Originally Posted by
DaveDurban
Hi Flyfan,
The salary figures you mention are for the "top countries in the RYR network, in the vast majority of the network FO's are currently making way less then the figures you describe. Ie, Most spanish bases still on a forced 75% contract, Portugal FO's netting sub 3k mo, Malta FO's making sub 3k mo, and the list continues.
And not to forget when comparing salaries to competitors, with Ryanair you get minimal pension. Max 3,5K a year in most countries from RYR. So you need to take charge of this yourself and out money away from your own net pay. Also deduct from your salary all other expenses that normal companies cover, Food, Drink, uniform, hotels, transport, airport parking etc. etc. Once you factor all these in its shocking how little you actually make. Another very important thing to consider is that unless you are part of the very lucky few that actually get a base they want, RYR will send you to a base/country where you have 0 desire to be, so you end up commuting. Commuting is very expensive and time consuming. I would easely sacrifice a large part of salary to join a company where I can actually choose where I'm going to live.
Now this is just the salary part, about the pro's you listed;
5/4 roster is great, but not stable. Everytime the company does not get what it wants out of a "deal with pilots" the Threat or implement a 5/3 roster again. Like in the U.K. in 2020 for the most recent example. Also, in most "temporary" "Emergency agreements there are clossules that the company can hand out X amount of additional working off days a year, at their discretion WITHOUT you receiving a WOFF payment, and if you're send out of base you have to commute on your day 0 and 6. Not that stable now is it?
Your other arguments are valid, though I will say flights keep landing later and later..
RYR is getting COMPLETELY desperate, and by their own predictions they will run out of pilots in spring 23, latest. Rumours form credible sources are making the rounds that the recruiting department if being told to call back interviewees who failed the assessment, to hire them anyway (I can't see a flaw in this strategy). You have to be completely deranged to pay them 30K now, which compared to under the past working construction us NO longer tax deductible. Joining this scheme is signing yourself up for and endless period of poverty and depression, far from home.
Well I will play devils advocate here.
To first state I do not agree with the 30k TR however.
Its used to be 25k even 15 odd years ago. With inflation it’s cheaper than then. A smallish gain.
I never paid for TR and have 2000+ hrs on TP over 20T. Lovely flying it was. Had interviews lined up after March 2020 which obviously never materialised. Fast forward to now and haven’t had a sniff of an aviation job. Feedback has been no jet hours so sorry. Even when they don’t specify it in adverts. Too many jet people looking for jobs. Mates who have b737/a320 all have jobs. All of them employed by mid last year.
How long do people wait? Oh keep waiting and the market will pick up. Yes but cadets with 200 hrs getting into RYR. So say they started last year but next year they knocking 1500 hrs plus on B737 people with no jet hours just falling down the order.
It’s bloody tough out there. If I could go back I would have gone straight away I RYR after training rather than waiting 2 years to get a TP job which paid less over time as well.
Guys who trained same time as me range from FOs at Easyjet, BA,EK some guys are Capts at RYR and a couple are now TRE/TRI. Only one guy I know has got a jet job from TP this year but he was in Jet2 hold pool since 2019.
Financially im probably down at least £300k when I add up the salary loss. £30k is nothing when you look at it that way.
Unfortunately it’s how it is. Ok so say they bond people. People will still leave. Just the financial burden gets moved to paying when you join to paying when you leave.
What’s the WIZZ bond time now? 7 years?Guessing as I don’t know.
So do I just wait and wait? Maybe get a TP job paying £25k. That’s what a certain UK airline is offering. Oh yay you took the moral high ground.
Or
Stump up 30k and have access to a much bigger market in 6 months time.
I know what I would do.
Anyway that’s my rant.