Funkeymonkey77, I don't think Turboprop burst your bubble, I think you kind of did that yourself.
You have just hit the nail on the head when you said you were taking your trade exams, that's the answer, the way out of the penury situation.
I’ve said this before on another thread, but I get really frustrated when I hear fitters complain about poor standards of pay and how badly done too they are, I particularly find it hard to listen to ex-forces chaps who seem to think that the commercial aviation market should pay them for the time they did in the military.
I’m not anti fitters, hell the industry couldn’t survive without them, and yes there are some guys who just simply don’t want to be a licensed engineer, well that’s fine, but it’s hardly cricket to expect licensed engineers money when you haven’t sat the license exams and got your ticket.
I’m like the majority of licensed engineers I know, I was in the military and I sat my exams before I left in preparation for entering the commercial workplace.
Where I work now there is only one licensed guy who hasn’t come from a military back-ground and a heap of fitters who have never done military time.
As engineers we have for years been saying that there will be a major shortage of license coverage well that time is now, even with the unfortunate redundancies due to the current global financial crisis the vast majority of guys will be able to gain new employment, unfortunately it may entail moving home, but non the less they should be able to gain a new position.
So what’s with complaining that you’re being taken advantage off? It’s only because a company took the chance on you, an unlicensed ex-forces chap that you’re even able to be in a position to get the commercial experience necessary to sit your trade papers. Play fair it’s hardly exploitation is it?
So to summaries, right at this moment, you’re employed by a company which gives you the commercial experience necessary to get a full, un-restricted license and when you get that license you’re going to be in a market-place where there is a demand for licensed engineers and the pay is probably substantially more than a fitters pay…
So what really is the problem?
Is it just that you think that after however many years in the military that the commercial sector should just pay you heaps of money because you’re a 22year ex-military chap?
I think your attitude is bloody selfish, taken advantage off because you have a pension… guess there are no fitters at your place that have never been in the forces and have pensions to top up their salaries, your not complaining on their behalf are you, your not complaining that fitters salaries are poor in general, no your complaining because the commercial sector hasn’t patted you on the head and kissed your arse for your military service.
You go talk to the girl at the check-in desk and ask her if for a few exams on her job she can get anything from a 50%-100% pay rise? And you go look your non-military fitter colleagues in the eye and tell them your badly done too when you get however much in pension more a month than they do. And you ask some of the poor souls who are in there late 40's early 50's who are loosing their jobs due to the current economic climate who are really going to struggle to get another job because of their age, when we in aviation engineering have an average age in the late 50’s…
You’re so badly done too…