Has paying for your type rating become the norm in India

[shon7]

Reading all these threads about the indian aviation scene and it seems like all operators want their newer recruits to pay for their type rating. Just curious if this has become the norm or if there are still airlines that will hire a CPL and put you through the type rating at their expense.

[tmbpilot]

well jobs are few,jobless are in the thousands......almost everyone is willing to pay for their type in return for a job....no reason why the airlines would want to waste their precious resources on type rating newcomers........its pretty much the norm now,should remain like this for some thime to come

[shanx]

Paying for type rating and paying to fly has not become the norm.

It is purely the outcome of market situation.

When there is a huge supply and very less demand, then we see degrading T&Cs, heavily lop sided contracts, and unrealistic bonds and pay checks.

When it is the other way round, it is not surprising and uncommon to find airlines reaching out to trainees who are yet to get their CPL, and who have cleared their exams, inviting them for interviews for trainee FO positions.

ABC of aviation economics and simple DEMAND vs SUPPLY thing.

[Aeronotix]

As far as I can recall every airline in India makes a selected candidate pay for their initial type rating, though the amount keeps changing. Private airlines ask you to pay upfront, Govt airlines deduct the total amount in installments from your salary. Both make you sign bonds with different periods of retention built into a tight contract.

However, due to the existing supply & demand factor airlines are now getting a lot of self sponsored type rated unemployed pilots from the market, as these pilots believe they are one up on the rest, though they do not necessarily make the grade as some flunk the written exams, some the sim test.

All the type rated CPL candidate does for an airline is cut down the training time factor marginally and gets online faster.

Have heard about a 32 yr old pilot who did his self sponsored type rating on A-320 two years ago and was offered a job on ATR by an airline that does not have A-320 in their fleet. Yes the guy shelled out another 7.5 L and took the offer! Such is fate when market forces dictate!

Aeronotix

[ILS59]

I agree with you guys.. At present market conditions companies have got more options so they can play how ever they wish to..! But dont you guys think that they are asking more then the required amount of money for type training.?

[Aeronotix]

The amount asked for also varies. This includes ground training, sim sessions, supi training & LOFT till one is released as a new co-jock on type.

During my induction in 2004 we were asked to pay Rs.15L upfront for the Ng rating. Later our association appealed to management and had it reduced to 7.5L as the batches before us paid that amount. However, we were returned the 7.5L amount over 5 years in 6 monthly payments of 75K. So it became an interest free amount to the company.

Anyway, jobs were hard to come by then, again dictated by supply & demand, so one had no choice really. Its after mid 2005 till early 2008 that airlines went into an expansion mode. History now seems to be repeating itself, though this time around there is no short supply of CPLs.

Aeronotix

[Mike_Kilo_Sierra]

If the postings on the forum are anything to go by, everyone is doing a type rating and the NG rating is quite popular. Everyone is talking about the Jet intake, but nobody has mentioned that Air India calling out for people with any Boeing glass cockpit type rating willing to convert to B777. Their advertisement was in the papers today and has been on the site as well.

I just hope this trend of self sponsor type ratings doesn't stick.

MKS

[B737NG]

It is not only in India that Pilots are asked to pay for the Type Rating. KAL in Korea is looking for Pilots and ask´s them to pay the Typerating and then bonds them for two years with higher then the rating cost bond....

Supply is low and demand is high > Demand is high and supply is low <

So if India adopted that system is not new in the world, just the "market" and it lookes like that the Managers who srewed Pilots in other parts of the world are now targeting India for theire own benefits to show off the skills they have: Potentially save money for the "Company" to stick in theire own pockets as a bonus......

Fly safe and land happy

NG

[Ridge Runner]

any Boeing glass cockpit type rating willing to convert to B777

Remember that to go on a Shortened Type Rating (in this case for the 777) the pilot needs to be 1) current on the departing type, which must be Boeing glass cockpit (not any other type) and 2) have a minimum of 500 hours of heavy jet experience. These are global requirements.

I say this so that no one on this thread are misled and get their hopes raised!

RR

[babboo57]

@ridge runner & @mike kilo sierra.

looks like the 777 conversion ad appears to have been withdrawn - says so on the website !

[Mike_Kilo_Sierra]

@RR: Yes the advertisement asks for captains or experienced first officers. Apologies for not mentioning that.

@Babboo: It is there. Just ensure you've selected India as the country. Go to the careers section, it's there. It is for Indian nationals however.

MKS

[babboo57]

@mike kilo sierra,

i am looking at the website right now. there is a cancellation notification dt. 27/07/2010. what is that about then ?

[Mike_Kilo_Sierra]

Babboo: That cancellation wasn't there last night at least. Tough luck mate if you were looking at that.

MKS