Originally Posted by
Lima Juliet
Roughly what you would get in the mob for similar levels of SQEPness for a Flt Lt (so £60k-£70k max). However, there are advantages and disadvantages. You obviously get geographic stability, you don’t get OOA detachments and the Ascent contract is long so there is job security. If you have pension or EDP to be paid it won’t be abated and paid in full on top of the salary. But you don’t get to move around (some folks like the variation and choice of mil life), you only get a 6% contribution to your pension (mil pensions are effectively free and are worth about 60% of your main pay - so if you earn £50k main pay (pensionable) and £20k RRP (non-pensionable), then the Armed Forces Pension is worth an extra £30k per year which would soak up most of any immediate pension/EDP pay outs), to start with you only get 25 days plus 8 BHs (33 days - whereas HMForces get 38 days) and the death in service benefits are not as good.
Horses for courses really but you are still a part of the Whole Force and so helping with the Defence effort. So not all bad.
Agree until your last sentence. If money is a factor then it is shocking . Ascent QHI’s at Valley are the lowest paid civilian SAR instructors anywhere in Europe or North America - low 60’s per year is slave labour for the skills they have.
Ascents entire financial model is based on paying a pittance and dismissing every opinion and concern of it’s instructors (front and rear). They are a business pure and simple and profit comes before absolutely every other consideration.
Ask the instructors themselves if they are proud to work for Ascent - every single one will say no, and all of their best instructors with any hope of a career at a decent employer have long since quit and are now paid what they are worth elsewhere.
Canada is about to launch FAcT - an equivalent to MFTS. Proposed civilian instructor salaries are more than double that paid by Ascent. Says it all really.