Rowley UK:
I take it that the majority of us who ramble on this site are self-sponsored (whether it be integrated or modular), if we were airline sponsored (like the fortunate few!) then we wouldn't be waffling on about these topics. Hence, if you pay for your initial training I can not see any moral difference in paying for a SSTR or indeed an Instructors Rating.
Surely the flying schools have an obligation to pay for instructors ratings but they don't, just as many airlines don't pay for type ratings. You state that airlines frown upon those who have SSTR on their own a/c type... Ryanair run their own, Easyjet take CTC (who pay a proportion of the TR), Monarch take CTC, Thomsonfly ask for £10 000 to be repayed over 5 years (that's about half the cost), Channex have run a SSTR, FlyGlobespan have run a SSTR etc etc and many others take type rated low hour pilots.
Morally you are right Rowley, it does screw up T+Cs and salaries and yes it isn't right.. but the market is so competitive with new start ups going under within their first few years of trading, airlines have to economise in every department.
Your training captain friend said there are those who need to pay for jobs and those who don't.. let him answer this:
I had all the credentials in terms of groundschool exams, flying results, educational background, training school, age et. BA et al wouldn't give me an interview cos I graduated at the wrong time (ie: too long out of flight school), UK majors wouldn't touch me cos I didn't have 1500hrs, 500 jet BLAH BLAH BLAH, and the turboprop and piston guys want at least 7-800 hours BLAH BLAH
So I decided either SSTR or Instructor Rating so people would take me seriously.. and now they are starting to and I have not even completed my course. I sympathise for those who can not afford a SSTR.. the world isn't fair, but you can't just buy a SSTR or Instructor rating u still need to pass it.
Many people are getting jobs via SSTR so I do recommend it.. if U don't get a job.. well you were 30 000-75 000 in the red now it's another 20 000-30 000! You not losing anything else as you're already a gambler.
Congrats on getting your job Rowley, it would be nice to see more low hour guys getting direct jobs with no strings attached.. all the best to everyone else
74 Downwind
