stercus:
Really, then why is 172 driver advertising for a tug pilot?, why not just call any one of the willing volunteers.
Well, as future RW and FW pilot, I can see your side, but I don't agree with it. As free flying pilot (in the past, though paragliding only so far) I can understand.
Budding pro pilots that are skint, don't have much better opportunity for hour building.
Also, if you're pilot, you probably LIKE flying. Of which gliding is the purest form in my view. Could be compared to hang gliding (more flexible, yet good gliding ratio) or PG (transportable in bag, usually not paying for taking off except fees for private take off sites and travel to get there).
Anyway, if you don't like gliding, then you probably are true jet jockey. I won't go further.
This and few other threads where MIKECR and the likes contributed to, gave me some hopes of fun flying in the UK without burning wads of money when being already skint from rotary training in the US. If I have time off Uni or take 'career break' and possibly get hired into tugging job in few years' time.
Technically, even if it's not Bideford with caretaker salary, they still get some benefits ie housing.
Well, if you don't have any gliding experience and should have, need BGA tug pilot standard training, you have to pay something. But the rewards far exceed the cost for some. Not everyone and for them it's just something they don't even have to think about..
Back to topic of your post:
Why do companies advertise for posts? Why don't they just grab friend of employees that has such degree, or such declared knowledge and employ him? It's because they want to get the best suitable candidate.
'Queuing' aside, if they have bunch of members that could do some tugging, but they want to do XC on a great day, or they cannot commit to such hard labour, or they have fresh PPL but not someone with more hours...
Would you go for it for free, with family back home, full time job you can't just give up to pay mortgage and family living costs? Bearing in mind all the 'hassle of working most of the week and living away from home in some passable place' should you be from far away?
Just because you're PPL and gliding club member '
willing' to help?
I also don't know of the percentage of glider pilots actually having necessary PPL and hours to be able to tug..
I stand by the gliding background posters. It's WIN-WIN situation and if it wasn't, it wouldn't exist.
Maybe you should go and criticise 'hangar ratting' of fresh rotary (100hrish) CPLs in Australia where instructing rating requires much more TT and nobody is usually hiring such low time helicopter pilots. That's exploiting. It's been mentioned many times in 'rotorheads' section I mostly frequent.
Btw, I adored one Californian gliding club website month ago, before I came across these threads.
One club has 300 USD annual membership, 50 or 80 national assn membership and monthly 'flying dues' of about 50 bucks when flying. That's say, 600 USD for flying of your pants off no extra rentals etc for the season (well, European standards, longer in reality over there) AND FREE TRAINING WITH VOLUNTEER INSTRUCTORS. If it wasn't for lots of 'free' labour of club members, I very doubt it would have such low cost. Sure, they don't run every day of the week with one glider per member, but still reasonable cost.
Yeah, you read it correctly. They volunteer every few weeks to train new fellow members on top of their flying jobs or whatever career. Who knows why? Why do some gliding clubs charge for instructor's time? Why do we get charged for dual airplane or helo training? Hmmm.
I only flew paragliding (slaving in crap jobs to afford the kit as teenager) but if I could afford gliding back home when much younger, I would. No car, no money, not much time besides school.
Shame I am not in California already with green card or some immigrant visa.
Since I asked glider plane and airplane to be added to my insurance policy, I hope I'll do some gliding this summer. Even if couple rides in NW US.
I am also nicely surprised at the amount of gliding clubs throughout the UK. Never checked it before. Looking good.