What to negotiate into contract?
 

Was recently offered a PIC CJ3 job in the northeast for a very small company. Average 200-300 hours a year. All other pilots are contract, and I'll be the sole pilot employee. Besides pay, what should I be looking out for before I sign on the dotted line? Do hard days off matter when the jet flies so infrequently? Should I push for the ability to have consecutive weeks of vacation time? Appreciate the help!

A loss of license/medical coverage policy.

A severance package..
 

As a recruiter, I can tell you that a Part 91 Corporate Pilot is one of the most fragile jobs out there. At least twice a month, I speak to a pilot whose plane was sold out from under them.. often with little to no notice. I am not saying that they aren’t good jobs, just that they are tenuous: Often times, as Jeff Phoenix Coursey of PJP on Facebook says, Corporate Pilot resumes look like 2 years here, 1 year there, etc.

Personally, after answering the inevitable “where do you see yourself in 5 years (or are you going to the airlines?)” question, I would ask them where they saw YOU in 5 years. If they are offended by that question, or he fact that you are asking for a reasonable severance package, there are plenty of other Corporate Part 91 Operators that are desperately looking for pilots to replace the masses that have left for the legacy airlines. And yes, if you ever have a doctor, dentist, FAA Medical,etc. appointment, hard days off absolutely do matter, especially if you have loved ones with birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, sports events, scouts, etc.

Best of luck!

Pay - somwhere between NBAA 75% min and 90% - remember NBAA numbers always trail by a year.
Health insurance for self and family - company paid
Dental and vision insurance for self and family - company paid
401k with a minimum of 6% match - and importantly, when does it vest? Immediate vestment is important
Life, accidental death and disability insurance - company paid
Loss of license insurance - company paid
Recurrent training - company paid - every six or 12 months?
Long term / short term disability - company paid

Days off can vary widely. Previous job we worked 8 on 7 off. Another job was very scheduled with rarely any changes, and "pop ups" had to have two days notice - so it was easy to plan life around that, outside of vacations - which we took when the aircraft inspections occurred.

Principle somewhere for a 5+ days? Does the operation allow airlining home when it can be justified?

Lots of things to chat about. Do NOT sell yourself short, to many opportunities out there. Good luck.