It's fair to be suspicious of Ryanair. MO'L doesn't exactly go out of his way to seem likeable and the recruitment path is expensive, unpredictable and cut-throat. However, for some people it makes good sense to apply to Ryanair and accept the unenviable terms of a Brookfield Contract. And there are plenty of rewards from working for such a large, well-run and profitable organisation in a global recession.
I actually have a lot of time for Beak because, although I don't agree with him in some respects, he does raise issues that every prospective Ryanair/Brookfield pilot ought to seriously consider. That said, it's very easy to find bad things to say about Ryanair, especially when most of your views are not taken from first-hand experience.
In a funny kind of a way, not being eligible to apply to Ryanair or being rejected by Ryanair probably comes as a relief to most people because you can then vent your dislike of the Airline to your heart's content! However there are very few low-hour pilots who would turn down an opportunity of a good job at the moment. None of the traditional recuitment routes are active and Airlines like BA are shedding jobs.
The fact is that Ryanair selection costs a few hundred pounds and there are no guarantees that you will be successful. They don't take very many from each selection day because they don't have to. They are picky, yet Ryanair
are employing a lot of new pilots at the moment - there are no fewer than 3 Type Rating courses of 12 pilots each taking place in the next 3 months that I know of. I don't hear bad vibes from within Ryanair and I haven't heard of any other opportunities for low-hour pilots since I got my CPL well over a year ago.
It's fine for the 'lucky' ones who pass but it's an unnecessary expense and kick in the nuts for the other 90% who haven't been 'selected'.
Frankly I don't see that as a valid criticism. £260 is a drop in the ocean compared with the cost of getting a CPL/IR and MCC certificate. It's a chance of a job. Applying is a no-brainer and, as BEak says:
... given the fact everyone in this industry is between a rock and a hard place, what can you do?
