I can't imagine a doctor, dentist or lawyer going along with it.
Not sure about the UK (me not having contacts/knowledge in such 'industry'), but in couple other European countries junior lawyers (=fresh grads) often do unpaid 'placements' in order to get the experience for full title (i.e. exp for full B1 lic in air eng) so that they could start being competitive and get 'proper' job - doing less and getting more, leaving most tedious stuff for assistants, stagiers, etc.
I am kind of addicted to reading PPRuNe already, so stumbled upon this thread from another where Flintstone and R737 'talk'.
This is all going crazy. I'm "wannabe" (no, not airline) heli/airplane pilot for the fun of it and having seriously bad times thanks to all the economy crap. Not wishing to get onto any overpriced huge loan thing. Just having my future savings in GBP etc eroded/shot down.
If I'm still alive/with medical, may end up with airline job, being older, less adventureous, although prefer(=think of) smaller stuff/choppers. Maybe flying part time alongside another job.
As others said, there are few problems making it very hard to combat management's abuse of flight crew.
ABUSE. That's what it is.
Politically correct, clandestinely brought up, yet mindnumbingly blatant exploitation.
Although I'm selling my life away to be able to afford paying for my training - cost effectively, have loved flying/aviation since nappies, I don't feel like striving to get into this glorified airline jet job.
Isn't paying for CPL and all the 'must have' ratingscourses enough? Speculative SSTR, 'line training', no pay 'placement' (FLYING COMM JET??), whatever else.
Let's just tearn down the whole concept of FO completely.
All we need is pay-to-fly co-joes and after all current captains retire, we'll just start up part-nepotism, part-senior pay-to-fly co-joe becoming captain thing.
Desperation of fresh CPL holders, stomp-over-them-all individualism, greedy companies, unhealthy competition tactique, blindfolded debt misuse, housing bubble allowing exorbitant equity withdrawals/securing loans agains property, it all creates one huge monster, only to be shattered and blown into pieces by new 'group hero'. Sadly, it will go on and the hero/es will not appear. I can't see anything not major causing a shift.
Then, I know nothing of airlines, right?