working conditions
I think those pilots who moan about working conditions, work hours etc should try a real job for a while - they will race back.
By the way by "real job" I don't mean 9-5, a lot of people in my position would kill for a 9-5. I don't actually know of any of my grad friends who have the luxury of working just 40 hours a week.
To give you an idea of other options out there, I work in an intense commercial enviroment in the city. My work hours are typically 9-9, 5 days a week. The longest I have worked is a 23 hour day, followed by 4 hours of sleep, then a 12 hour day on top. (and we don't have the luxury of planned rosters, you don't know how you daya will pan out until it is over).
On top of that you have to deal with intense commercial pressure, messed-up office politics, and the fact that in the 12 months you have been here 20% of your colleagues have been fired for not making the grade. And you could be next.
Oh yes, and the pay per hour is crap. This is after studying hard for 3 years in an intense university course (and no, I did not study at Wigan Polytechnic!)
I tell my friends at work I am saving up to be a pilot and they all envy me, even if the pay is not as great and you get treated like a child. Still, it is a dream job, not what is used to be, but can you think of anything else you would rather do? 80 hours of flying a month for an average starting salary of £25k, probably averaging £60k a year over the course of a career? I would think that is worth the investment in the flying course, maybe not today, but in the next 5 years definitely.
The grass is pretty brown on this side.