Enforcement of Training Bond
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit
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It may not be SIA that you are considering but the Chinese generally and Singaporeans in particular take filial responsibility very seriously, (it is within Singaporean law for parents to sue their children for non support and an order for maintenance being made against the children).
In one instance where I know of an individual being able to negotiate the bond he was first given a year off without pay but kept his job, then, when that didn't work out, he was able to negotiate a very reasonable departure, an agreed sum to be paid over a period of years and the Bank Bond was released without deduction. What no company likes is someone who justs jumps ship and makes no effort to settle their contractual debts.
In one instance where I know of an individual being able to negotiate the bond he was first given a year off without pay but kept his job, then, when that didn't work out, he was able to negotiate a very reasonable departure, an agreed sum to be paid over a period of years and the Bank Bond was released without deduction. What no company likes is someone who justs jumps ship and makes no effort to settle their contractual debts.
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Thanks for the input. The United States had to enact the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) because large companies (more than 50 employees) who were committed to nothing but the bottom line were obviously not willing to voluntarily keep a job open when an employee needed time to care for a sick parent. Even with the FMLA, it only provides for 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year. It sounds like SIA is pretty reasonable.
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if you leave a company in Asia, they may pass your name to their own DCA(Asian FAA).
in the future, you may have problems to get a validation.
Asia is "who you know and how much money you have", and most countries are corrupt.
they usually ask you to fly illegally, take risks by landing in heavy rain...
in Asia, pilots don't make very long. They go home or they go to their own funeral.
in the future, you may have problems to get a validation.
Asia is "who you know and how much money you have", and most countries are corrupt.
they usually ask you to fly illegally, take risks by landing in heavy rain...
in Asia, pilots don't make very long. They go home or they go to their own funeral.
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This is a little off-topic, but I have a friend who is flying an N-registered aircraft based out of China and he said that once he gets his Chinese CAAC license and they transfer the aircraft to a Chinese registry, it may be the only Chinese company he ever works for unless they go under or they are bought by another company. As he understands it, the CAAC's position is that the company owns the license/records and any prospective employer would have to buy-out his previous employer (in the neighborhood of $100,000) in order for the license to have any validity with a new employer.
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Clearly none of you guys are contract pilots nor have you ever engaged in expat contract work. Should you bother to peruse these forums, you would see that more often than not, certain areas of the world tend to violate pilot contracts on a regular basis. So the question offered in the original post with regards to breaking a bond or contract is reasonable and justified. Maybe the mx sucks, or there is no perf data, or the dispatchers are idiots and can't get you the proper info to safely conduct the flight yet management is pressuring you into going. All of these are justfiable reasons to jump ship and things that any contract guy can expect. Sometimes this is our only recourse as the lack of aviation knowledge and arrogance at some companies is so detrimental to safety that a rapid exodus is the only option. So a guy heading to Asia and wondering about jumping ship at a possible amateur operation is unreasonable??? Me thinks not, he's being responsible and has experience and foresight. If you haven't done contract work, don't puff your chest up in self righteous wisdom about what is morally responsible. What this guy is diving into is an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT ballgame than a western 121 operation. I think we have alot of wannabes on this forum....
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If the operation is actually unsafe, report it. Don't just bog off and wait to read about a crash in the newspapers. If the company is out of business or grounded for safety reasons then your bond can't be enforced and you're on your way to being a free man (unless you're bonded to a crewing agency).
If you're entering into the bond with the view that you might have to break it then you're entering into a contract in bad faith, no matter how noble your reasons may appear to you. The other option, mentioned by other people, is to negotiate to buy your way out of your bond.
Seriously, if you lent someone a five figure sum and they declined to pay in back on the grounds that it had become inconvenient and they thought you probably wouldn't be able to sue them, what would you think of that guy?
If you're entering into the bond with the view that you might have to break it then you're entering into a contract in bad faith, no matter how noble your reasons may appear to you. The other option, mentioned by other people, is to negotiate to buy your way out of your bond.
Seriously, if you lent someone a five figure sum and they declined to pay in back on the grounds that it had become inconvenient and they thought you probably wouldn't be able to sue them, what would you think of that guy?
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Once again, non contract guys...Do you really think that reporting safety issues to the local Aviation Authority does anything in countries that operate via a system of organized corruption??? A resounding NO! "Yes Mr. $#$#%%%, I'd like to report that the airline that just gave you a bribe is operating unsafely". LOL, it doesn't work my friend. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. The only thing that works sometimes is when pilots leave by the droves. And as far as a training bond goes, an airline must pay to keep their pilots recurrent much the same way as the pay for fuel. It's a cost of doing business. So does this mean that a pilot is an indentured servant to their airline and may never leave? Absolutely not. Now, if one leaves after their last recurrent without going back to the line, that's a different story but a guy that jumps ship because of lax mx or other issues is really just doing his/her job.
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"Doing their job" is a bit rich. I'll buy "saving their own skin", and I don't mean that as a criticism.
It may be naive to think that you're going to change a sub-standard system by whistle blowing, but this post has gone a long way from the initial point. If you do your homework and still enter into a bond with a company that you have reason to believe will cut corners and leave you no option but to leave, then you're as bad as they are to take their money and run.
It may be naive to think that you're going to change a sub-standard system by whistle blowing, but this post has gone a long way from the initial point. If you do your homework and still enter into a bond with a company that you have reason to believe will cut corners and leave you no option but to leave, then you're as bad as they are to take their money and run.
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How do you know if they'll cut corners? You don't till you arrive, get validated, put on your superman suit and go to work. You don't owe anybody anything man. The sooner people figure this out the better off we'll be. The only thing we owe anything to is our fellow pilots and passengers. And if that means bailing mid-contract because of safety issues then so be it.
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Additionally, it's not taking their money and running. You already spend a good deal of coin to get your tickets, a recurrent is the responsibility of your employer. Also the responsibility of your employer is to pay you and provide you with the proper tools to do our jobs. If they don't, get the hell out. That simple. Got a better gig lined up mid contract? Pay the fee and bail. If enough pilots do it, the company will be forced to clean up their act and/or pay more $$$. It's called capitalism.
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit
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4runner - I think you may have misunderstood the nature of the bond most Asian and Far Eastern airlines impose on a new employee. If you arrive type rated and experienced then there should be no bond, but the bond will apply if you have to undergo a type rating conversion course at the employer's expense. I spent a large part of my working life as a contracted pilot and never came across a bond for a recurrent check, only for the initial type rating course.
If you agree to a training bond and the company provides the type rating then they are entitled to a return of service from you, either you work the bond off or negotiate your way out. Aviation is a relatively small community and jumping ship will get you noticed and black listed.
If you agree to a training bond and the company provides the type rating then they are entitled to a return of service from you, either you work the bond off or negotiate your way out. Aviation is a relatively small community and jumping ship will get you noticed and black listed.
