BB,
The assumption I am making on conversions is that if Capts. leave through "normal" attrition (retire,sick) and the company never promotes f/o's, the f/o's will leave for greener pastures. Result, 2 training cycles.
If the company "promotes from within", as you correctly pointed out, 2 training cycles are also produced.
The choice facing the company is the availability of applicants and their qualifications.
The dilemma of promote from within really doesn't have to be faced until the first batch of f/o's who were cadets gain enough experience for command conversion. Market forces (pilot availability) may dictate otherwise but that situation doesn't appear to be happening in the expat f/o ranks.
Unfortunately, for all expats, as long as there is an ample pool of qualified candidates any leverage for promotion or increase in benefits is minimal to non-existant.
The lack of leverage doesn't mean improvements can't be requested. It just means they can't be demanded.
