Recruitment event

Large scale recruitment event with Virgin for on-board CSA, can anyone tell me what may the day involve ?

Unless its changed since I left, this is how the day goes.

When you turn up, you'll be shown to the kitchen where you can relax and meet the other candidates, and someone from recruitment will come and explain how the day works.

Normally the first stage is written tests. You should get two, one tests your ability to do maths and count money and so on, the other tests your english skills and your ability to understand rules. The papers are marked straight away, and those who fail get sent home then and there, but those that pass go through to the next stage, the group exercise.

Normally, you are all put in a room together, and you get given a story. It's usually something along the lines of your boat has sunk and you have to pick which objects are the most important to survive, or the world is about to end and you have to choose from a list which people you would save. You get given a few minutes to make your own rankings, then you all discuss it as a group and try to reach a consensus together. It's a good way of seeing which people are too quiet or timid to get their voice heard, and which people are too dominant. Communication and team working skills are vital so thats what you really need to demonstrate.

Those who pass that, get to go for an interview.

Thanks for your reply, you confirm everything I've been reading in these forums.
The event is next week, so trying to do as much research as possible. Exciting times! Will kick myself if I don't get past the first tests.

Weren't a lot of CASs on fixed term contracts which ran out when the franchise was due to finish, leading to all the "First Group to sack on board staff" headlines even though it was bugger all to do with FG?

There was, myself included (although since then I have left for a guards job at another TOC). After the franchise fell through and Virgin were given the extension, we were given permanent contracts. The worries about First group letting the fixed term staff go was because whilst they promised no redundancies for the permanent staff, they were unable to make any guarantees about the future of fixed term staff, and First's bid would have required some hefty cost cutting to balance the books.

Anyone on here received there final invite to the recruitment event in Glasgow next week?