firstly to clear up the command upgrade info:
frogone was correct
day 1 command upgrade is pretty much just getting used to flying from the left. standard ops, circle to land, v1 cut, single engine work, approaches, rto/pax evac and narrow runway ops. these are nothing new to the pilot, the only things that differ are some of his/her actions and the perspective of the seat position.
day 2 goes on from day 1 in a similar fashion.
day 3 is a loft exercise - where decision making plays a bigger part. this can only be trained by TRE minimum qualification.
day 4 is the lpc (or lst if the fo doesn't have an atpl already)
7Q Off
Command upgrade should be done by commanders. They can transmit the FO upgrading a lot more about the job, experience, tips, etc than a FO doing SFI work but with not actual experience on the job. Command is not about flying but how you manage the resources. But If it works for Ryan............ cheap for them.
it is cheaper to pay an FO to do SFI job that paying a Captain to do the real work. Training is a place were you should not try to save money.
the job, experience, tips etc... will be done prior to the sims during command line management training (kind of suitable title don't you think?) from the right seat, and after the sims during command line training.
the training done by the sfi is sop's, procedures, profiles, callouts and manoevres. this has nothing to do with being money saving.
hope this cleared things up.
now for the original question, lospilotos:
the t's and c's are very good, the change in pay will of course depend on what you've been on with your current contract. east midlands operates to the standard 5/4 with every 4th set being a flying 5 days, from the base of your choice (as available). from stansted it's currently mon-fri, again every 4th you fly. you may only get around 300 hours in for the year, but the experience and confidence with the aircraft (systems knowledge, general handling etc..) you gain is incredible. all of the training department are great people to work with and on an individual level it's excellent for your own career development. pm me if you want any more info and i'll try to help you out. best regards