HidekiTojo
The SFO part worries me, PCLA should have nothing to do with it as this process is often difficult and murky. It should be done on hours. Most FOs go directly from PCLA to a command.
The PCLA is just that, a "Pre-Command Line Assessment", it assesses your ability to be a Captain. If you jump through all the hoops on the line and in the sim, and are assessed to be "a Captain in waiting" then why not get paid a bit extra for being that. It's not a passport to being a Captain straight away, I know senior FO's of several years standing who just haven't bid for the right place at the right time, but they're very experienced, but hitherto paid just £500 more than other FO's. IMHO the SFO scale is welcome.
Don't forget you can start the process to SFO as soon as you've got the required hours (total and in Flybe) which I can't quote but are in the company manuals.
I imagine lots of FOs bidding for a jet command at somewhere like EXT just to get the SFO status. It's flawed.
I'm not sure what you mean by this, it just doesn't work that way!