Buster:
Cabair insist upon you being on the PAYE scheme. The only exception is if you run a Limited Company and that bills them for your time. It is to do with their tax liability if you mess up your self-employed tax: they become liable for it. If you are a Limited Company then that becomes liable for the tax. I don't think that the training is tax deductible, but you need to check with your accountant.
You get NO travelling expenses (you even pay for your uniform!)
Ref your last point: Maybe, but they could argue that that is why they want you to have independent means, then it's more of a hobby than a job!
There are few days when you can't get airborne for at least some of the time, if only to blast around sections of the M25 not below 500ft AGL or to sit in the cloud between BNN and LAM at 2.4 taking a radar service whilst the presenter gets their info via their uplink. (You can't get into the LL Zone unless the vis is 3km and the cloudbase allows you to remain not less than 1000ft above the highest obstacle within a certain distance.) The only concern is how you get back in to Elstree, as you must be VMC to do that. How you achieve that is up to you and best not discussed on this forum, but bear in mind that you can't legally descend below MSA in IMC unless you are on a published approach procedure.
One major benefit: you get your IR renewed for free every year!
