Two week notice right after recurrent?

[Gabe]

What are any ethical and financial obligations that one should give to a flight department regarding giving their two week notice just after attending recurrent training? I feel bad that they invested time and money in me and now I'm leaving. I don't want to burn any bridges and the company has been good to me while I worked for them.

 

[Bleeds On]

Will your new company benefit from the recurrent? Maybe they can cover it if they want you bad enough. Never know.

 

[Gulfstream 200]

What are any ethical and financial obligations that one should give to a flight department regarding giving their two week notice just after attending recurrent training? I feel bad that they invested time and money in me and now I'm leaving. I don't want to burn any bridges and the company has been good to me while I worked for them.

Not a single one, and you shouldn't feel bad in the least. Did you do your job well while you were there? Did you give proper notice? Thank you and good luck!

One cannot time the opportunities in career/life that come along on the way to your goals. Pilots need to be trained, its not a perk or a bonus...and its certainly not an "investment" in you (as you describe above) Its training so that you can do the job we hired you to do. The timing cant be planned. Is it bad timing? yep. Not much you can do about that.

Unfortunately, too many pea-brained pilot manager types DO take these things personally in this business....let them. Keep moving along until you reach where you want to be. Sometimes goodbyes are not pretty, but always stick to proper notice and honesty.

Congrats on the new job!

 

[guido411]

Ethical obligations include a 12 month commitment to your employer every time you attend recurrent training. Sorry but you are stuck.

Seriously though I have heard of people not getting good recommendations after leaving an employer shortly after recurrent. Those are employers whose recommendation you don't really need or want. In addition, if a future employer that can't see through the BS of a bad rec on the grounds that you left a month after recurrent is a future employer you don't need or want either.

 

[guido411]

Will your new company benefit from the recurrent? Maybe they can cover it if they want you bad enough. Never know.

Yeah, go to your new employer and say you'll accept the position on the condition they pay your old employer. Seriously?

 

[Bleeds On]

Good one Bleeds!! You kill me.

I've actually heard of it happening. Never after the job offer has been made though. haha

 

[Bleeds On]

Yeah, go to your new employer and say you'll accept the position on the condition they pay your old employer. Seriously?

Easy, killer. Friend of mine was interviewing for a job and they asked him how soon to start. He said he'd owe $X if he left before Y. They agreed to pay off his contract. Common? No. Happens? Yes. Now chill.

 

[Gabe]

The new company has different equipment, so no benefit for them.
I did my job well and will give proper notice. I know the timing is not good (for them) and don't want to create any animosity. It's a small world.

 

[Fubijaakr]

No more obligation than the Company would feel about giving you a furlough letter two weeks after recurrent. I've witnessed that twice.

 

[Gulfstream 200]

The new company has different equipment, so no benefit for them.
I did my job well and will give proper notice. I know the timing is not good (for them) and don't want to create any animosity. It's a small world.

Don't worry about that small world crap....I'd love for some guy to tell me "he was a good pilot but he left just after recurrent".....So what? maybe he also left because the place was a stepping stone job, and did exactly what it was supposed to for him? Good departments want to hire motivated people.

Keep going until you are where you need to be. The only person you owe anything to is yourself. Keep moving upward, but avoid lateral moves - aka job-hopping.

Hopefully you will be able to give notice again someday...unless this is your career goal job? (not likely)

 

[Gabe]

This was a temp job after a layoff and the new job is back where I was before. (temp, but still over a year).

 

[gern_blanston]

Ethical obligations include a 12 month commitment to your employer every time you attend recurrent training. Sorry but you are stuck.

Dang, you are a great comedian!!

 

[jet2work]

Well on second thought.....

This was a temp job after a layoff and the new job is back where I was before. (temp, but still over a year).

You do not owe any employer anything other than an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. If you did that while you were there, then you are even....

However...... Let's just say you were furloughed from your last job at a 121 airline, and you told the chief pilot of your current corporate gig "I've had enough of the lousy pay, sitting reserve, commuting, no upgrade, being furlouged, etc...) If he hired you on good faith that you wanted to start a new career as a corporate pilot and then sent you to get typed and the you left right after your first recurrent.. Well, me personally, I would be pissed at myself for having fallen for such a common lie. There are thousands of pilots who found Jesus (ie. decided that being a corporate pilot would be a better lifestyle) after they got furloughed, then decided to slip back into bed with the Devil when she <-(EEOC) came a callin' again.

Now, don't get me wrong. I don't know your situation, as you have been vague so far about whether or not they sent you to initial and how long you were with them. But... your situation sounds awfully familiar, and it is the reason why many smaller flight departments will not touch a guy with the "121 stink" on them. There are usually only two scenarios that would drop a 121 guy on the doorstep of a corporate operator. 1. I was furloughed. 2. I was fired (wow - musta been pretty bad if your union couldn't get you out of that one) . The third and less common is "My airline shut down." That may be the guy that some will take a chance on.

I am not passing judgement on a 121 pilot's flying ability or anything else here. They are usually very good pilots and easy to get along with. The reason that some small outfits will not touch them is that it is a big risk (in terms of them falling back into the arms of their former employer). Depending on the aircraft, a type rating can be a pretty pricey investment.

In the end, it's all business. You do not owe them anything other than two weeks notice. If you intended all along to return to your former employer, and were less than candid with the corporate operator when he hired you, then perhaps you suffer from an integrity problem and you are looking for solace here. Again, I do not know your situation. The fact that this is bothering you enough to post for advice here, tells me maybe you do have some integrity. Sometimes a Captain has to make decision, neither one of which is ideal. Good luck.

 

[Gabe]

Laid off from a closed down flight department, not 121, and no type rating involved.
Thanks for the tips, everybody. Just trying to do the right thing.

 

[jet2work]

Laid off from a closed down flight department, not 121, and no type rating involved.
Thanks for the tips, everybody. Just trying to do the right thing.

Well then disregard my entire post. You owe them nothing. Live long and prosper!

 

[brokeflyer]

give them 2 weeks and be gone. The cost of your training is a cost of doing business.

That is why you dont take jobs that make you pay for training. The more pilots that do just make this industry more of sewer.

Dont be cheap, be a professional.

 

[jet2work]

give them 2 weeks and be gone. The cost of your training is a cost of doing business.

That is why you dont take jobs that make you pay for training. The more pilots that do just make this industry more of sewer.

Dont be cheap, be a professional.

I agree on all of the above points. That being said, my guess is that the reason some companies make pilots sign training contracts (not talking PFT) is that they are cheap and not the kind of place you want to work or have been burned by people leaving after getting a type (again - if they weren't cheap why would someone leave?).

Many employers who relocate an employee will require them to to stay for a given length of time. 1-2 years or pay a prorated amount of their relo cost. The last two F500 companies I worked for, this was the case, and it applied to all executives. When I got grossed up for tax purposes, I saw that my relo package was valued at about $30K. This was certainly far less than half the cost of the type ratings they bought for me and did not require me to sign a contract for. One could argue that the relo is the cost of doing business too. I didn't get too hung up about having to sign the relo contract, having had many jobs where I had to foot the cost of moving myself.

 

[Jetdriver69]

I agree to not worry about it. I guarentee you that if the situation was reversed, your company would not hesitate or feel sorry if they had to lay you off two weeks after you attended refresher. In fact, they would probably cancel your refresher so you couldn't maintain currency to save the cash. I've seen it, but what can ya do?

 

[jet2work]

I agree to not worry about it. I guarentee you that if the situation was reversed, your company would not hesitate or feel sorry if they had to lay you off two weeks after you attended refresher. In fact, they would probably cancel your refresher so you couldn't maintain currency to save the cash. I've seen it, but what can ya do?

Yep. I know of guys who were yanked out of initial the day before their type ride when the boss sold the airplane (at a huge profit). Why not let em get the type? Well, maybe you dont want them to go with the plane too. In the end it's all business.

 

[ultrarunner]

Laid off from a closed down flight department, not 121, and no type rating involved.
Thanks for the tips, everybody. Just trying to do the right thing.

You could just ask them NOT to send you to recurrent, and tell them why. That works for everyone! And how simple.