Where do I go?
 

Hello,
I just passed 1800h at Ryanair as an FO. It has always been toxic in this company, it's hard to motivate yourself when everyone hates their own airline. I know I can leave and so I'm looking for advice on where to go. They pay OK and 5/4 is great however they treat you so bad I can't imagine staying here for long. I have applied to Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Norwegian. Norwegian gave me an interview and I'm motivated to join them however only with ALC base. All of them seem to have a better HR dept which is my primary goal. I wanted to be based in Greece but I read that Sky Express and Aegean aren't paying well. Does anyone have any tips or opinions? I am not so keen on being based in the ME.

Lucky you, that’s all I’m saying…

This depends what you want from flying.

Just a job,

A stable work/life balance,

Short-haul only - seeing your family every day

A full career - leading to the LHS of something big and intercontinental.

I am guessing that you are young, and possibly no family of your own yet, and if so, you could go where ever the work is - for a few years at least. So ALC might not be a bad option, but I don't know anything about those airlines you mention.

With your experience and hours, I would aim high and try for the big UK and European legacy airlines - assuming you have the licences and the right to live and work etc, - and really work hard to try to get in one of those, or Virgin, perhaps - before considering other LoCos.

Only if you cannot get into a Legacy carrier, then go back to the LoCos. You don't mention easyJet, but I would say they would probably be the best LoCo option ? - good training, good aircraft, etc.

Thanks for the answer! Yes I have no family so basically I have alot of options, nor am I looking for a full career in one single airline I still have the possibility to move around different ones at this point even though my wish would be to find an airline I like as early as possible. I get this alot to go somewhere for a few years however for me it's important I can enjoy the location where I'm based at and not commute home everytime I'm off hence ALC and Greece being on my mind. I have considered the legacy ones but the ones I checked doesn't offer bases in southern Europe.

How have they treated you so badly? There's no hot breakfast served for sure, but treated badly? Genuinely interested

I've found ryanair to do what it says on the tin, you'll fly a lot and get paid (mostly) quite well for it .. not many extra frills. The things that gave gone bad I can think of were a late cab once, a sub standard hotel one night, and the twice a year 6 on 3 off, also very poor crew control of late (other companies won't be free of these issues). If it came to leaving though, it will be due to a better option or a desire to try long haul, not because of hatred for the place.

Any Turkish airline as an FO I think will be a culture shock, but whatever floats the boat