Training Contract Question
 

I work for a small 135 outfit. I recently completed training and I'm almost done with IOE. Today, I was handed a training contract from the company for 1 year/$10000. My problem is that I have already completed training, why would I want to sign this contract? I don't have any intentions of leaving the company, I just don't feel like I have anything to gain by signing the contract. I would've signed it when I was hired before I trained, but it was never mentioned at all. Any thoughts/comments/advice are appreciated.

What do you have to lose if you plan on staying with the company?

I think it's complete BS that they are handing it to you now though.

Training contracts are B.S., just another way of subverting the free market system when it comes to employing pilots. If you think about it what’s a company saying?
Our pay is so low, our working conditions are so poor, our future is so bleak that you probably won’t want to stay even a year! So, we will have to give you an incentive to stay by taking 40% of your annual pay if you leave. Great!
Unless it’s conditional for your continued employment I wouldn’t sign.

I'm not a fan of contracts either. But when the average training event cost between 10,000 to 80,000 I can understand why. Pilots need to understand and respect this investment. Companies need to realize the pilot as a valuable asset and pay fair wages. In the end it's your decision, just be careful some things can come back and bite.

I can understand a bit from the company's perspective but it's total crap if this was sprung without being mentioned prior to training. I doubt they'd fire you now for refusing since they've spend the money. You have to decide how it will change your working relationship with your boss if you say no, however. If you think you will be there a year, it may be worth just to sign it...what happens when you take a recurrent class next year? Are they going to have you sign another one? Caveat Emptor.

If they never mentioned it and it was never explained to you prior to accepting the job, do not sign it. They tried this with the pilot group at a former company I worked for and even back dated it 3 months to the date of hire. All of us asked in the interview about a contract and were told "no."

Also beware the "promisory note"....likely this is written somewhere on that contract. Basically that is an IOU. They can demand the full amount to be reimbursed at any time.

They can't force you to sign it. You already have the training so they aren't going to threaten you, lest you walk.

The real problem is when someone accepts the job and begins indoc (moves to the city) and then the contract is sprung prior to going to sim training. Now they have you and they haven't paid anything out of pocket. Should you sign something like this, you can always say it was signed under duress.

I know places have been burned by guys typing and running, or even going to initial with no type ride, and running. It still costs the company $10K or so for initial regardless of whether you get your type.

A lot of places (mostly scum charter) make you pay for your own initial/type and re-imburse you over the course of the year. Now they have you by the nads. Most will also make you re-up if you want to go to recurrent too. Pretty much if you leave when you finally get all your money back, you will be out of currency. Brilliant.

Another option is to say that you'd like to have a copy of the contract (don't sign it) so that you can show it to your attorney first. Some places have been known to backtrack right there.

Good luck...

I say sign it. You have a job and there are a lot of pilots on the street or headed there. I agree the timing isnt good but it may be simply an oversight. And if you are asked to sign one again next year unless you want to pay for training yourself I would sign it. I look at someone else paying for my training as part of my benefits so I dont mind signing my contract. And to all of you getting ready to blast me for thinking this way just remember you cant possibly what I have had to do to get this far so for me a contract is no big deal. just my opinion

Have they indicated that if you don't sign that you will be out of a job? Did they send you for a type rating or are they trying to get you on just the company provided training? Have any of the other pilots mentioned the "surprise" training contract, or did they get it before they started training?

They didn't really indicate that I would be out of a job. She just handed me the contract while she was doing other things and told me I could put it on her desk sometime later. There is no type rating because our MATOW is 12,500. I haven't asked any of the people from my class about the contract, but I am sure they didn't have it before training.

It seems like it would not be a wise business decision for them to let me go if I don't sign the contract. After all, they just invested all the money training me, so what do they have to gain by firing me? I like the job and it is a great way to build time, but I am real hesitant to sign a one year contract for 10k when I barely make enough money at the job to survive. I moved a long distance for the job so I could build some multi turbine time, but I could make more money flight instructing back home and be with my friends and family. I'm leaning towards not signing the contract. If they fire me for it, then that is unfortunate for me and for them, but I just don't think i should be forced to sign something after training that I was not told about before I went through training.

Thanks for all the responses, it helps to hear other people's opinions on this.