I am in agreement with Flash 8. Yes, I agree with Vito's point on the way the industry treats wannabes (don't agree with the attitude or wishing an airline to go bust).
I am dumbfounded by the way the industry treats wannabes by making them pay for everything without the airline paying expenses - at least for travel.
Of course you are all going to say things like "There are tons of low hour pilots so if you cant pay, we will just take another from the pool" and "You knew the industry before you bought the ATPL / TR - no guarantee of a job" etc ... but BUT this does not make it right and things really must change. Sure, being a pilot is a priviledged job but it shouldn't be some secret society where you have to bend over and get shafted (yes literally) in order to get the job after already spending close to £70K!!
This is the ONLY industry (someone pls correct me) where you spend 70K and are not guaranteed a job at the end of it. And then you have the likes of Pilotmike saying spend £400 on a sim check and £150 on an interview preparation day. Are you serious PilotMike???
Is this really the state of industry that I want to join? Is this how I am to be treated? So if someone is "lucky" enough to get 5 interviews in a year, then you are looking at £2750 for 'preparation' on top of the fact that you may have paid £15K for a TR and £70K for an integrated course and don't forget that you may have lost an average of £25-30K salary as you spent a year doing the course itself!!! NOt to mention how much you really would pay back in interest on replayments if you got a loan or if you remortgaged the house.
So with everything I just said, the statement changes :This is the ONLY industry (someone pls correct me) where you spend directly/indirectly 150K and are not guaranteed a job at the end of it.
Vito - I welcome your rants. And if just one wannabe per year takes a browse of PPRUNE and sees your posts which makes them think twice as hard before deciding to join the industry (not neccesarily deciding against being a pilot), then you should be commended. It's good to have a reality check now and then.