pedroalpha:
Thoroughly Nice Bloke:
I'm afraid that you two have rather lost the plot. I have been seriously out of work twice (complete with a wife and two kids and a mortgage) but I have stuck to my beliefs that any employer who will not pay for your training is not worth working for. I have worked in pubs etc in the meantime and it paid off in the end for I have had a pretty successful aviation career in the end.
The original thread was about whether it was a good idea to pay for an F27 type rating (£9500 + VAT + the expense of doing the course) because the company involved were "hurting" and couldn't afford the training costs. A job would follow provided that the course was completed successfully.
Where would you be if you didn't pass the course? If the company is that strapped for cash, what are their long term prospects? How successful have they been in the past? Do they have lots of contracts in hand so that if they lose one, they will be able to continue in financial health with the other existing contracts without laying pilots off?
If you have any doubts on any of these questions then you simply must not even entertain the idea, for you will be £9500 + VAT + expenses out of pocket.
On the credit side, you will have a type-rating on a 40 year-old aeroplane that very few companies fly and is as much use as a chocolate kettle!
By the way, I had a friend who paid for an A320 rating some years ago. He still has it but never ever did get a job flying the A320!
There also seems to be a bit of confusion about how bonds work. In my present company for example the bond lasts for 3 years. Provided that you stay with the company for 3 years then it does not cost you a penny. The bond is simply amortized on a monthly basis and your take-home pay is exactly the same as a type-rated colleague.