Bigglesworth, in the nicest possible way it seems you've been taken in big style by the CTC
PR machine. No shame in that - they are good at it. But you would be well advised to listen to what people are telling you. Most of the respondents to your posts are ex-CTC - I know at least four of them are, I can't speak for the rest but I suspect they are. CTC might not tell you certain bits and pieces that those of us actually employed in the airlines now would consider to actually be jolly important.
jb500; Have you ever considered working for an airline based in one of the emerging market countries such as the UAE, Brazil, Mexico? Europe, although desirable, may not be feasible at this moment in time.
Could I just add myself to the list of those above who think this is possibly one of the most naive statements I have ever come across on PPrune; and furthermore, shows a
distinct lack of understanding of the industry at which you're about to throw a massive amount of money. Do you know how many out of work pilots there are? How many of them are low-houred, with a 737/320 rating? Who have sent a CV to every operator, big and small, all over the world in search of a job with not so much as a reply forthcoming from many of them? An fATPL and rating with no hours on type is about as effective in today's job market as a fart in a hurricane.
In addition, most non-English-speaking countries' airlines require you to speak their language fluently. Could you imagine Air France giving a job to a non-French speaker, or Lufthansa to a non-German speaker? The same goes for airlines in many of the French/Spanish speaking countries around the world (although granted maybe not the Middle East.) I know many of the cadets I trained with spoke nothing other than English. You'll note I've not assumed that you don't, but it's something to consider. You can take it from me, first hand, that it is no fun having to live miles away from your family, missus and friends in a country where you barely speak a word of the language (although watching the captain's expression while trying to make your rehearsed PA in broken French and German is amusing.)
What a bargain! Although it's likely to be a lot higher than that in a couple of years
It might be a bargain, but when the bank come calling for their money, trust me it won't feel any different whether the amount they're after is £85k or £90k.
No-one can know what state the industry is going to be in 2 years, but it's got to be better than the present quagmire.
Has it? What evidence have you got for that? Those of us dropped by easyJet at the end of last summer thought similar things, and what's happened since then? easyJet closing a base, threatening redundancies; TCX have just dropped this season's intake of cadets; BA have said they won't hire until at least 2011; even Ryanair are slowing their recruitment down at the moment. At the moment, easyJet show no indication of any permanent recruitment. What possible signs are there that things will be better in two years, apart from maybe a bit of BA recruitment? (Ignore anything you have heard about 400 NEW pilots.)
When the airlines start actively recruiting again, freshly graduated CTC Wingers will have the upper hand won't they?
Who knows? The fairest way would be to employ those who graduated earliest and have been waiting in the pool longest - why should the fresh graduates jump the queue? But you could be right - the airlines might well like to get their free six months out of you.
How long did it take you guys to get jobs after training?
Some (a lot of this year's EZY intake, in fact) have had to wait over a year to get a six-month FlexiCrew contract, while the interest on their debt mounts up. This pattern is likely to continue for the forseeable future, with more and more cadets being pumped out of the machine and forming a long queue behind.
Still think the investment is worth it? All I can say is the very best of luck.