEC's so i'm not sure if thats a good sign or not.

[chockstarfish]

I have heard that there are a few more selection days coming up, but I dont know which fleet it is for. Unfort, some people didnt make it through either the initial training, base training or line training, so I am assuming it is to plug some of these holes.

Tips-know and understand fractions, do not spend any time on a question you find difficult, go back to it at the end. I saw a lot of people with half completed math papers make sure you get through all of it, and if you cant its because you have not prepared enough.

English comp tests can be tricky so go to your local wh smith and buy some books on the subject..

group exercise, be yourself and enjoy it, I felt the tension in the room so I had to crack a couple of one liners. Dont be over eager to impress I saw that done and he made a bit of a fool of himself.

sim, you are given everything you need so you should know the profile like the back of your hand with no hesitation. they are not looking for perfection but they are looking to see how well you prepared, most of the guys on my course used flight sim at home....

bad news is once you are in, their are failures on the ground school/sim, on the base training, and on the line training so my piece of advise there is, if you are running into any difficulty talk to others in your class with more experience, nothing worse then the stress of training and keeping it all to yourself....

its a great company..

enjoy

[Pizzaro]

Have they taken the application form off the Thomsonfly website?

[GBNPY]

I’ve got a day two DEC sim assessment on the LGW 737 sim.

Does anyone have any tips or pointers?

Any help is gratefully received. :ok:

[Pilot Pete]

The DECs who have completed part of the selection are being taken to the end, those who have not started yet are not being offered dates for selection whilst the company sorts out the issue of present F/Os with command bids in not getting command courses whilst DEC recruitment continues. As I understand it, DECs will not be offered jobs even if they pass selection until the issue has been sorted out, hopefully soon.

Some F/O and S/O recruitment is being done at the moment, I believe that it is those who have come from the recommendation scheme.
I’ve got a day two DEC sim assessment on the LGW 737 sim.

Does anyone have any tips or pointers? Enjoy it. Be yourself. Don't think you have to be ace-to-base, just competent as a commander. No tricks, but learn the profiles and standard calls they have given you. Remember a lot of what they are assessing is CRM.....

PP

[Bluebaron]

There is a base bid round going on at the moment. So requirements for summer recruitment will await the result (end may).

As i heard we are taking on at extra 500 pilots over the next 5 years for continued expansion of the 737 fleet.

We are losing a 763 next month (june) and also 2 767 are being returned to germany poss next summer. So overall a reduction in what was called mainline fleet. That said due to command transfers, oppurtunity's still exist for new comers on this fleet.

The company wants to stop DEC if possible but doesn't have the nessesary volunteers. Also did hear that the age for S/O recruitment may be raised and that the staring salary for F/O's may be raised to bring it in line with others. (ITs around £41K about 4K less than simalar airlines, although with overtime F/O wage is around £50-£70k).

Generally S/O (low hour) pilots come from Jerez (sponsored) and CTC however there are posts for direct entry CV's.

BB :)

(All as per my understanding might not be 100%)

[757operator]

I tried to relax and enjoy my DEC sim assessment. However, there were two assessors and one of them sat in the right hand seat. I found him increasingly intimidating and my performance took a nosedive. Unsurprisingly I didn't get a job offer, but I wasn't too upset because any company that can do that to you isn't quite my cup of tea. I don't think that the intimidation was intentional, it was just in his nature. The guy in the back seemed much more pleasant.

[Joe le Taxi]

I am surprised at that as I found both assessors to be absolute gentlemen; It was a very pleasant atmosphere.

My mistake was to sit in the right hand seat (because that is where I have been sitting for the last couple of years). It didn't feel right to command from there somehow, and I also found it very difficult to make myself heard, so I don't think I demonstrated the 'right stuff'; (plus I made a complete hash of it!). I might ask to use headsets if I ever try again.

[2engop]

I went for an interview last year and wrote this afterwards (I copied this in from word and some of it came out wrong; when its says 6x2 it means 6x squared):

Britannia Interview Day 1

The day comprised of a numerical reasoning test, verbal reasoning, 2 group discussions and a psychological test. The tests had been supplied by ‘parc’ aviation. The tests were conducted by a 757 FO and 2 HR girls. At the end of the day there was also an informal question and answer session about the company.

Numerical Test

There were 40 questions to complete in 30 minutes. There were some very simple questions and some more difficult. The test had algebra, adding, subtracting, dividing and multiplying fractions, estimation, number substitution and a flow chart to follow for the last 2 questions. There was no mention of negative marking.

Examples:

1. 6x2+2x2+y=

y=?

a. 8x4
b. 4x2
c. -8x2
d. 8x2
e. None of these

2. 2y+3y+4x=13y
y=2
x=?

a. 2
b. 4
c. 6
d. 8
e. None of these

3. Rounded to the nearest whole number what does (1.99x8.876)/2.123=?

a. 6
b. 12
c. 14
d. 16
e. None of these

4. 3NN7+2N7=369N (There were lots of these ones!!)

What number is missing?

a. 4
b. 5
c. 6
d. 7
e. None of these

5. 2/3+2/3=

a. 4/6
b. 4/9
c. 4/3
d. 1/3
e. None of these

Verbal Reasoning

The test was 40 minutes long. There were 5 sub tests in the verbal reasoning; Inferences, assumptions, arguments, conclusions and deductions (I think it was deductions or something very similar?). All the sub tests were similar in length so less than 10 minutes per test. On the Inference test, there would be a paragraph stating something e.g. ‘Some people leave the lights on in their house when they go out’. Then for the question it would give an inference like ‘There is no one in the house’. The answers you could give were true, partly true, inadequate data, partly false or false. (Don’t ask me what the right answer is!)
The other tests were very similar with the statement then a question making an assumption, conclusion or deduction and you have to decide if it was a correct assumption, conclusion or deduction.
With the argument test, there was again a statement and you have to decide if it was a weak or a strong argument (simple??).

Group Exercise

There were 2 group exercises both with a very similar set out. You are given a brief saying that you are a director of a company and you are having a meeting with the other directors. You are each given an individual memo from your department. You have 10 minutes to read the brief and 20 minutes to discuss the problem. The problem is that there is poor communication in the company and low morale of the employees. As a group you must come up with a solution to improve morale and communication in the company discussing advantages and disadvantages of each idea.
The second exercise was as I said very similar with a brief and memos. This time you are in charge of an oil platform. Your employees are about to strike because the food is bad, the rigs keep breaking down, costs are rising, production is falling etc, etc. The only difference in this one is that you need to select someone to debrief the assessors for a maximum of 3 minutes on the conclusions that you come to.

Psychological Test

This was a typical agree, in between, disagree test. 187 questions no time limit. Apparently used in the stage 2 one on one interview.

[Aslan]

Could somebody please help out with the following:
Assuming one is fortunate enough to get into Thomsonfly, what does the pension scheme (contributions, restrictsions, transfer period etc) look like?
TIA

[ChocksAwayUK]

Can anyone advise on this:

a) How quickly are you called up for day 2 following a sucessful day 1?

b) How soon after a day 2 are you informed of your result?

The pressure is on for me to give the go-ahead, or otherwise, on another offer - not sure how long I'll have to keep them waiting.

[Bluebaron]

Why not phone them and ask?:confused:

[ChocksAwayUK]

Yup did that.. they were taking a while to get back to me and I needed to know soon - hope that helps!

Have now got an answer - Result from day one in a week, pretty quickly onto a day 2 which has an instant result.

[GBNPY]

Day 2

Your performance needs to be good enough to pass an OPC on the sim type you have been given. Even if you have not flown the type or have it on your license. :=

Don't be surprised if they totally deviate from the sim brief. :ugh:

[Aslan]

What is then the purpose of the sim session - to determine whether one has raw data skills and the potential to learn etc or whether one can fly to OPC standards (effectively having to have type rating and sufficient time on type)? :confused:

[Pilot Pete]

What is then the purpose of the sim session It depends on what job you have applied for.

For a 200hr pilot trying for S/O entry they are looking for the basic instrument flying skills, an improvement and an ability to learn. Add into that a chunk of CRM and that's pretty much it.

If however you are a 737 captain trying for direct entry then expect to be assessed differently on the same profile. It would be reasonable to expect a direct entry captain to be able to fly his current type to LPC standard. As with any sim assessment, especially for direct entry captain, the brief is the brief. If they throw something extra at you then you should be able to handle it. If they just keep loading you up until you fail then they are probably not worth working for.

If you are a 200hr guy and they throw something at you that is not in the brief then it serves a couple of purposes;

1. It probably means you are doing quite well and they want to see how much extra capacity you have, and

2. They may want to find out how you handle something 'out of the ordinary', not necessarily expecting you to 'ace' it, just inquisitive.

Either way, your mission is to remain cool and collected and just remember, Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. It is better to fly the machine well than answer the capacity questions about age in months etc. Served me well, as I never did manage to answer the question they threw at me and just kept saying "STANDBY", however I remained nailed to 4000' and 230kts as requested!:ok:

PP

[Aslan]

PP, thanks for the in depth reply.
Aslan

[Doug the Head]

If you lied, you will get caught out. MAX:cool: Nonsense! := You just have to lie consistently! :)

Let´s stop kidding ourself, otherwise nobody would ever pass a psychology test as I yet have to fly with the ´Saints´ that some people pretend they are when attending a job interview!

Think of it as a kind of IQ test! If you can figure out how to answer, you are smart enough to deal with problems/people. Good luck everybody! :ok:

[Pilot Pete]

Let´s stop kidding ourself, otherwise nobody would ever pass a psychology test as I yet have to fly with the ´Saints´ that some people pretend they are when attending a job interview!
Think of it as a kind of IQ test! If you can figure out how to answer, you are smart enough to deal with problems/people. Good luck everybody! :ok:

I think you have missed the point completely regarding psychological testing. They are not looking for 'saints'. They are trying to find out people's charateristics, demonstrating where they have strengths and weaknesses. The idea is that you do the profile and other tests, then you are interviewed, which is a chance for them to question areas of choice regarding the results to the tests, which you don't know.

In a properly administered profile consisting of hundreds of questions under strict time limits you have little time to try to fathom out what they are getting at. That is the idea. They want you to answer with your instinctive reaction to the question. If you don't answer all the questions within the time limit then they should make you do it again.

They don't ask obvious questions like 'are you are leader or a follower?' They will use several different questions which will subtly find out the answer to that question.

PP

[ChocksAwayUK]

I've successfully managed a personality transplant from ENTJ, to ESTJ by changing the way I answer some of the questions, while still remaining honest of course. (Basically by stating that I rely on facts and experience much more than theory and hypothetical outcomes - in reality I could go either way depending on several factors.) And this was from being quite marked in one direction to marked in the other.

Anyway, I did this as I heard that they particularly look for ESTJs - anyone know if there's any truth in this? Admittedly the source was not necessarily that credible.

Also I heard that one question asks: What's the odd one out: a) Candle b) Moon c) Electric light. Would love to know what that's about!

[PPRuNeUser0215]

I guess you could say "Moon" is the odd one out.... Only natural light amongst the three.
I certainly was pretty honest during my assessment and it worked. I am no saint :O either.
I see no point in changing your personality (if it's possible?) as they do not want clones. Just normal guys we all meet on a daily basis in every walk of life.

[MAX]

Nonsense! You just have to lie consistently!

PP answered extremely well.

Go ahead and lie if you want to. The psychological questionaire is studied by the shrink. You will also have a probing interview with the shrink who studied your answers. The sim captains will then fly with you and write down any behaviours you may ehibit when under pressure or when critisized etc. The management interviewers will also have a stack of notes on how you answered their questions. They will then all get together and have a good old chat about you comparing notes and smelling a fish.

You must pass the WHOLE process, not just a psychometric test.

Oh yeah, I also asked one of the sim captains about the introvert extrovert thing someone harped on about. He/She had no idea what i was on about. Take that as you will.

MAX:cool:

[Pilot Pete]

Tfly don't look for any one particular type. That sort of testing is a little dated now. They look for strengths in certain areas that any character can have. For instance, a simplified example is as follows.

They want people who possess leadership qualities. So, they look for strengths in the area of leadership. You can be introvert, extrovert or any kind of vert you want, but you need to display leadership qualities, which any type can have.....

And so the list goes on with other qualities such as decision making, communication skills, followership, spatial awareness, ability to work under pressure etc etc etc.

So I wouldn't worry about trying to change your personality for the tests, what I would concentrate on is being honest and consistent, then you can't be tripped up.

By the way, moon is the odd one out, as the other two produce light, the moon only reflects it.;) Best I get back on to Grainee for you Amex!

PP

[MAX]

Actually both answers are correct.

Amex is more the soft romantic whereas PP is a hard anylytical thinker.

:D

[PPRuNeUser0215]

Since we both got in, it shows there is room for both types ;)

PP is from the North therefore he is used to hardship. Me, I am a softy from down south who enjoys lazying about :cool: :ok: