04 January 2023 , 14:55
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A British Airways trainee who moved to the country to become a flight attendant has criticised the airline's training scheme after they claim they were left jobless and a long way from home.
The prospective employee, who asked to remain anonymous, was left infuriated by the British flag carrier.
They had invested in drug tests and quit their previous job of 12 years to move to the UK and start the cabin course training process, only to be told that their file had "not cleared in time" - at 7pm on the day before the programme was due to start, they claimed.
After eventually learning they would begin in three months' time instead, the potential trainee alleged they were left jobless and thousands of miles from home, while receiving no explanation as to the cause of the delay.
The prospective worker moved to the country for the job (Bloomberg via Getty Images)"It is not acceptable for them to treat us like this," the BA hopeful told The Mirror.
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"It’s an absolute shambles and a disgrace. It should be an exciting experience landing your dream role but I’ve never felt so stressed and anxious due to having a lack of income after leaving my job of 12 years, to start with BA when they treat us so awfully."
Over the past year BA has recruited and trained more than 6,000 new employees, the airline has said, after owners IAG SA dismissed about 10,000 workers at the peak of the pandemic, according to Fortune.
In March the prospective employee applied to join the company, took a number of tests, and headed to the UK.
"Now I have to re-do my drugs and alcohol test, DBS test which have now all expired, all at my own expense, now with no job, paying for accommodation I now do not need," they claimed.
"Today I received an email reminder to book appointments I already attended two months ago - telling me I must book these appointments otherwise they will withdraw my application. I am at a loss of what to do."
The cabin crew hopeful claims they received no explanation or apology, simply a new contract to sign for three months time several days after the knock-back.
"I really do think that they should not expect us to hand in and work our notice when it is not certain we will start in time," they added. "I believe more people are delayed with their start date than have an easy transition to the training."
There are many posts on social media highlighting the issue, including one woman who called the process a "nightmare". "Fifth pushback for literally no reason," they wrote.
BA says it has hired and trained 6,000 employees this year (Getty Images)BA says that its employees must undergo stringent background and reference checks prior to starting work, due to the nature of the aviation industry.
When asked how many prospective employees had had their training delayed, the company did not provide a figure.
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The only potential reason for pushback given by the company was if "not all references" are completed in time for the training to begin.
A spokesperson for the company said: "Our dedicated team has worked incredibly hard to recruit and train more than 6,000 new colleagues over the past year as part of the biggest recruitment drive in our history.
"Safety is always our priority, and in the event that the necessary security checks and referencing are delayed, we have no option but to postpone welcoming them to our company."