Horatio: in regards to your first reply, I hear what you're saying about small operators using MROs. The reality is though that most small MROs and operators that conduct their own engineering are only taking on LAMEs, not AMEs. But my question is this: when the airlines start losing their LAMEs to retirement, where will they turn for "ready made" LAMEs? 2 places: overseas or the bush. What outback LAME could resist $100k plus wages and all the perks of working for an airline?
mattyj: certainly an AME does productive work. However, none of the spanner work he/she does is work that can't be carried out by a LAME. And the AME can't certify the work, so the MRO needs a LAME, regardless of whether they have an AME or not.
Oktas8: apprentices don't tend to be on $50-60k unless they're an adult apprentice working for a major airline (and getting some overtime). However, I'd guesstimate the going rate for a qualified AME is somewhere in the region of $45-55k or a bit higher, depending on the work and shifts, etc.