if you think I'm naive, try going to the CTC and OAA open days. The naivety of the current cadets there is quite amazing - one of the guys I spoke to couldn't even give me a typical starting salary
I don't think there is a typical starting salary anymore!
Back in 2005, my first year salary as a 200h cadet FO on Boeing was £29K basic plus flight pay and pension, in full time permanent employment. Year 2 became 39K basic, Year 3 - £41K. Change of operator and as SFO, basic increased to £52K plus decent pension contributions, etc. My P60s floated between £62-£70K.
Since 2011 I've been laid off twice (both airlines still exist, they just like to save bucks). The best deal going for me in the UK at the moment is 27 weeks temporary summer contract work worth £26K gross (I'm lucky to get this position). Out of this has to come many costs... accountant fees, national insurance for employer(!) and employee, commuting, temporary digs. No pension, no job security. No choice left but to follow in the footsteps of many of my previous co-workers and leave the UK - or leave the industry.
And then we read on here EZY will take on 400+ pilots next year, sorry - Flexicrew cadets each earning £6,000 over 6 months. Well you can be rostered 1,000 duty hours over those months, so I would say
£6 an hour is a typical Jet FO starting pay here in the UK right now.
