Apprentice - Business Professional

British Airways; City Of London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading aviation company is offering a Business Professional apprenticeship at London Heathrow, starting in Autumn 2026. You will have real responsibilities and work towards a Business Administration qualification, while engaging in various projects. The candidate should be a strong communicator with good organisational skills. Desirable qualifications include GCSEs in English and Maths. Competitive salary and benefits are offered.

Benefits

Increase in salary after first year

Access to discounted flights

Participation in community investment programmes

Qualifications

• Looking for a strong communicator with organisational skills.
• Desire for self-motivation and adaptability to change.
• GCSE in English and Maths at grade 9-4 is preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

• Collating and analysing performance data.
• Running meetings and organising conferences.
• Studying towards a Business Administration qualification.

Skills

Strong communication

Organisational skills

Adaptability

Self-motivation

Education

GCSE English and Maths (grade 9-4)

Job description

Business Professional

Duration: Three Years

Salary: Salary will be from £16,000, depending on the scheme, it will be specified during the assessment

Location: London Heathrow

Application Closing Date: 3 December 2025

Start Date: Autumn 2026

The programme

You’ll need to be ready for anything. We’ll give you real responsibility from the first day. We want you to meet every challenge head on in our fast‑paced, collaborative culture. It could be collating and analysing Cabin Crew performance data, running meetings at Heathrow or organising an internal conference. Every step along the way, you’ll be working with, and supported by, people from different teams and business levels.

For the first 12 months of the apprenticeship, you will study towards a Business Administration qualification. Upon successful completion, tailored conversations will then explore your onward pathway onto an apprenticeship within a more specialised area of our business.

At application stage you will be able to preference your Business Professional Apprenticeship pathway. We have three pathways: Business Professional general head office, Business Professional Engineering head office, and Business Professional Transformation. Our Business Professional Engineering head office pathway allows apprentices to get involved with different departments across the engineering directorate who play a crucial part in maintaining policies and procedures, compliance, and our fleets. If you select our Business Professional Transformation pathway, in your second year you will undertake a Project Management route within our Transformation team who are responsible for delivering exciting new projects around the business. You'll have the opportunity to be involved in lots of these projects, networking with many different stakeholders across the organisation. Our Business Professional General Head Office pathway varies between different departments across the organisation, including HR roles, Data focused roles – the list goes on.

About You

We are looking for a strong communicator who is organised, intuitive and has the ability to adapt to change. Above all, strong self‑motivation. English and Maths GCSE at grade 9‑4 (A*‑C) is desirable but not crucial.

What's in it for you?

Looking to join our apprenticeship scheme? You won’t be disappointed. Recently being ranked in the Rate My Apprenticeship Top 100, we can’t wait to welcome you into the British Airways family. We have many benefits for apprentices at British Airways, here are a handful to showcase the diversity of our apprentice community:

• Increase in salary after you have completed the first year of your apprenticeship, if completed in line with your development objectives

• Part of our apprentice network and community, with the opportunity to engage with apprentices from all schemes in the business and learn from former apprentices

• Involvement in our bold sustainability vision, volunteering an active role to champion specific community groups including LGBTQ+ "Flying Proud" and ethnic minority network "BeMe"
• Involvement in Community Investment programmes, taking part in fundraising challenges for partnership charities, supporting causes close to your heart

• Volunteering in schools and colleges sharing personal experiences to inspire, empower and mentor students and support their potential to gain employment in the industry we love

• Access to heavily discounted flights to globe trot, and a generous annual leave entitlement to turn your bucket list into reality

Further Information & Next Steps

We are delighted you are considering applying! Here’s some more information you may need about the application process:

• All sections of your application need to be complete, including all online tests, by the deadline given

• Due to high volumes of applications, you may only apply for one apprenticeship programme. We would recommend you read about each apprenticeship scheme before applying, as only your first application will be considered

• If you are successful with the initial application, you will be invited to complete a short video interview within a given timeframe

• Across all stages of the application process, if you fail to submit by the deadline, your application will be automatically withdrawn

At British Airways we all have a part to play in creating an inclusive place to work. Diverse representation among our people is really important to us and we recognise that all our colleagues are uniquely different and bring their own originality, creativity and identity to work.

Inclusion and diversity is a key driver of innovation and we’re committed to creating a culture where everyone feels that they can be themselves. We’re looking for people from all backgrounds and cultures to join us and be a part of our journey to become a Better BA as we continue to connect Britain with the world and the world with Britain.

Timelines for this recruitment process

• Initial applications open between 3 November – 3 December but may close earlier if volumes are high

• If your initial application is successful, you will be invited to complete a video interview in December

• If your video interview is successful, you will be invited to the Assessment Centre which will take place in March 2026

Werecognisethat AI tools can assist in writing and editing, helping to improve your grammar and overall style, however it’s important to consider that reliance on AI tools can lead to applications sounding inauthentic. At British Airways we want your personality to shine through, therefore, we recommend avoiding the use of AI to increase the success of your application.