I don't agree with paying for training either, but for reasons stated elsewhere on this thread perhaps it is inevitable.
Instead of arguing amongst ourselves, we ought be applying pressure on the Government to have the cost of training properly tax deductible. Jet2’s way training repayment is tax efficient to a point as I understand it, since the training is repaid from gross salary and not net. However, if the cost of the repaying the training is for example £6700 per annum for three years then this should be added to our personal tax code for the period of the loan. If my tax code were say £8000 pa, I am allowed to earn £8000 per annum before I start paying tax. If the cost of training were added on to this, my personal allowance would go up to £14,700 and I would be allowed to earn this amount before paying tax. If the loan for the training were then deducted from salary, the biggest disadvantage would be to the Inland Revenue.
It’s true the Revenue and the Government are hardly likely to agree to this. But if the long term result of doing nothing to address the cost advantages of East European operators is that every aircraft over the UK is flown by non UK residents whilst UK pilots are either working overseas and paying the Revenue nothing, or UK pilots are on income support dependant on the Government, perhaps the Government should be made to listen.
It should be BALPA, the IPA and high profile representatives of UK airline management, Branson would be perfect, that lobbies UK Government for a change to tax rules of this nature or any other law change that would give our industry a chance of competing with the lower overhead East European operators.