hihover....40+ applicants for every job?? a) is that Qualified applicants? b) not where I work, not any more...
quote: "There is no real need for Police and HEMS to pay big money for helicopter pilots with so many quality people to choose from"
I would like to see proof of this? The first 12 c.v.'s across my desk this week went straight in the bin....certainly not qualified! Add to this the huge amount of retiree's starting to happen, (mainly ex-mil) that was predicted 12+ years ago, with less and less leaving/available, no one training to become helo pilots the last couple of years, anyone with any sense is off to the airlines, many pilots taking/taken early retirement and others just completely fed up with the rotary industry, it is starting to bite....Add to this the topic of this thread, the completely p*%s poor wages and disgraceful pensions offered by some, (one yellow HEMS unit offer 3%)?!?!?!??!???!?!?? then there will be a shortage of good guys and gals to choose from...this was the topic of a conference this week in London....
Are there Pilots out of work, Yes ! Are there 100's of qualified pilots out of work, definitely not!! However, all you will hear from employers is that they also have 40 qualified applicants for every job, that way the scaremongering keeps the wages and pensions low, which is exactly what they want!
They may be able to employ pilots, but not many stay for the long haul as no matter how good the job, eventually the pay/pensions are too low to retain pilots!
B.