Training bond
A contract clause that makes you repay some or all of your initial training cost if you leave the airline within a set period.
Definition
A training bond is an agreement under which the airline pays for your initial cabin crew training up front and you commit to repay a declining share of that cost if you resign or are dismissed within a fixed period, commonly one to three years. Some low-cost carriers instead charge for training directly, deducted from salary over the first months. The bond value falls month by month until it reaches zero.
What it means for you
Read this clause before the offer letter, not after. A bond limits your freedom to jump to a better airline in your first year or two, and a EUR 2,000-3,000 debt at resignation is a real barrier when starting salaries are low. Airlines that train free with no bond are advertising exactly that as a recruiting advantage.
In practice
Ryanair's initial course of around EUR 2,000-3,000 is paid up front or deducted under a bond on many agency contracts, while Wizz Air and Jet2 train crew free with no bond at most bases.
Go deeper
Related terms
4 terms- Initial trainingSafety & trainingThe four-to-eight-week course that turns a successful candidate into a licensed, type-qualified cabin crew member.
- Crew contractRecruitmentThe agreement fixing your pay structure, base, contract length, training bond and notice — read it before you resign from anything.
- ProbationRecruitmentThe initial months of employment during which the airline can end your contract at short notice — and at some carriers pays you less.
- Offer letterRecruitmentThe airline's formal job offer after selection — conditional on medical, background and visa — with a joining date weeks or months away.