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Varistha’s (name changed) life was turned upside down by the coronavirus. A flight attendant-turned-pilot, she graduated from a rigorous — and expensive — year-long training course shortly before the pandemic hit.

In pre-COVID days, the 30-year-old thought that paying over 2 million baht (€53,500) ($64,000) to a pilot training school after passing a recruitment test at a major Thai airline was a good investment and a nice transition from the cabin. Today, she looks back with some regret.

“My life hasn’t gone as planned and I have struggled to land a job. Many companies cannot hire me as I’m still employed by the airline,” Varistha told DW.

She is just one of many who have been put on leave without pay, but are allowed by their company to work somewhere else in the meantime. The problem is that most companies in Thailand don’t allow dual employment.

After having to put her…