In the last years there was only a limited interest in IR pilots. Just some offshore guys and very few exec pilots. An other operator wasn't interested. Doesn't assist his pilots to hold IR and tried only to limit his costs. You couldn't get a bonus if you are a IR pilot. Knowing big onshore operators with twins which told their pilots "we are operating this SA330 or BK117 only VFR day and night, your IR isn't our thing. You have to pay if you want our helicopters to stay current". I know some pilots today without IR because they couldn't hold their IR current on own pay. Also up to today the most VFR operators doesn't give pilots at least a small bonus for lot's of hours, FI/TRI ratings or other experiences. "Our entry offer is this, take it or leave! There are so many hungry pilots out there!"
It's the same with the FI ratings, if your company don't need at the moment a FI nobody will assist you. May be next year they need someone and crying "There are no experienced pilots!".
Ratings are expensive. It's no fun to get an IR or FI rating! How many years you have to work for it? And what's the average pay outside this offshore guys?
A pilot recently negotiated a salary of £80 000 on-shore.
Working in an expensive country in Europe and i have
never, never heard about a normal onshore pilot earning so much money
Understand it as 120.000€ a year?