Bonding at Eva
There is a bond with eva, 4 years and $30 000 USD for jet applicants, and as per the turbo prop contract on offer the bond is 6 years, or $60 000 USD. The bond doesn't begin to reduce until 3 years after your checked to the line ( turbine app. ). It's not to clear as to what will happen if you break this bond. In the passed the company has been resonably willing to negotiate with individuals as to how much they should pay. Will be interesting to see how willing they are to do the same in the future when the pilot shortage begins to bit.
Also in the past all of the pilots who have left came to eva with jet ratings and 1000's of jet hours. So it's pretty hard to tell someone like that that you expect to receive the bond in full. Especially when many of the countries these guys are returning to don't recognise bonding as legal.
One thing's for sure, Eva is going to have to ramp up recruitment if they want to avoid parking up planes next year. They're not getting the jet applicants they use to in the past ( hence the recruitment of turbine pilots), and it takes about 8 months to get a turbine pilot checked to the line, and 2 years for a local cadet.
It's kind of hard to understand why the company is so unwilling to improve the T & C for the current crew to try and keep them. It wouldn't take much, besides the low basic pay, non-exsistant super sch, and no 100% universal healthcare for family or educational assistance, this IS a fantastic job. We receive training that is the envy of every major airline in the world, we get decent layovers in great destinations, we get to fly some of the best equipment around, and the local pilots are some of the best operators i've ever flown with ( and nice guys as well ).
It's no mystery to me why Eva use to be one of the best gig's around. Unfortunatly the short sighted focus of the company is in danger of changing that for the worst. If something isn't done soon they are in danger of becoming the best airline training centre around. And that would be a shame.