Large Biz to Legacy Carrier
Hello,
I may be facing a dilemma soon -
Touching mid 30's, with a young family, I have done not too bad in corporate aviation, flying a large shiny new bizjet as Captain for a private owner, at the base of my choice.
Life isn't bad at all; I get to see the world doing long haul, flying nice people around and I get my schedule well in advance.
The owner is relatively young and financially stable and will probably be around for a good few more years.
However, we are only two pilots so no rotatation and no choice of time-off. trips can be as long as 3 weeks away at a time and when I am home there is no real time off, as I do the ops work, flightplanning, fuel coordination, maintenance coordination etc.
Also, we are significantly underpaid and it is not going to change in the current job.
With that said, I am not willing to go the Moscow or China route, just for better pay or for a rotation based job.
A legacy carrier based in here is going to recruit in the not too far future and I stand some chances with them, as an f/o on medium/short haul. That means being home almost every night, which is something I value in my current family situation.
The money is pretty similar, but will rise with seniority in the airline.
The downside is the economy, and this airline is not doing too well.
I have done airline in the past and didn't hate it, although it was on TP.
Something in me says to stay where I am and put up with not seeing the family for long periods, just for the security.
Another thing in me says to take a risk, move across, enjoy the lifestyle and hope for the best.
Worst case, I have PIC time on two common Biz types to fall back on.
It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on this.