British Airways · First Officer / Copilote
Direct Entry Senior First Officer - all fleets, UK CAA licence holder
British Airways is recruiting experienced direct entry senior first officers holding a UK CAA licence to join one of its long-haul or short-haul fleets. The role is open to pilots currently type rated on a relevant aircraft type with recent flying experience. Final fleet assignment depends on simulator assessment.
- Employer
- British Airways
- Position
- First Officer / Copilote
- Base
- Base non indiquée (Royaume-Uni, compagnie basée à Heathrow)
- Aircraft
- Toutes flottes (4 flottes long-courrier et flotte court-courrier), choix après la période de gel initiale
- Contract
- Direct Entry Pilot - Senior First Officer
- Pay (as pilots report it)
- Captain: about £99,900 to £223,300 a year; first officer: about £74,900 to £167,500, before tax (August 2025)
- Seen
- 8 October 2026
Key points
- Direct entry role for Senior First Officer rank
- Possible assignment to one of 4 long-haul fleets or the short-haul fleet
- Required completion of Senior First Officer training packages within 12 months of joining
- Successful candidates enter a hold pool with a maximum of 2 job offers
- Skilled Worker Visa sponsorship available for candidates without existing right to work in the UK
What the employer asks for
- Current type rating with a minimum of 3000 hours on a relevant aeroplane type, excluding simulator time
- Flying experience on a relevant aeroplane type within the past 12 months
- UK Part-FCL licence (ATPL(A) or meeting the hours requirement to obtain one)
- UK issued CAA Class 1 medical certificate valid for at least 6 months from joining date
- Height between 1.57m and 1.91m (taller candidates may undergo a functionality check)
- Good level of physical fitness
- English language proficiency at ICAO level 6, spoken and written
- Valid passport with at least 12 months before expiry
- Right to live and work in the UK or eligibility for a Skilled Worker Visa sponsored by British Airways
- Compliance with uniform standards, including tattoo restrictions on hands, face or head
- Ability to swim 50m followed by treading water for 3 minutes and assist others in water
- Ability to tread water while fitting a lifejacket and pull own body weight into a life raft
What the employer offers
- Dynamic career path with options to change fleet or progress to Captain
- Varied roster patterns including night stops, day trips and tours
- Company pension scheme with employer contribution of up to 15%
- Extensive worldwide staff travel benefits
- Choice of 5 different fleet types after an initial freeze period
- Life insurance benefits
- Company funded, non-bonded conversion course and type rating
- Discounted airfares for friends and family
- Discounts at selected car hire, hotels and retail stores
- Range of voluntary benefits for employees and family members
- Private medical cover, technology scheme, Cycle to Work and electric/hybrid car scheme
The selection process
- Initial screening
- Video interview
- Capacity testing
- Assessment centre
- Simulator assessment determining long-haul or short-haul suitability
- Entry into a hold pool with up to 2 job offers
Summary written by ForAllPilots from the employer's posting. Only the official posting counts: check every condition before you apply.
British legacy long-haul airline
British Airways at a glance
The British flag carrier, formed in 1974, a founding member of the oneworld alliance in 1999, with its main hub at Heathrow and a very diverse long- and medium-haul fleet.
- Bases
- London Heathrow (main), London Gatwick (secondary, via BA Euroflyer)
- Fleet
- Airbus A320/A321, A350, A380; Boeing 777, 787; Embraer 190 (BA CityFlyer)
Pilot recruitment
Member of the IAG group. Recruits qualified pilots and offers a structured ab initio cadet programme (BA Future Pilot Programme). Large and medium-haul Airbus and Boeing fleet, hence many possible type ratings.
Pay and conditions, as pilots report them
Figures reported by pilots, not confirmed by the airline, each one dated (last update: June 2026). For information only.
- Captain (BA Mainline): about £99,900 a year at the bottom of the scale, up to about £223,300 on long haul and £189,300 on short haul, before tax (August 2025).
- First officer: about £74,900 a year at the bottom of the scale, up to about £167,500 on long haul and £142,000 on short haul, before tax (August 2025).
- Speedbird Pilot Academy (company-funded training): basic pay of about £36,800 in year 1, up to £67,200 in year 5 (November 2025).
- Allowances: about £19 per flying hour, around £14,200 a year for an average 713 hours, plus £4.86 per hour away from base (August 2025).
- Pension: 6% from the pilot and 15% from the company, plus 0.6%, 21.6% in total (March 2023).
- Rosters: seniority-based bidding, junior pilots work more weekends; since winter 2025, at least 3 days off after a long-haul trip of 3 days or more, and 86 hours off after a 5-day short-haul block (December 2025).
- Leave: 6 weeks plus wrap days, and 12 "golden days" a year; parental leave on top (November 2025).
- Career: command on short haul in 3 to 5 years, 18 years or more on long haul; under 2 years at BA Euroflyer in Gatwick (December 2025).
- Hiring: A320 first officers sought and some A320neo captain positions; entry through SSP closed until 2027, newly qualified pilots go through the Speedbird Pilot Academy. Outlook described as positive (June 2026).
- First officer profile: at least 500 hours with A320 experience for short haul, 1,500 hours on a ZFTT-qualifying aircraft for long haul; otherwise BA Euroflyer from 100 sectors and 500 hours (August 2024).
- Selection: online application, recorded video interview, then capacity and spatial reasoning tests, group exercise, interview and simulator (August 2024).
Reports published on pilotjobsnetwork.com
Compare pilot pay at other airlines →The British Airways selection, as candidates tell it
What candidates report on forums (Aeronet, Pilot Jobs Network) and what the employer publishes, summarised by ForAllPilots. It is not the official process: it changes from one campaign to the next, always check the posting.
Reliability of the reports : medium
The stages
- Recorded video interview of a few questions (it replaced the former online maths and verbal tests).
- Computer-based crew capability test (‘EAGLE’), in the role of a first officer managing several tasks under high workload.
- Group exercise and competency-based interview.
- Simulator (A320 or A380 depending on the day), the result of which is combined with those of the interview and group exercise; the whole process takes about two months.
The aptitude tests
- EAGLE multitasking test: system monitoring, failure detection and management, small calculations in parallel.
- The former numerical and verbal reasoning tests are no longer reported in recent sessions.
The technical part
- Few technical questions reported; the simulator assesses coordination, decision-making, navigation accuracy and manual flying.
Candidates' tips
- Prepare concrete examples focused on care for customers and colleagues.
- Know the basic pitch attitudes and thrust settings for both possible simulator types.
- Practise multitasking under pressure before the EAGLE test.
Our exercises to prepare
Give yourself every chance
A first officer selection usually combines a technical test (ATPL and aircraft knowledge), aptitude tests, a group exercise, an HR and technical interview, then a simulator check.
Revise the ATPL subjects that come up most in technical interviews: performance, meteorology, systems, procedures. Prepare concrete examples of crew teamwork for the interview.
If the posting mentions aptitude tests, practise the most common families of exercises: mental arithmetic, multitasking, orientation, reasoning.