It says a lot for todays 'wannabes' that this represents supposedly a 'great opportunity'. It is not a great opportunity, it's a very poor opportunity. The only plus is that you don't have to pay for a type rating. The more bright eyed wannabes keep accepting these deals, the more you are hurting yourselves and your future careers.
If you have a CPL/IR, you are a qualified pilot. You have already demonstrated your ability to fly, you should not be required to be an apprentice for 18 months whilst losing currency and flying practice.
When I qualified (not that long ago, six years to be precise) we were just starting to see the dawn of this pay for training epidemic. I followed what would have been considered the traditional 'apprentice' route. I started off on a small twin turboprop flying 19 PAX. I then got my 'lucky break' and got offered a job on an Airbus if I paid for the rating. Like an idiot I did exactly that and two weeks after my base check, the airline went out of business. I consider myself very lucky to have found work on an ERJ-145 for a very big airline in my wife's home country.
You are pilots. You may be low houred, unemployed pilots, but you are qualified to fly commercial aircraft, the idea of making you work in an office for 18 months whilst losing your flying skills just shows how backwards this industry is becoming. Only a year ago you would have been able to go straight into this company as a fully fledged FO if you were one of the very lucky minority that got hired.
Last edited by EMB-145LR; 3rd Feb 2013 at 17:38.