I have been quietly reading this thread in the background since it began but after some of the recent posts I feel I have to comment.
I am a former CTC cadet who started training in summer 2006. At the end of my CTC course (early 2008) I was taken on by a UK charter airline, type rated and after my 6 months of line experience given a permanent contract. After 18 months on short haul buses, myself and my fellow CTC joiners have just completed our A330 conversions. I consider myself extremely lucky to be where I am.
There are hundreds of stories like these from previous cadet courses. They were the norm up until the events of late 2008. They are shoved down your throat at CTC open days and throughout selection. They are hard to ignore, big images of smiling cadets in A320s, 737s, 757s. Big shiny jets.
Sometimes they even bring these similing faces along with them, all dressed up in uniforms of blue and gold.
I have every sympathy for those guys currently floating in the holding pool. When they joined and heard these (then current) stories, who with a dream as strong as learning to fly would not think "I wish I was doing that"? I know I sat at selection and thought the same! And with the 100% placement record it seemed acheivable.
It is hard to ignore the sales pitch for flying training coming from people who are professionals at selling flying training. These cadets signed up for a product that could no longer deliver, but would not find out until it was too late. Contrary to some on this forum, I do not blame the victims of this 'slavery'. If I had joined two or three months down the line from when I did I too would be in their position without a doubt.
I do have a couple of points to address prior to continuing.
Firstly, the allegation that cadets can't do the job properly. We are all LPC/OPC qualified to the same level as everybody else. I have heard of many incidents including go-arounds, double FMGC failures and even engine failures on rotation that have been handled correctly by cadet pilots and with the competency of the crew praised by pilot management. Yes there have been mistakes too, but even experienced pilots make those and I have seen no evidence to suggest cadet pilots are a liability!
This allegation that we are somehow 'jumping the queue' is offensive. "Well thank you for the offer of the RHS of an Airbus with Thomas First Monarch Airlines, but I really think I should take two years instructing on Terrorhawks, 2 years flying Senecas for an air taxi firm and another three on Dash 8s before trying my luck on jets, thanks". I bet you dont hear that one much. I am not belittling the self improve route - I love flying and was willing to take whichever route was neccessary to achieve my goal and sometimes I do think I missed out on the turboprop experience. But I took the best option available to me and it has paid off handsomely.
As for CTC people being arrogant, yes there are always a few of those in any group of people. Can you honestly say you have never worked with people you thought were cocky so-and-sos? I found the vast majority of CTC cadets to be some of the most hardworking, get-your-head down people I have ever met. Given what you sometimes have to put up with during training (repetitve crushing of self-confidence anyone?) they achieve a high level of performance and are probably pretty well prepared for the bile being vented towards them by certain parts of the aviation industry to boot!
Anyway, back to the topic in hand, who would I blame for the current threat to Ts and Cs? Well I am not privy to the full details of this contract as most here probably aren't either. I suppose easyjet created the employment conditions making it possible by breaking the previous tradition of employing CTC guys after their first six months and CTC have pandered to this, first with flexicrew and now with this new, abhorent scheme. Brookfields and Ryanair could also be considered acountable.
I know a lot of you were geared up to view CTC cadets with suspicion or even hatred prior to these events and feel even more so now, but I ask you to please direct your anger at the people actually responsible for this mess, ie. the companies that have created it, not the poor guys (and their ambitions) who are their puppets.
p.s. usual apologies for the long post!