CedarJet:
It is partly a cost issue but also a selection issue, If the candidate is sure of his/her qualifications and potential he'll not worry of the costs...
So if I understand correctly, 98% of the pilots hired by different companies worldwide are not motivated or unsure of their qualification
The only companie that I can think of making candidates pay for the selections is Ryanair. And believe me the last think I want to do is to compare these 2 companies!!!
And if you reed me correctly you'll see that I've said since the beginning of this post that MEA hiring new pilots was a very good thing for all the Lebanese young pilots looking for a job. I know these guys will accept the job and they'd be fools to refuse it!
They are not complaining about these cost simply because they don't have the choice.
No matter what people think or say, I find these costs utterly abusive! Specially for a National carrier. As if printing some papers will help MEA financially.
ODGUY:
they will apply somewhere where you don't have to use your money to get in
Agreed 100%. But and that's just a guess, if you are Lebanese without another passport in hand, I think your chances of finding a job in another country are pretty slim unfortunately.
MEA knows this and are talking advantage of this situation.
One last thing... From what I read on different posts, Menajet salaries are around US$2500. MEA less than US$2000. Not saying that money is the only issue in choosing a job but the salary MEA is offering for these new pilots is extremely low!
Having said all this, best of luck to the applicants
I know you guys will be very proud of flying for MEA!!!
Cheers!
DII