okay so a medium sized media production company reached out to me after seeing some of my work on linkedin and they want to bring me on as a full time staff pilot. sounds great on paper but the salary they mentioned is honestly not that impressive - im thinking around 48k - and im a little worried about what full time staff actually means in this context.

like do they own everything i shoot? can i still take weekend gigs? what happens to my part 107 cert in terms of liability if im flying under their COA or whatever setup they have. i genuinely dont know how employment contracts work in this industry and i dont want to sign something and realize six months in that ive basically handed over my whole freelance operation.

anyone been in a staff pilot role before? was it worth it or did you end up feeling stuck. the stability sounds nice but im making more than 48k freelancing righ now even if its less predictable

read the contract very carefully, specifically any exclusivity clauses and IP ownership language. some of these companies will try to own anything you shoot even on your own time with your own gear which is a nightmare. i had a friend sign something like that and it basically killed his freelance work for two years until the contract ended.

48k for a staff pilot role at a media company is on the lower end unless theres benefits that make up for it - health insurance, equipment provided, that kind of thing. if they're giving you a vehicle and covering all your gear and insurance it changes the math a bit. but yeah id want a lawyer to at least glance at that contract before i signed anything, even just a quick consult. your part 107 stays yours btw, thats your cert not theirs, but liability stuff while flying for them is a whole other conversation and worth clarifying

tbh if you're already clearing more than 48k freelancing i'd be hesitant too. the stability is real and i get why its tempting but staff roles can also just kind of... stall your growth? like you stop husling to find new clients and then if the job falls through you're starting from scratch. maybe see if they'd consider contract or retainer instead of full staff, some companies go for that