Wow, you are the drama queen.

Like myself, there are pilots who negotiated their individual contracts with the same agency. Agencie have boiler plate contracts which they prefer their clients to sign. I had a simple excel spread sheat to ensure to keep track of my pay. I sent the spread sheet to the agency the evening of the last day of the month with details, as I was paid when I worked out of base, trained, and checked. That's the business part of being a contractor... Keep track of hours worked, pay credits, and amounts due when funds are paid.

To this day, its essential, the art of negotiating must equal one's skill set they are leasing. I use the term leasing, because a contract, generally speaking, is on with a dates of commencement, and maturation. There is a business side to being contractor, be it a pilot, plumber, electrician. Taxes, benefits, retirement, etal. I do not need, nor want any disinterested third party representative negotiating any issue, not limited to, my career, quality of life, basing, travel between home and work, compensation, benefits, retirement, or basing.

Any way back to FR.... Settled? Hardly. I did have to pay for my accommodations and food during initial training, three weeks. In the scheme of things it was an investment. I earned an EASA née JAR license. Yeah, I had to pay some $110 U.S. for each of the 14 exams I was required to write. Quite a bit more expensive to obtain on one's nickel. Any way, I digressed, again. My tenure at FR afforded me a 4 1/2 year working vacation throughout Europe. Come to think of it, all my contract work overseas have been working vacations.

I don't criticize those who prefer not to travel overseas, even if their seniority numbers afforded them to do so.

Although Grumble, after FR, I vowed never to work for a carrier sans business class or better. Now that would be settling.

 

I am not in China, just did one contract there. So nice try...

I have been furloughed from 3 "permanent", union jobs in the States, and was the plug on a fourth round of furloughs. In fact I have only resigned from two of my jobs in aviation. So don't lecture me about the stability and longevity of an aviation career in the States.

What is the definition of "best country"? By what standard are you making that statement?

 

Not an ALPA member. Never been in a union.

But your incapacity to perceive nuance tells me a lot, considering I was making subtle jab at your detractors.

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk

 

Nuance is hard to perceive on internet message boards.

 

You're moving to New Zealand?

 

Don't let that golden spoon fall from your lips and hurt your toe. Don't choke on it while holding your nose so high in the air, either.

 

Yeah, it was all handed to me. I just had to show up.

 

Norway. That's the happiest country on earth, straight off BBC News.


Norway is the happiest place on Earth, according to a United Nations agency report - toppling neighbour Denmark from the number one position.
The World Happiness Report measures "subjective well-being" - how happy the people are, and why.
Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and and Finland round out the top five, while the Central African Republic came last.
Western Europe and North America dominated the top of table, with the US and UK at 14th and 19th, respectively.
Countries in sub-Saharan Africa and those hit by conflict have predictably low scores. Syria placed 152 of 155 countries - Yemen and South Sudan, which are facing impending famine, came in at 146 and 147.
The World Happiness Report was released to coincide with the United Nations' International Day of Happiness on 20 March.
It mainly relies on asking a simple, subjective question of more than 1,000 people every year in more than 150 countries.
"Imagine a ladder, with steps numbered from 0 at the bottom to 10 at the top," the question asks.
"The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you. On which step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time?"
The average result is the country's score - ranging from Norway's 7.54 to the Central African Republic's 2.69. But the report also tries to analyse statistics to explain why one country is happier than another.
It looks at factors including economic strength (measured in GDP per capita), social support, life expectancy, freedom of choice, generosity, and perceived corruption.

This year's report also contains a chapter titled "restoring American happiness", which examines why happiness levels in the United States are falling, despite constantly-increasing economic improvement.
"The United States can and should raise happiness by addressing America's multi-faceted social crisis - rising inequality, corruption, isolation, and distrust - rather than focusing exclusively or even mainly on economic growth," the authors said.
"America's crisis is, in short, a social crisis, not an economic crisis."
Jeffrey Sachs, the director of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, which published the report, said President Donald Trump's policies were likely to make things worse.
"They are all aimed at increasing inequality - tax cuts at the top, throwing people off the healthcare rolls, cutting Meals on Wheels in order to raise military spending. I think everything that has been proposed goes in the wrong direction," he told Reuters.

The report also suggests that professional "white collar" jobs are associated with improved happiness over "blue collar" roles - but that having a job at all is one of the biggest factors.
And while "those in well-paying jobs are happier and more satisfied with their lives", that effect has diminishing returns - "an extra $100 of salary is worth much more to someone at the lower end of the income distribution than someone already earning much more

The report has been published for the past five years, during which the Nordic countries have consistently dominated the top spots.
The clear dominance of those countries - and Denmark in particular - has encouraged other nations to adopt the Danish concept of "Hygge" - a cultural concept of cosiness and relaxation.

 

^^^But a pint is about €12!!!

 

With the eye candy around that place....., it's worth it