One more thing that any potential new joiner would like to consider that has been brought up before is the fact that you have to be prepared to be working in an environment with guys who are in the A and B scales too. If its in your nature to compare or get affected by the difference in lifestyle which is evident from what u can afford in housing to the cars they CAN own while you have to wave the staff octopus card around. Not forgetting wives an girlfriends who will inevitably compare themselves and where their children go to school. It is a fact of life. When airfares go down and everyone can fly... It's a good thing. But at the same time,packages get diluted and flying isn't a premium privilege where only certain passengers could afford and hence great packages from
Yesteryear. With LCCs and the growth of airlines in China as well as once their own airplanes starts flying (that's another thread altogether) the relentless reduction in package in CX to D scale will continue. As long as the package is a little bit better than the competition, there will always be someone willing to join and justify in his or her mind that they can live with that. The C scale definitely isn't something to jump about but like everything else it's rewarded by loyalty. ..albeit a smaller reward and shifting goalposts. It's not loyalty to CX and the company per se. But more to yourself being able to be committed to your job. The people who you work with, to earn the trust and respect. It is not gonna be automatic and easy. For the cadets, you will always be the low hour guy whom now you have to be trusted alone in the cockpit with a cabin crew when RQ needs to go relieve himself. You will be the product of a training system in FTA which is constantly being criticized for standards. Stories that the senior guys have told despite how it's been delivered sometimes are cold hard truths. The one thing that will definitely happen if you come onboard and learn is you will definitely build character. You as an SO is an apprentice. To emulate. Constantly train to improve your standards. Learn and ask and retain. You can also spend that time in the shoebox and attention into being as good as you can be in your knowledge and systems. Cos even if you wanted to. There is not enough money for you to be distracted on boats, cars and wining / dining
. The forgiveable loan is designed for the older guys with family to defray certain costs. But like some has shown. It's not enoughif your wife expects the 'brats' to be comparable to similar standards back home or worse still. Against the A and B scalers. Which will make things pretty interesting back home.