Originally Posted by
skygeek
Hasn't it been bumped to 35k?
What is really telling is that while there is no shortage of excited future pay-to-flyers coming up with all the good reasons why it is such an amazing deal for their parents to be paying Ryanair so that they could fly a big shiny jet, we strangely don't seem to get lots of similarly exciting post-honeymoon reviews from yesterday's hopefuls. I am sure I am not alone in being interested in factual reports of the actual conditions for cadets post TR such as conditions, flying hours, intake/expenses etc. A few former colleagues I have reached out to personally to get some feedback were not super eager to share anything. Perhaps not everything is as rosy as it seems?
Well,
Firstly,
There are not many options, not many companies are hiring. I think everyone given the choice will sacrifice the 30k for the promising career with Ryanair. Whom btw (unless you are based in Spain) pay more than all their competitors. Cadet contract pays +- 3k a month, which is what a Wizz air FO get, and Volotea is even less, after 6 months you can already look at 4k per month and after a year where your hourly rate bumps from 18eur/h to 38eur/h you can aim at 5/5.5k. Which btw us not only more than their competitors, it is more than non-low cost operators. On top of the salary, they give you a roster 5/4 like no other airline, and a great addition to your CV, since having worked for Ryanair is the equivalent of graduating from Oxford University.
All of this information is factual as you can google and and it comes first hard from 3 FO officers that started in the last 14 months that I knew before they even started with Ryanair.
The truth is, that other than the 30k you have to pay at the start, the pilots are better treated than direct competitors and even normal airlines.
So you pay 30k for a good and fast career.
If I had accepted the offer to be a flight instructors, which lets be honest, unless you are lucky its the only other option, you would have to pay 10k Instructor rating for a 1/2k salary and have little to no career progression.
Furthermore, Ryanair keeps hiring because their pilots are being poached by other airlines, we are only in may and they have started 300 cadets.
Finally, everybody will complain no matter where they go and what they do.
A big Hug,
Luxpilot