yannick - Could you please enlighten me on the "still it is nothing like nje with the nice benefit package..."-part of your post? I have loads of friends in NetJets and I am not aware of this "benefit package". ID tickets with airlines? Pension? Medical benefits? Loss of license?
As for tax I know for a fact that some corporate pilots, both some in NetJets and those with other operators, are walking a very fine line with regards to their tax situation/liability. This is also true for some airlines operating Pan-European operations today (Ryanair, EasyJet, Vueling etc etc). In VistaJet you pay tax in either Austria or Germany, depending on your contract, and then you make whatever tax deductions apply to your personal situation. No issues with tax authorities or social security. Yes, tax is rather high, but I have personal experience from taxation in 5 European countries and they are all very similar when looking at income beyond 70k per year.
Pay - Yes, NetJets has the advantage of offering same pay for all fleets. This is quite good pay for a Citation driver I guess, not sure what the going rates are, but how long does it take to get a command? My sources are getting closer and closer to 2 years for upgrade... So then you are looking at 55-60K (basic) per year for the first 2 years. Fleet - Citation/Hawker for 5-7 years before getting your hands on a Falcon or G? In Vista you can join, and stay, on the Challenger fleet. Fixed roster in NJ is very nice but not the standard in corporate flying, so nothing you can count on in most companies.
I am not having a go at you or NJ. I had a chance to join NJ about 5 years ago but had just signed for another company and decided to stick to my contract. I think that back then NJ offered a really good career opportunity, I am not sure the same is true for new joiners today. Do also keep in mind that you are comparing a company with a worldwide feet of 300 (?)+ aircraft with a company with around 20. Its just not the gonna be the same.
Flintstone - I know loads of operators where new joiners have to pay for their type ratings and get no pay, except for daily allowances, during training. In VistaJet you sign a type of bond, pay for tickets and hotel, but you get full pay during training. Which one would you go for? Having said that I would be the first one to agree that the employee should not pay for anything, but this is how most of this business work, weather we like it or not.
Pay way down the bottom of the league? Not true for all fleets. I know.
Why people would rush to join VistaJet (or any operator today!!)? Because there are lots of fellow pilots who have been laid off over the past 6 months. Add to that that many airline pilots have realized flying for an airline is not the only way forward in our industry.
Good luck to all and remember; There are always better gigs out there, no matter where you are sitting at the moment.
CP