Ladies and Gentleman,
Read between the lines! They say:
* Sponsored payment by airline with 5 year bond P 1,750,000.00
* Payable by the cadet P 1,750,000.00
In most airlines that means that you have to put up the money upfront for the bond. Meaning in cash or a bank guarantee. So you would still have to have P3,500,000. Half to pay for the course, half to give to the airline as a bond, and they would hold that for 5 years. You leave one day before the 5 years, and the money automatically reverts to them. That's how they do it! So if you think that you only need to come up with P 1,750,000.00 you're in for a surprise.
But you may ask: Can I have it deducted from my salary?
- Your salary from CebPac as an FO is not that much to start with. If you were to deduct P 29,166 from your salary each month for 5 years how much would you be left with? (assuming P1,750,000.00 divided by 60 months)
Furthermore, what has been quoted here on the forum are the take home salaries from current FO's at CebPac, FO's those who joined the company with at least 1500 hours TT. They were already at a different level of experience of the MPL's. MPL's salaries will be lower than that for certain. They have no previous experience or knowledge, so the scale should be different.
And what can they do about that? Absolutely nothing, which leads me to...
So what can I do or where can I go?
- The MPL is not yet fully recognized worlwide. A lot of the framework is still missing. The Europeans still want to study it further before they fully implement it in the JAR, as so do the Americans, the Australians, etc. Even the pilot's associations, like IFALPA aren't buying it for the time being. Look up their websites and see what they say. Also, the MPL licence, by it's nature should be done under the patronage of an airline, using that airlines SOP's and Airline Policy, in this case Cebu Pacific. But if you think that you can go to another airline tomorrow, knock on their door and say: "I have an MPL from an organization that worked with Cebu Pacific!", their most logical reply would be "well go work for them then". So at this specific point of time, not much you can do with it and nowhere much to use it. You can only be a First Officer in a multi-crew airplane with Cebu Pacific. Period.
My point is, if you're going to spend that amount of money on the course get some answers, don't just jump in the boat!
Ask Alpha:
Exactally how many hours will be done in an airplane and how many will be done in a simulator?
How much more money will it cost me for food and accomodation?
What about the exams at the ATO, how much will those cost me?
What kind of experience do your instructors have? Do they have an airline background?
Which books will we be studying from? CPL, ATPL or specific tailored books for the MPL?
Is this course completely approved by the ATO? Which kind of certification did you have to go thru?
Ask Cebu Pacific some questions:
What exactally will my salary be when I join the Company?
What kind of a career progression can I expect?
How will the internal framework be in regards to promotion to Captain later in the Career? Will I have to go out and get an ATPL?
Even ask the Air Transportation Office (ATO):
The MPL only allows me to act as a first officer in commercial air carrier operations. How can I be promoted to Captain? Will I need an ATPL? Will I be able to fly in GA with this licence?
As this licence is new, have you designed the required curriculum for the various subjects? What about the exams, have they been done?
Having said all that, if your only objective is to join Cebu Pacific and make a a career there and are willing to be there underpaid (in comparison to your fellow pilots performing exactally the same function in other airlines) for at least 5 years then go for it.
But I'll tell you something. The human mind is something very funny and it plays tricks on you. Perspective is sometimes everything. I know that any pilot would give his left buttock to get a job on his/her first jet. Especially on such a magnificent machine like the A320. You will even say to yourself "It's not about the money, I would even work for free, I love flying and flying a jet would be IT for me", and you would think "plus I'm getting free flight hours anyways, I can always go somewhere later". That is all very true for your first 2 years, until you get about 1500 hours.
Then you start looking at job conditions in other airlines, reading thru those last pages of "FLIGHT" magazine, seeing what's out there. And you start thinking "Damn. I have quite a lot of experience on the plane already. Plenty of jobs out there, paying triple what I'm earning here...."
And by then you also start realizing that there's no way you would do this job for free. You love it, but it's hard work, especially in those low cost airlines, getting up extremely early in the morning, fying those 4 sectors almost every single day... Plus being away from the family and friends a lot of the time, can't even make a phone call, hours on end completely abstracted from the rest of society, sharing only a small confined space with someone who you don't always particularly like... And what about the health dangers inherent to this job? Breathing that dry air all the time, the noise from the engines, the noise from APU and the packs when you have to do the exterior walkaround, the constant pressurizing / depressurizing, accelerating / decelarting, vibrations, turbulence, those headseats blasting out noise all the time, you eyes fixed on a screen for hours... "Hell, no way I would do this job for free! Actually Ceb Pac should be paying me much more for what I do....!
But they won't because that is the contract you have with them, contract thet you signed only three years ago... I guess perspective is everything sometimes.... And now you can't go anywhere, if you do you'll have to dish out that P 1,750,000.00. Plus which airlines will be accepting you with just an MPL that was tailored for Cebu Pacific? Unfortunately not many I'm guessing. Plus you would loose any kind of seniority. So you would probably stay until the at least the end of the contract....a little bit sour and bitter by it all, feeling that you are being cheated in some way, that you deserve more, all the other guys in the other airlines are getting more, some with even less experience than you..
And then you finish the contract, 5 years gone by. You are now free. So once again you look at all those jobs out there. Make some applications...
But that MPL is still not helping, you think "Damnit, should of gotten an ATPL, would make me more marketable." But you do get some offers, but they are either contracts with no chance of upgrades, or join an airline at the bottom of the list. Plus most probably you would have to uproot and relocate your whole family. And your spouse would have to let go of his/her current job, so you would be one income only... And then that's when the Company throws the Captaincy carrot at you. Make you feel special, remind you what an asset you are to the Company. And that if you stay with them you can expect to become a Captain very soon, maybe in less than 2 years...
That's something that you want. Plus you wouldn't have to change countries, change everything. Spouse would still keep working, and now with your Captain's salary combined with his/her salary you can make things work...
And there you are: Trapped in the system, the beggining of the cycle once again...
I think most pilots can relate to this, I'm guessing you guys at CebPac will know what I'm talking about. And you don't have an MPL licence
Please note that by these words I do NOT intend in anyway to put down Cebu Pacific, the Company, it's management, much less it's pilots. I think they are a great company who are doing great things, I wish them the best of luck. It's pilots are a great bunch of people and very professional, it's flight attendants are excellent, very funny and courteous. I fly with Ceb Pac at least once a month and I have always got outstanding service.
What I am giving you here is my honest opinion on this topic, nothing more nothing less, so that it might help you can make an informed decision.
Airbusbatics
Check IFALPA's position on the MPL:
http://mail.beca.be/tulip/position/I...ment%20MPL.pdf
Check ECA's position on the MPL:
http://www.aca.or.at/artikel/download/ECA_MPL.pdf