Guys,
To be fair, folks were walking into A320 jobs with just the bare rating only a few months before I started. Cockpit4u have had an excellent relationship with a few German and Far Eastern airlines, and Storm Aviation (TRTO now closed) had a similar relationship with other airlines. Things are dead now understandibly.
The other thing is no UK airline at this point in time or indeed in the last 3 or 4 years will give you a job without a type rating - Just try it and tell me otherwise. I'm afraid for the vast majority of us, a CPL/ME/IR is absolutely worthless unless you have connections or are extremely lucky. The whole system is in breakdown. The traditional method of recruitment whereby airlines invite new pilots to apply for positions, put them through a fair assessment and hire them accordingly just doesn't exist anymore.
Airlines have no reason to be interested in pilots who they cant get onto the line within a week or two and save £20k. Reality is, any employer would juice the cost of the TR through reduced salary and/or bonding any way. From this point of view I stand by my decision to do the rating.
I've said it before and I'll gladly say it again. Our senior pilots (those with bargaining power through BALPA) have outright failed to protect the job of the pilot. Now the **** is creeping upwards and affecting their own positions directly, they are beginning to realise where they have failed. It's just too late.
Last edited by Superpilot; 29th Mar 2010 at 21:20.