OK Guys....as a non-airline employee I watched the topic long enough and think I just have to say what I say.
You're talking about minimal salary of DM 106000/year for a young F/O and mention the following:
-immense responsibility
-work times, away from home, standbys (and so on)
- 5 to 7 Years invested into becoming the ATP/L
OK, you think it's enough to be worth the money you ask for. Let's make a little comparison with a similar, highly(if not more ) loaded with responsibility job as a medical.
In Germany, a young College absolvent who is becoming a medical must pass through the so-called AIP and PJ - the hardest years in the life of an young doctor. Wanna know, what a young AIP becomes after AT LEAST 6 YEARS invested in becoming an AIP:
-at least 3 times/week 24h hours duties(no kidding, the stuff you watch on ER is NO BULL)
-the responsibility of having human lives in his hands with (often) noone to help him. Let's get cynical - if you make an error as pilot, you die(mostly). A young AIP must live with the mistake for the rest of his/her life.
And what becomes the young AIP for all his efforts? Wanna know?
JUST CHEAP DM 40 000/year. And that's the upper limit.
Not to mention, the 24h-duties are duties THROUGHOUT, which means: YOU HAVE TO STEAL YOU A FIVE MINUTES IF YOU NEED THEM(often on the risk someone you're responsible for loses his life in this time). You talk about long times absence from home and standby? and what you're doing in this time?
So, please come back on ground and look around. It might be that you find my posting offensive, but my opinion is, some of you have lost all touch with reality. Do you think, you're really worth twice or three (or more) times more as a young surgeon?
LZ-TUO
(someone who set off for the life of a medical)
[This message has been edited by LZ-TUO (edited 05 April 2001).]
[This message has been edited by LZ-TUO (edited 05 April 2001).]