Hi,
I believe that of the 100 or so pilots that Jet2 are recruiting now only 12 are the non TR low experienced guys i.e. 12%, and of these many were flying instructors with 1000+ hours. At my assessment day for experienced non TR Capts and FOs there was a wide range of backgrounds with lots of experience from regionals and military.
Yes, those who take a position at Jet at the moment have to pay a share of the cost of a TR, but is about 50% of the cost of Ryan Air. Do I wish that this was not the case? Yes obviously, but the value I place on being able to drive to work and see my family every night is high as opposed to being based in Northern Scotland or Southern Italy. Other pilots taking Jet2 jobs will do so for their own reasons; the chance to fly jets over turboprops; short time to command over legacy carriers; FJ military guys wanting the multi-crew time to unfreeze ATPLs etc The list is long but each individual will have placed a value on their desires and if that value is greater than the price that Jet2 are asking then Jet2 is an option.
Whatever the rights and wrongs of the paying for TR issues I think its very wrong to start scaremongering about safety. As I said the guys Jet2 are recruiting are from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences and it is one of the few companies allowing people with experience to move up the ladder in the traditional way unlike the cadet only or specific TR only recruitment of Easy, Ryan, BA and Virgin.
Regards