Recession end & the wannabe
So what should the wannabe do now?
Background
The UK airline industry is still in a bad way however I see that some smaller company's are being quick off the mark to take advantage of lower lease rates on aircraft & the inertia of the bigger airlines who have (over?) reacted late to the market down turn.
Some employers are clearly trying to take advantage of the situation with talk of bases closing & pilots laid off, I think that this is a bit rich for at least one airline that is having crewing problems. Oh and this stance comes as the pay reveiw approches.
The time is not yet right for airlines to come knocking on the doors of the wanabes but the list of those from Zoom, Silverjet & XL who are out of work is getting shorter.
Wannabe action plan
Don't get sucked in by the glossy publicity and pictures of young people looking happy standing on the steps of airliners with South American military quantitys of gold braid. These are the people who have copped onto the fact that the wannabe is going to pay to sit in the (second) best seat on the aircraftand are going to charge a fortune for this "oportunity".
The market is not ready for this and won't be for two to three years minimum. Life would be so much better in the long run if all of you kept well clear of these money sucking parasites.
It might be the time to think about a very slow move towards a modular (f)ATPL, training prices are keen but DO NOT give up the day job and DO NOT borrow the money, at this stage play only with real cash that is yours (as always not more than £500 up front).
Slow forward movement is the name of the game with the aim of being ready to do the IR in about three years. If the market shows that it is picking up then borrowing a little money might be in order to quicken the pace but this won't be for two to three years and hopfully you will have done most of the trainning by then.
It should put you ahead of the market without exposing you to too much debt and you will still have a job if the market is slow off the mark.