Hi

what if you had a job that cash in hand but the company willing to give the reference, is there any chance you think they still will ask for a prove from HMRC? is it random that they ask or is it because they didn't get the reference from your previous employer so they ask for HMRC prove instead? I'm stress, no idea how should i prove it to them

Hey,

I'm with Procius, I've been on Stage 1 since 10th March, so I can feel your pain.

This process has been a nightmare, chasing references overseas and feeling like you'll never reach the finish line.

I'm so afraid that BA will withdraw my application after all this time...

Guys I have a question regarding being unemployed for a certain time-period...

For the past five years I was at Uni, then got a job straight away etc. No gaps at all. However, I'm now in the process of applying to airlines until I finally get accepted onto one.

The issue is that I want to leave my job and have a break until I can work as a cabin crew.
Now I know it can take a while until I'm finally employed for an airline but regardless, I want a break so I don't feel restless when i finally work as cabin crew.

However, how complicated would it be for me to have references for a period of unemployment? If it helps, I'll probably be working on some Youtube videos while I'm unemployed, but those will mostly be filmed by myself. I.e. no person to reference what I was doing other than my family really.

Should I quit my job or would it be too hard for me to find references for a period of unemployment?

Definitely have a break from employment, and as long as you make a record of the exact date of your unemployment and if it’s 28 days or more then have a family friend who has known you for say 2+ years on a regular basis, that can verify the exact dates, and verify that you were supporting yourself financially i.e through savings etc etc, then there should be no problem :)

Most airlines go through a 5 year referencing process anyway so they will allow for a Gap reference between accepting your offer of employment and the your training start date (usually this is over 28 days anyway so you will need a Gap referee)

Remember the referee won’t need to be professional (manager etc) just someone who knows you 2+ years (ideally they are employed themselves).

Hope this helps!

Hi I received my provisional offer on Wednesday last week but I have still not received my phone call from Procius, how long does it usually take? I have also received my letter to apply for my visa but unsure when I should do this?

Ring up Procius definitely! Don’t let them forget as referencing takes a long while.

And do the Visa application / book an appointment straight away. Just make sure you have all the documents they need at the Embassy including the visa request letter from BA :)

I have another question and that is:

Legally, companies are no longer allowed to give "personal references" stating things like your personality, habits, reliability etc.

They are only allowed to provide "formal references "such as "This person worked from with us from ____ to ____ ."

So when applying for British Airways, or Virgin Atlantic, will they require a "personal reference" plus a "formal reference"? Or will a formal reference on it's own be acceptable?

If they require a personal reference, I can get that from my manager, but does my manager have to still be employed by the same company? What if my manager left the job position?

No, a personal reference would be the same as a Gap reference, which is only required for a period of unemployment that lasted 28 days or more.

And those people will have to know you personally for a number of years and have regular contact with you to verify how you were supporting yourself financially and your accommodation etc in that time.

But employment referees only cover official dates of employment :)

Hope that helps!

So, just to be 100% sure...

British Airways / Virgin Atlantic will only require employment references from my employers? That cover the dates of employment...

Nothing else?

In terms of verifying employment then yes thats all

Basically every reference you provide has to cover a continuous 5 year period :)