I was Aircraft dispatcher/Load controller for 13 yrs with British Midland and
Virgin Atlantic and looked at doing a flying course in the early 2000s but the
cost was 80k and no certainty of a flying position when qualified.I had a work
friend who went to the US and paid a lot of money to fly and when he came back to the uk he found out his training was not valid here.
I saw a advert for Train drivers and applied.I was paid during the 18 months
of training 20k pa.The job is quiet repetive and you work on your own but you are left alone as long as i dont have a incident.
The salary and conditions are good,i work for a London based suburban Train company and basic pay 53k for a 33 hr week.We have a good final salary pension scheme also.Overtime is available if you need it.I get free train travel on a few companies and pay 10% on others.Also a free Oyster card for tubes and buses.My company lay on a free xmas do all food and drink is free.We have coffee machines in every depot also free of charge.
We have a strong trade union ASLEF not the earlier mentioned Bob crow, hes the other lot.
The job requires concentration and the shifts can be lousy but overall im
happy i made the move.