They do indeed clock in and out but I don't understand why. Can you help?
I beieve although its been many years since I spoke to a cab air instructor.
Basically they were operating exactly as mentioned above with the instructors expected to be in while not getting payed. The min wages unit got to find out about it and they had to change there operating practises.
The only difference is that now that they have to clock in and clock out. If there is no work the managment can decided to send them home ie clock out. So the hours at home won't go towards the average for the min wage calculation. Its a thing called a zero hour contract as mentioned previously. Your not getting payed but it does allow you to go and work in say Tesco's which on the build up to xmas is pretty solid work when ever you turn up.
But it all really depends on your contract. If it says you are contracted for 8:30 to 5:30 ( 1 hour for lunch)for 5 days a week you should be earning an equivalent salary to £10,504 a year or £875 a month.
But there is some averaging allowed over the year. This will go up next yeat to £11128 and £927 a month.
There was also a test case of some security types at the Dome in London and also standby vechile recovery on the motorway. Where people where expected to remain on standby for long periods and when the pay got worked out it was less than the min wage for the time spent at work/standby. Both cases it was awarded
Unfortunatly most flying schools seem to think that part of your pay is the value added bonus of being able to put hours in your log book.
Watch it though there are some very dubious practises go on at some schools and the more they try and shaft you at work the more likely they are to go to great lengths to try and get you when you leave. The favourit just now is to refuse to give a reference for the security check for your airside pass. This basically stops you flying and is a complete pain in the tits to get sorted out depending how much contacts you have (ie if you have a friend who is a police man he can sign the whole period off no probs). Another one is to give a poor reference and its a bitch to prove . With holding final pay and only releasing it when the small claims court stuff comes through.
Unfortunatly the peak in airline recruiting occurs at the same point as the season gets into gear instructing. And generally instructors and airlines don't give a toss for notice periods. So quite often the schools are left in the lurch when experenced instructors leave with sometimes a couple of weeks notice. Usuaully about the time the CFI is due to go away on a skiing holiday, unrestricted instructors are like rocking hourse poo for starting short notice. Then there are heaps of hassel trying to get supervision of a restricted instructor so the CFI can go away.
So it all boils down to a them and us attitude by the schools managment. They think they are doing you a favour by just letting you sit in a plane and think its acceptable to treat you as a slave. They will quote that all the instructors in the past were crap because we gave them 1000hours and the bugger took a sickie on the tuesday and started his type rating on the monday we lost x thounds of pounds in lost buisness etc etc. And the instructor just wants to have a life and not be a slave.
MJ
edited for a link
http://www.lowpay.gov.uk/lowpay/useful_links.shtml