Just to clarify the wage situation in the UK, I moved into the right seat of a turboprop in 1998 from GA air taxi, and was paid the princely sum of £19,500 before tax, 1 1/2 years later got an early command at £34,000.
Moved companies to a low cost as an FO again and started on £38,000 ( + £4000 sector pay)
Not bad some could say, BUT! and a very big but! my plumber and my local Corgi register Gas technician actually earns more me!!!
Luckily again an early command 6 months ago, has bumped my salary up to a more respectable level, but in 4 Years at this company has shagged me out completely, working from 6am on my first day on til 11.30pm on my sixth or sometimes seventh day, that I've decided to move companies so I actually have a chance of reaching my retirement age in 32 years with a valid medical certificate!
When, or if I ever have children, I will certainly never promote a career in Aviation to them! and that is a sorry state of affairs!
Maybe I should follow my brother into the computer graphics world and earn his salary of over £ 100,000 per annum, to sit in front of the computer 9 til 5, 5 days a week, weekends off!
Pity they say that the flying bug is like the clap,once you have you can't get rid of it! otherwise there would be a major pilot shortage.