Please state your name & the current role you have in Ryanair

Grace (Flight Ops Bases Manager)

What course did you study?

I studied Business Studies in Dublin City University

What graduate programme were you on?

I was on the 2016 Inflight Graduate programme

What was the most rewarding part of the Ryanair Graduate Programme?

I got the opportunity to meet with the executive management team for lunch along with the 6 other graduates. We could ask them any questions we wanted about the business. I understand just how busy the executive management team are and therefore it was a privilege to have an hour of their time. It’s not every day you get to sit next to MOL at lunch!

What obstacles or weaknesses did you overcome while on the Ryanair Graduate Programme?

Before I joined the Ryanair Graduate programme my biggest weakness would have been that I was not very assertive or decisive. The Ryanair Graduate Programme certainly changed this! Graduates are given a high level of responsibility and are expected to make decisions. Ryanair is such a fast moving company and decisions have to be made. Whatever I’m working on today, I could be working on something totally different tomorrow.

Was there anything you got to do on the Ryanair Graduate Programme that you didn’t think you would get to do?

I never dreamt of being able to organise the largest Cabin Crew Event on the Ryanair Calendar with over 300 attendees. I enjoyed every moment of this. From selecting the top performing cabin crew to drawing up a contract with suppliers, it was a fantastic experience which I learnt a lot from.

What skills did you learn while on the Ryanair Graduate Programme that were transferable to your current role?

The great thing about the Ryanair graduate programme is that you develop new skills from a number of different areas of the business. This gives you a rounded understanding of the company as a whole. I devolved skills such as Problem Solving, interpersonal skills, self-confidence, time management and attention to detail which gave me the opportunity and potential to progress to my current position today as a Senior Flight Operations Bases manager.

What from the Graduate Programme set you up for a career in Ryanair?

From the onset, I was thrown into the deep end and given a lot of responsibility. Ryanair has a very flat structure meaning that there is a lot of interaction between graduates and key stakeholders in the business. This allowed me to network and build relationships with a number of people from different departments. I truly believe that networking is one of the best resources for career development within Ryanair.

What is your favourite memory of being on the Ryanair Graduate Programme

I have lots of memories from the Ryanair Graduate Programme however the ability to travel around the network and visit a number of cities which I never would have had the opportunity to do otherwise. From the Trevi Fountain in Rome to the Acropolis in Athens, I loved every second of traveling around Europe. I have made friends for life and I have memories that will last a lifetime.

Any tips or advice for anyone wishing to be successful on our Graduate Programme?

If you’re lucky enough to be invited to an interview, my advice would be to do an extensive amount of research on the department you are interviewing for along with familiarising yourself with an overview of the company structure (countries, bases, subsidiary airlines). Be sure to keep up to date with industry related news and any recent press releases made by Ryanair (corporate.ryanair.com). During the interview be sure to win the panel over with your authenticity and positivity, keep your answers concise and focused and lastly, smile!