Globaliser:
Pilot's pay for their own ab-initio training, whether it is a contract commitment with the Air Force, Cadet program through an Airline or the good old fashioned way of slogging it out on your own. This would be equivlent to a University degree in terms of both time spent and funding ($50,000+).
Once you are in the employ of an air carrier the type specific training rests with the company. The company is not training you to be a Pilot as you have already aquired these accreditiations (Private Pilot, Commercial Pilot, Night Rating, Multi-Engine Instrument Rating, Airline Transport Rating etc.)
In this case the Air Carrier woud hire you as a Pilot, assuming you meet all the minimum qualifications (hours flown, type of aircraft flown etc.), then assign you to an aircraft in which you would take type specific training. At the end of the training a Pilot Prificiency Check (PPC) is completed under the oversight of the Federal Regulatory body (JAA, FAA, Transport Canada etc.) The PPC then has to be re-done every 6 months or you lose the right to fly. Fail the PPC more than three times - life gets real complicated...
The PPC training is what eight iron special is talking about. In recent years low value (not lo-cost) Airlines have been taking advantage of the Pilot Profession by establishing minimum term employment contracts (typically 2 -3 years). Attached to these contracts are bonds - in Jetsgo's case $30,000 committed by the Pilot at time of hire. If the Pilot should leave within the 3 year contract period then the Airline can demand all or partial payment of the bond.
Sounds reasonable in theory, however...
Now there is no incentive for the Air Carrier to commit to reasonable and fair working conditions. The salaries tend to be extremely low, flight hours the maximum allowed under law, poor or minimum follow up training, minimum maintenance, ground handling etc. (ALL of the items that are coming to light about Jetsgo). In the meantime, your Professional Pilot has become a willing accomplice as his or her number one priority at this stage is to remain employed so as to not lose their $30,00 dollar investment.
At the end of the day your low value carrier drives the ticket prices to a lower than true cost margin causing air carriers that are trying to run a safe reliable operation to meet these unrealistic prices.
As Professional Pilots it is imperative that we stop this proccess right at the outset by NOT Signing these idiotic bonds .
Some will argue that "if I don't sign on, somebody else will so it might as well be me putting time in my logbook". History is full of that type of individual thinking - none of it with good outcomes...