Martin1234-
It is not logical (nor fair) to pay eg $25.000 for a type rating yourself.
Say, after one year you are made redundant, then you have to pay another $25.000 for a new rating, should you not be able to find a job on your first. Maybe 2-3 years down the line, you are made redundant again and the story (and waste of money) repeats itself. I know this is not a common scenario, but it is still not an unlikely one in these times of new start-ups popping up left and right. ( Personally I've been made redundant 4 times in the last 4 years from 3 different fairly major airlines )
As a passenger I would want to see the most qualified pilots get the job and not the ones willing to pay!!!
(No, I'm not implying that all "I-paid-for-my-rating-myself pilots" are unqualified, most probably are higly qualified, but if just one such selection is made, that is bad enough!!!)
FlyingForFun-
Are doctors not paying for their initial traing???
How many universities do you know of that hand out free Medical degrees, and also pay for the studies that are mandatory to reach a point where you get qualified for such a degree!?!?
Get real! There is a big diffrence in paying for your own studies up to a point where you are qualified for a job and a situation where you have to PAY large sums of money to get that job! And especially as long as there is saftey involved, there should NEVER be such a question!
If all the unions worldwide (IFALPA) stuck together on this point, there would be no such problem. My suggestion is to talk to your local union rep and ask him to bring it up on his next local union meeting!
We have all paid alot of money to get to where we are today, and we are all professionals. We should be treated in such a way, and should not allow us to be abused by petty management!
... just my 5 cents...
Rgds
KADS