Kuro... I don't quite know how the intent of your statement As an expat, I have experienced many types of recruiters over the past 21.

Now about the recruiters function during for India....

Recruiters, ala, Proctor, AIC, etc... merely recruit pilots for carriers in India... such as Jet Airways, Spice jet, Indigo, India Express... etc. Some recruiters portray an accurate picture of the terms and conditions of the proposed contracts, while others just out and out lie.

Ultimately the final contract will be between the crewmember and the carrier of choice.

Recruiters are given a finder’s fee for those applicants who accept the job with stipulations for refunds if the crewmember does not work out.

With that being said... any breach of contract on the side of the carrier will not be honored nor defended by the recruitment agency, as they are not party to the actual contract. Contrary to popular belief or assumptions, there are some carriers within India more reputable than others

With that being said one needs to be very careful as to which recruiter is used, and the information relating to the terms and conditions must be obtained from the carrier during the assessment process.

As a result of the Mangalore crash last April at the hands of an expat and a F/O less effective then Otto Pilot from Airplane, the Indian, courts were petitioned by both Society Welfare of Indian Pilots (SWIP) and Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) in the fall of 2010. They argued that expats should have to meet the same medical standards as the locals do. The courts said “Yea” and then the decree was put into the laps of the DGCA… and voila. Then the DGCA put the medical issue in the laps of the Indian Air Force. Such as life... what can one say or do?

Expats now have to be examined and meet the standards of the Indian Air Force. For most non JAR pilots, this means that six medicals per year will be required. 2 from your home country, 2 pre medicals from a clinic which is evaluated by the company doctor, then 2 from the Indian Air Force. The first medical is a tough one, but years 2 and 3, I believe are routine, then the cycle repeats itself thereafter.

Could it be repealed if an application were made and no objections by SWIP or the ICPA??? You bet it could! But will SWIP and or the ICPA allow the law to be repealed without a fight??? Forget that. In the beginning, in February, the failure rate was an astounding 90 percent! Collusion afoot??? Yep, as the final decisions were by one medical director, and it could be argued that that decision was arbitrary and capricious. Anyway for what ever reason by the miracle of the Sky Gods, the failure rate for the medical has dropped.

Now some argue the point as to why a full Indian Airman Certificate is not issued. What for?!?!? It’s not good anyplace else on the planet. Although some may consider an Indian Airman’s certificate to be a trophy of sorts.

Some bases are far better than others. Some feel that Delhi and Mumbai, Kolkata may the worst places to live. Who wants to walk out of their hotels to have their nostrils filled with the aroma of death or fecal matter!?! The drive from the hotel can be as much as 1 ½ to and from the hotel… especially from central Kolkata! Thiruvananthapuram, pronounced Travanderum is a better place to be. Cleaner air, nice beaches, seafood and ice cold beer. Some like Bangalore and Hyderabad too.

Bottom line is that one needs to do their due diligence and home work to get as much information about the prospective carrier of choice. Try to get information from other expats working in India. One can post on PPRUNE.ORG. You can post questions either on "Terms of Endearment" or "Southeast Aisa and the Far East" sections.

At the end of the day, there are worse places to fly, and yes... much better places too.