Like all jobs the pay will vary a lot between different companies. With a major company expect to earn about £32k, if you work in the right dept. o/time and away jobs boosts this to £40-£50k but it leaves you knackered. Its been over 3 years since i last contracted and at the time I was on £35 per hour in the U.K. However, at the same place there was an a+c guy on £19/hour. It all depends on how much your cover and experience is needed at the time of asking, plus of course how much you can negotiate without losing the job! Somefokker is quite correct about the poor morale. Also take note of the working hours. It can be stressful at times. Sounds all doom and gloom but like a lot of engineers I've been doing the job a long time (over 20 years).So perhapes its not all bad. You lose your licenses if you are out of the industry for any length of time so its not really a job you could have a long break from. (I think its 6 months experince every 2 years but I could be wrong, its all changing at the momment. There is a real shortage of engineers at the moment, especially avionics but this could all change with the new JAR mickey mouse license system coming in. If you want my advice "go for it" but be prepared for the **** !