Company wants you to pay for training?

fly6785

Well-Known Member
So I quit my job earlier in the month to go to a corporate gig... I did one week of ground school and was waiting my simulator training which was suppose to start second week in July... The company was suppose to pay for the type rating. They call me last week to inform me that my training had been canceled due to cost so I will in a nut shell be laid off... They called me back end of last week and told me if I would take the loan to pay for the type:rotfl: then they would reimburse me a little each month and within a year have it paid for... Now i'm not one who believes in the employee having anything to do financial wise with training... But have any of you corporate guys done this with success in getting reimbursed??? If so I would like to hear exactly what kind of agreement/contract you had... Are they obligated to pay you back if they go under?(Which I highly doubt this company will but you never know) ... Aviation market is getting difficult to find a job so thats the only reason im even thinking about starting to consider this... Any advice would be greatly appreciated... THANKS GUYS/GALS!!!:confused:
 
Never pay for a job!!! But if you do decide to pay for it, and they tell you they will pay you back, make sure you get it in writing!
 
Never pay for a job!!!

What's the problem with paying for a type rating? Its one good way to ensure that you don't screw the company. I've seen more than one guy take his free type rating and head for greener pastures.
 
:banghead:

Good job fly6785 for holding the line against PFJ/PFT.

esa17, the issue is that (most of us) would not expect fellow commercial pilots to have to spend any more money on their training once they are employed as a full time pilot with a company. The employer, who obviously hired him, intended (it sounds) to pay for the training and knew well before they hired him that he lacked the type certificate.

Besides PFT/PFJ being an extremely unethical and laughable practice, it's a smack in the face to professional pilots. Moreover, by paying for a type rating while being employeed by a company it projects the image that every pilot should be willing to pay for such training.

Nevertheless, there is a great write up by our very own Doug Taylor on the primary JetCareers page that explains more into the negative aspects (because that's all there is in the eyes of professional pilots - no positives can come from Paying for a Job or Training) of PFT/PFJ establishments and the overall mindset of accepting working conditions with such companies.
 
I'll check it out. Usually all I read are people complaining about GA or Eagle Flight knowing nothing of reputable companies.
 
I don't agree with PFT or PFJ....but...for a small Corporate company? I don't see it being all that bad. I would make sure I get a legal contract, in writing, notarized and signed by a lawyer of sorts.

My Mom works for a small Corporate firm and they've thrown around the idea of starting a flight department because of all the travel they do. Her CEO was talking with me at a Christmas party last year and he said that if they go with a flight department at some point in time, that he will bring me on with them provided I have the aircraft qualifications. Meaning I would need the type rating for whatever aircraft he purchased.

If spending a few bucks to get a type rating will pay off dividends, then why not. People are lining up to get 737 type ratings to work for Southwest. Its a trade off, but its not like a Gulfstream PFT/PFJ deal.
 
Any company that asks you to pay for job related training after they hire you is a worthless piece of crap that you don't want to work for.

It's a good thing you got laid off. Take your last paycheck, and tell them to take that job and shove it.
 
the only problem is that if they go under and close shop, you'd be stuck with that loan...but you still get a type rating out of it...

the question i have is, if you get that type rating... will it help you get a job elsewhere if they do end up closing shop?

obviously, i think you really have to look at their financial spectrum on this and realize that they're low on funds, otherwise they'd train you and that should be a red flag in the "could they close down?" question.

oh Tony, you don't have to be so negatory :)....truth is, it sounds as though they're being honest about the whole thing...but...then again, it's hard to trust or give any loyalty to a "company" now a days esp if you expect something in return.
 
This makes me wonder is that company had that in mind from the start: get you down there and then tell you, hey you want the job, pay for the type.

If they can't afford to train you, can they afford to be in business? It seems like they may be incredibly unstable if this kind of junk is going on.

So like everyone else said, don't do it. Even if you got it in writing that they'd pay you back, I'd be worried about what kind of loopholes they'd put into the contract...
 
I'm just calling it like I see it, Kristie.

If any company asks me to do that, my letter of resignation will be on my manager's desk before the close of the business day.
 
A company that has multi-million dollar aircraft but pay cant spring for a type should send up a HUGE red flag!!
 
The old Bait & Switch!

Its hard to tell somebody not to take the job when you need to get a paycheck coming in, but pilot training is part of the cost of owning a jet. If they can't afford to train their pilots they shouldn't be operating a jet. Good Luck!
 
Does the whole 'not paying for training' thing count for these certain career schools that guarantee and interview (with lower hours) with a regional if you buy their special CRJ training course? that sounds a lot like PFT to me...

Where do you draw the line? If you buy your own type you can command a higher salary and you also aren't tied down. If a company pays for your type your going to have to sign a contract. Now that is a big red flag! Contract pilots pay for their own types/currency all the time.
 
If spending a few bucks to get a type rating will pay off dividends, then why not.

Because even Burger King pays you while you watch the video of how to run the frier.

Any company that has a corporate flight department has the means to train their pilots.
 
I thought it was pretty common to have to have experience in type (previous experience/training) for Corporate gigs?
 
If they can not afford to train you, they can not afford to treat you right.
They may not be able to afford fixing the autopilot, radar altimeter, etc.
Look elsewhere.
 
I thought it was pretty common to have to have experience in type (previous experience/training) for Corporate gigs?

Thats one thing I'm finding and even after I've read Doug's article I'm still not sold on the idea that paying for a type rating sinks our ship. No one but me paid for my private through ATP so why should my CE560 type be any different? If the type didn't go on MY certificate I might feel differently. I don't buy the whole "the company can afford it" argument either. To me its akin to "she was asking for it, she had on a tight skirt."
 
Don't do it.

There are a ton of companies that deal with multi-million dollar corporate aircraft, and the good ones know that pilot training is a part of the cost. The ones that don't have the money set aside to properly train crews are the ones that you really, really don't want to work for. Really.

Guys, a type rating without a ton of hours to go with it isn't really worth much in the corporate world. It's only the cheap operators that will hire you simply because you have a type rating in their aircraft and you don't want to work for those guys anyway. The good operators are planning on paying for the training and are as likely to hire someone that doesn't have a type in their aircraft as one that does. The only benefit that I see in having a type rating in your pocket is that it proves that you have enough on the ball to get one. The flip side is that I think that a good candidate can come to an interview and impress me enough that I know he'll pass the training, whether or not he has one in his wallet already.

Seriously, work on networking and building relationships with people in the industry first. The jobs go to people that have impressed someone as a person that we'd like to spend a lot of time with, not the guy that bought a type rating. Corporate flying means spending a lot of time with the someone day after day, and hiring someone who is sharp and an all around "good guy" can be more important than most of the *stuff* on his resume.

You want to know what is more valuable than a type rating? Having someone that they trust say "he's a good guy - hire him" about you.
 
I thought it was pretty common to have to have experience in type (previous experience/training) for Corporate gigs?


Exactly, from what I've seen while looking at various corporate/charter openings some prefer a type while others require it. I find it pretty common too.
 
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