Sorry, the figures that are being pushed out, together with TACOs are a rather pessimistic view of the experience of others actually doing the job. It appears remarkably similar to the tune sung elsewhere on defence connect and is still keeping head in the sand about the need to demand a pound of flesh from the bean counters instead of pretending that the current outflow is just a flesh wound.
Longhaul, between 10-12 full days off a month, not including takeoff and landing day. Shorthaul I know is different. Then again, I don’t know many accepting short haul from the ME community.
Leave - arranged in 4 windows. 2x2 week annual and 2x flexi leave weeks. It’s actually not seniority based, it’s based upon time served on a fleet. After 6 years, you should have enough points to get exactly what you want. You also get 6 bookable days for
weddings etc, they aren’t leave, they just allow you to fix one of your days off between trips. This time off does not include recovery time between trips which is sometimes spread through the month. It’s easy to swap around though and get a solid block of days untasked which is in addition to annual.
Pay. 59K Starting but with somewhere in the region of 10-12%+ coming soon in the next 3 years with no chance of Hammond /successor nailing purchase power with sub inflation pay rises until 55-60. If I work as an FO for 25 years, that has my final P60 at around 115ish basic, 128 pensionable, in today’s money. I don’t think that ten years of 0% will happen any time soon as it did in the military. Oh add 20k in sheckles for downroute food and entertainment. Without submitting a single receipt.
Recently the Govt Actuary Dept valued AFPS15 as worth 59% of your salary
Yep and that would concern me, especially as how it would look next downturn when the treasury are looking for the next cut to morale via AFPS. You only need to look at HMG’s meddling with the discount rate to smell a rat. The contribution rate is now over 75% for Officer I believe, with a net increase in annual liabilities this year of over 115 million due to fiddling with the discount rate. If HMG gave me 75% of my salary to invest, then i would stay. The simple truth is that figure (52% or 75%) is paying for current beneficiaries and is not being paid to you. It is not your benefit. That money iS AME and as such is paid to service veterans, not your pot.
https://www.parliament.uk/documents/...%202018-19.pdf
Company annual performance related bonus
Personal Health cover. Death in service 5 times salary and after a few years 8 times salary.
a pension pot that is yours and is not based upon false promises (AFPS75 anyone!?) You have a pension pot that you can control, you can SIPP and will not be at risk once the nonsense that is brexit hammers UK tax revenues and we are all scrabbling for savings.
fixed location pretty much anywhere you want to live south of Birmingham. Commuting from Manchester is common for
LH pilots only flying on average 5 times a month. One guy makes San Fran work. Not for everyone but possible.
I’m not at risk of being posted to back of beyond in Scotland 8 hours away from my family.
A roster that is published and fixed 3 weeks ahead of flying it and leave that is sacrosanct.
I dont have to sit to sit in front of BOCS or argue with a corporal about why he is part of the problem instead of trying to be part of the operational solution.
1 hour crew in compared to 2 1/2 hours. 30 minute crew out compared to 2 hours when the armoury or Survival equipment forget you are back inbound for the third time that week, instead having to complete a de-kit assault course to meet the totally inflexible rules made up by some flt Sgt.
Overtime and the ability to say “No Thanks”.
Where is economy?