If your going to one of the subcontractor companies all you're doing is enabling managements to continue to whipsaw and destroy the profession. If more people had intestinal foritude and refused to accept those types of jobs, the owned companies would HAVE to grow to fill the need. Better jobs for everybody in the end... sadly, most people can't see the forrest through the trees and will accept ANY flying job....

Better off to grab a Govt job or something else with decent pay (and there are plenty out there right now) for the short term, keep doing what your doing (instructing, flying traffic reporting, corp, or 135) and hold out for a good job, at a good company... preferably one with a base near where you live. Commuting gets old very very quickly and limits you to multi day trips... Hold your head up high, refuse to work for scum companies, be proud of yourself, and your profession and refuse to give away your knowledge and skills for what those places offer.

Avoid lateral job transfers (IE - Regional to Regional) in this market you will be going to the bottom of both the pay scales and seniority lists.

The regionals used to be a place where you did your time, upgraded and then moved onto a major. Along came the regional jet.... which now does much longer routes than what used to be considered "regional" flying. Mainlines have stagnated, and in many case shrunk. The days of going from a regional to a major are almost gone.... sure, some will make the jump, but most will be trapped at regionals their ENTIRE career. So, look very very very carefully at where you want to work, and who you are willing to work for. Managements know the do your time and move on days are gone, but they continue to prey upon new pilots who think it's still true. They use this to their advantage to get you to accept a job at a grossly underpaid rate, with horrible working conditions, and few benefits.

Look at it this way, the United Auto Workers in Detroit are getting an average over $80 per hour in pay/benefits to build cars... basically unskilled and uneducated labor... How much education and training did it take you to get to the point of just being "hirable." You'll have to be a regional Capt for several years before you see that.... and their $80 an hour is from duty on to duty off...

We as a profession need to stop giving away the expertise for peanuts.