Steady on Alex. We're all entitled to our opinions but deriding those of others as
is a bit harsh.
The views on this are very polarised. There are those that will agree with Alex and those that will agree with Chicken Leg, and it's not likely that arguments from one group will sway those in the other. However, with that in mind, here are a few personal observations.
I always find it somewhat amusing when people compare becoming a pilot with becoming a lawyer, or a doctor. These are two of the hardest professions to get into and have been for many decades. Paying for ones type-rating to find work as a commercial pilot has only become an increasing trend in the last decade which begs the question; is such a comparison valid?
Whatismore, the
Office of National Statistics concluded their first study into Standard Occupational Classifications recently. 'Solicitors and lawyers, judges and coroners', 'medical practicioners', 'architects' and 'chartered and certified accountants' are all in
Group 2 - Professional Occupations, whilst 'aircraft pilots and flight engineers' are in
Group 3 - Associate Professional and Technical Occupations. So maybe we should be comparing ourselves with our peers, rather than careers that our perhaps outside of our peer group.
Who else is in Group 3 then, out of curiosity? Well, staying on the aviation theme, there are Air Traffic Controllers right next to us on the list. Do ATCO's pay for their own training then? It would seem to be a fair comparison to make. This excerpt would suggest not;
Entry requirements vary according to the employer. For National Air Traffic Services, the main employer, you should have at least two A levels/three H grades and five GCSEs/S grades (A-C/1-3), including maths and English, or equivalent qualifications.
After applying, you would normally be invited to a selection day and have the chance to talk to an experienced air traffic controller. Various tests would take place to measure skills such as the ability to check information quickly and accurately, spatial visualisation, mental arithmetic and short-term memory. If successful, you would move to the final interview stage for further tests. Before a job offer is made, you must obtain medical and security clearance.
Some people enter an air traffic control career after gaining experience in a related area such as military air traffic control, commercial or military flying, or civil or military air assistance roles.
Initial training takes place at the College of Air Traffic Control, next to Bournemouth International Airport, and lasts between 6 and 15 months, depending on the selected discipline, during which time you would be paid.
Following graduation from the college, you would go to an operational unit, such as Swanwick, and work alongside an air traffic controller to gain practical training and a qualification. This training period can last approximately 18 months.
With several years' experience it is possible to oversee air traffic controllers as an operational watch supervisor. Alternatively, you can apply to become a trainer of new air traffic controllers.
On the same list (group 3) are two different lines of work that I was involved in before I became a pilot. In both cases I was employed on the strength of my ability and potential. In both cases the training that I needed to do the job (ongoing training in the case of my IT job -- Netware admin, Lotus Domino Administrator & Developer, PRINCE2 project management, etc) were provided either by the employer, or at their expense. Not mine.
Some people, like Chicken Leg, may wonder why our industry has to be so different, and why some within our industry seem to argue that it 'has to be this way, because so is every other job' - a claim that is arguable.
My take on it is that it's all down to supply and demand. Many, many newbies 'demanding' more jobs that the airlines can supply. So the airlines upped the ante and asked applicants to buy their TR's, which some did. And as some did, so too did more simply to remaing competitive. And so it goes, the wheel turns ever onward, a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Apart from my observation, it doesn't bother me. I have a flying job, I get paid to do what I enjoy, and I didn't have to pay for extra ratings to get here. So I'm not here to grind an axe, just to point out that there are two sides to this argument and to label either side as
is perhaps a bit glib.
but moaning about it on here isn't going to change anything
Yeah, I agree with that bit too!
Edit: St. Paul beat me to it...
'Now lets move on to discussing paying for hours on type....now how does the lawyer compare'.
