Phantasm:
Hmm. I can see what you're driving at, but surely once you're employed by the airline stuff like costs associated with doing your job, hotels, uniforms, training, even type rating etc. should be borne by your employer?
As I say, I'm just an outside observer (My experience of piloting is limited to messing about in a Tiger Moth) but the nearest analogy I can think of would be a nautical one:
Everyone's sailing happily along on the Good Ship Airline Pilot, when a hole appears in the hull (In the shape of pay-to-work schemes).
The logical thing to do would seem to be to limit the damage at source by plugging the leak (Telling the instigators of such a scheme that you're not going to be having any of it).
What doesn't seem logical is to accept the leak as inevitable and hand over cash to buy yourself a place to cling to higher up the mast as you sink lower down to the waterline in the hope that you'll be "rescued" by someone offering you a better job?
Once the metaphorical leak has flooded the lower reaches of the hull (When all the new pilots are buying jobs) it's inevitable that those higher up in the boat will notice themselves slipping lower down towards the waterline (As the company realises that they can chip away at everyone's T's & C's unopposed).
I agree that most professions will require you to undertake some sort of financial commitment to get your foot in the door, but the difference seems to be that with those, once you're in you're in. You're part of a body of people who will defend their chosen profession against those who seek to undermine them.
Is the kudos of being an airline pilot so great that they're happy to accept those terms? I can't imagine a doctor, dentist or lawyer going along with it.
Anyway, thanks for the reply. I'll go and get some more popcorn and watch this thread with interest.
