Dictionary definition of the word 'job'
'job 1
n. 1. A regular activity performed in exchange for payment, especially as one's trade, occupation, or profession.'
I want paying for this type of work and see many so called 'jobs' advertised in the UK for pilots which don't in actual fact qualify as the above. If the advert specifies that the cost is £30,000 and you get your type rating and 400 hours flying, then it's not a job. Just a self funded training course which shouldn't be advertised as a job in the first place.
I wonder what the passengers would think if they knew that the FO up front was paying to have all of the responsibility of flying them to their destination, or in some cases doing it for free. They would think that there is something wrong with you.
There comes a time in any career where the buck stops and the company has to cough up for a fair days work, even if you do start on low pay. Crawling and sniffing up the companies ars* , paying them, working for free is not the way forward.
If everyone had morals and guts to refuse to pay for a type rating and the like then companies wouldn't have any choice but to revert back to how it used to be. As this profession continues to be devalued I doubt this is going to happen.
For me, I did my training and don't have a flying job. I've accepted that I may not get one in the current climate either as I am in my thirties. However, I have gone back to my old career for the moment and if I don't get a flying job then I am still satisfied that I got my professional licence.
I'm not going to contribute to the devaluation of a career that will ultimately only put me in more debt.