I couldn't have put it better myself
VFE. I have a lot of sympathy for guys who have got their CPL/IR, exhausted every other avenue in trying to find a job, and are prepared to take a gamble on a type rating. ANY self-funded flying training is a calculated risk, and buying a TR is simply taking things to their logical conclusion.
However, even those guys must know they are being exploited by the airlines. The simple fact (simplistic if you like) is that if no-one was prepared to pay up-front for a TR, airlines would have no choice but to accept applicants without one. Unfortunately, this being the real world, there will always be those who'll pay just about anything, and accept virtually any deal, just to get a foot on the ladder. Twas ever so.
I'll accept the reality that the vast majority of pilots will have to self-fund their licence. I'll accept that an airline paying for a TR is making an expensive investment that benefits the pilot as much as the company, and that it's not unreasonable to be bonded for a period accordingly.
Call me old-fashioned, but I don't accept it's right that candidates should be expected to spend many thousands of pounds - on top of their licence costs - just to buy a 'qualification' that the airline would have to pay for anyway - if the candidate wasn't prepared to do it for them.
VFE - check your pms.
