Originally Posted by
hargreaves99
Onshore operators often dish out free type ratings to the chief pilot's mates, but everyone else gets the "opportunity" to buy one at full retail cost (+ VAT of course)
Yep - seen that too. Obviously so ‘trusted’ they won’t leave
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Not sure of many operators making you pay up-front these days, perhaps some of the portacabin ones. I knew a few onshore companies who offered a salary sacrifice, or number of shifts worked for free to repay the type, but this was usually on the types where the rating is sub £10k (AS350, B206 etc). I remember paying for my 206 and 500 ratings in cash to work for people
thankfully things have changed.
Personally I’ve never thought it unreasonable to offer an employer some security that I won’t leave if they are going to invest the equivalent of a nearly new Porsche in me. I certainly wouldn’t spend £80k of my money on someone without some guarantee, even if it is only for somewhere between 3-4 years. The bonds I’ve signed have been for a lot less than actual transition costs and I’ve not had to spend a penny on my own training in about 20 years, thankfully.