Back in the days I believe the airlines paid for all your training.
Are you p2f if you pay for your CPL? I mean, we should all just stand together until the airlines finance all our training again, right?
Are the guys flying around in C152s to gain experience/hours p2f? I mean, they're basically just bleeding thousands of dollars to improve their resume?
Are the guys accepting ultra low salary in the USA p2f?
Imo p2f starts when you pay to work. I.e paying to sit in a seat, where a paid pilot should be sitting.
Naivety seems to reside mostly with you guys. Paying for airplane specific training has been around for a long time now, and is not going to leave unless the supply of pilots take a major plunge.
I don't condone p2f in my own definition listed above, and would never pay 40k to work for someone like Lion Air. However I would pay for a type rating if offered a job.
You usually pay through reduced salary anyway, so why not just pay up front.