Here at Monarch we are passionate about employee development, and apprenticeship schemes are a perfect example of that. From engineering to IT, we have some great opportunities to learn and get qualified in your dream job.
I caught up with a few of the IT apprentices here at our Luton head office, and found out why they decided to apply for an apprenticeship at Monarch, what enticed them into the world of IT and what they’ve learnt so far. Happy reading!
Apprentices interviewed: Aaron Landa, Rob Hooker, Jack Taylor, Dale Hardwick
Hi guys, thank you for your time! Let’s warm up with an easy question – tell me something interesting about yourself!
Aaron: I’ve been doing martial arts since the age of 9 and this includes karate, boxing, kickboxing and also Wingchun. I have even competed at a good level.
Robert: In my spare time I help out at a cub group. For some reason I have also learnt how to juggle…which is a very useful skill to have!
Ok, now let’s get into it: what started your interest in IT?
Rob: I first became interested in IT while at school. I then went to college to study IT further which only enhanced my interest, as I learnt how to set up domains and how to install hardware in a computer.
Aaron: IT used to be my favourite subject. It started off very basic and developed as I moved up every year. I took IT as an A level and as I enjoyed it so much, I completed plenty of assignments and many different topics.
Aaron
Dale: I have always been interested in technology since I was young, from computers to games consoles.
Where did you hear about the IT apprenticeship scheme with Monarch?
Jack: Confession time…I had applied for a different job role with a different company! However I did not meet the requirements for the role as I was too young. 3aaa (apprenticeship providers) then came back to me with the news of an interview with Monarch.
Aaron: When I finished my A levels I knew it was time to start looking for apprenticeships within the IT field. I applied for many roles and also had many interviews, but when the opportunity came from 3aaa to have an interview with Monarch Airlines, I got really excited…albeit very nervous!
Dale: I heard about the IT Apprenticeship scheme whilst I was working in the Customer Services Department at Monarch. I worked in Customer Services part time when I was studying at college.
Why did you choose to apply for the apprenticeship with Monarch?
Rob: I chose to apply with Monarch as it’s a well-known company, which gave me confidence in the scheme. And it all turned out right!
Aaron: When looking for apprenticeships I was going through a lot of interviews – I also got offered a job at two schools! They were both waiting for my answer, but I always knew that if I was lucky enough to be successful at Monarch, that would be my first choice.
Was it hard to make it into the scheme, and what did you have to do to apply?
Jack: I was very lucky as 3aaa sorted a lot of the details out for me and told me where to be and when to go for the interview.
Rob: When I first applied at Monarch they set me up to have an interview so that they could assess my knowledge and have a better understanding about me.
Aaron: When signing up to 3aaa, they were very helpful in getting me into several interviews and were also very good at listening at what I was looking for. For the Monarch interview, I got told the day before I had to come in. However I was so excited I started my research straight away – and now look at where it has brought me to!
Ok, so it’s the day of the interview! What happens?
Aaron: At the interview process everybody was so welcoming and kind which made it a lot easier. We had many tasks to complete and we were also told about the company as a whole. We even got shown around at the Monarch Engineering hangar and saw the aircraft being maintained. We then had a few activities like having to put together a tower that had been dismantled. During another part of the interview, we had our IT abilities tested.
Jack: I enjoyed the interview process, I thought it was handled very well. Instead of having just a single interview where I talked about myself, we had a whole day of different tasks – some physical and some that needed a bit more thinking.
Jack
How did you feel when you were offered a place in the scheme?
Aaron: Funnily enough I was at school at the time doing my A levels. I knew any day soon I was going to receive a phone call with either good news or bad news. The day I got told I had been accepted I was so excited about the offer that I just wanted to get off the phone to be able to tell my parents!
Rob: I was so happy when I was told that I had been offered the apprenticeship as it was the one that I wanted the most.
Dale: As I had completed level 3 IT at college, which is part of the Monarch apprenticeship scheme, I was fortunate enough to be offered a full time job as a Junior Client Support Analyst and put through a level 4 IT course along with last year’s apprentices Shaan and Rob.
How long have you been an apprentice at Monarch?
Rob: I have now completed my first year apprenticeship. I am now working on my level 4, and I go to college one day every fortnight.
Jack: My first day at the training academy was Monday 13th July. My first day at Monarch was Friday 24th July. I started Monarch just over 7 months ago.
Rob
What’s the IT department like?
Rob: The IT department is a great department with an amazing working attitude. There is lots to do and there is always knowledge to be gained.
Aaron: At first I felt nervous thinking, what if I don’t know this or that, will people judge. I can honestly say I got the best team around me and that I have learnt so much from them, everybody is always willing to help which makes me feel a lot more comfortable and confident.
Dale: It’s a good department to work in, we have a mix of different ages and interests that allow us to gain knowledge off the more experienced members of the team that have worked in the IT industry for a longer time.
What do you get up to on a daily basis?
Aaron: At the moment my role is more on the support side. We have our own call stacks to go through on an everyday basis and we try to resolve as many as possible. I am part of the IT helpdesk which is who people call regarding IT issues like password resets, permission, licences and many other things. It’s my job to resolve the issues for the customer.
Rob: I am currently working in the second line support team. I work on issues that have come through the service desk – this can consist of PC hardware changes, software fixes and sometimes fixing printers.
What are some of the challenges of the job?
Jack: There are a lot of different challenges that I come across every day! This is because there are so may IT issues that I come across that I have never seen before or heard about. I enjoy these challenges, even though most of the time I need help from different members of the IT team. It lets me work with others who I would not usually work with.
Dale
What do you like the most about your job?
Aaron: I like everything about working here, I am learning new things every day, and getting all the support that I need. The atmosphere in the whole IT department is brilliant and every individual is easy to talk to and willing to help which makes work 10 times more enjoyable.
Jack: I like how I can challenge myself and attempt to try and fix an issue that I wouldn’t usually go for because I wouldn’t know how to do it. I know that if I get stuck while doing the task, I can ask someone else for guidance and they will provide it.
What are your proudest achievements so far?
Rob: I am very proud to have completed my ITIL, which is an IT course that helps to develop your knowledge in the IT structure and how an IT department should operate.
Aaron: Mainly it was working on an iPad project with one of my colleagues and being able to configure around 500 iPads for the pilots. It has now got to the point where I can configure an iPad without having to look at the help sheets and I can also help people who are struggling to configure or are having problems with iPads.
Would you recommend Monarch’s IT apprenticeship scheme?
Rob: I would recommend the apprenticeship scheme as it is a great experience which really impacts the first steps of your career. You also learn so much on the job and you can see things first hand which helps so much more rather than being in a classroom
Dale: I would recommend it as you gain a qualification while also gaining business knowledge, so you are able to get the best of both.
Do you have any advice for who’s considering following your career path?
Aaron: I would say to them ‘go for it’ because this has been the best decision of my life, waking up every day knowing where I’m going to work. Even when people ask ‘so where do you work’ being able to say Monarch Airlines is an achievement within itself.
Jack: My advice would be to go for it. If you get the interview with Monarch and get the role, great – but even if you’re unsuccessful you still gain useful experience in the interview process that you may need in the future.
Are you interested in joining the IT apprenticeship scheme here at Monarch? Visit our careers portal to find out more details and apply!