Well I’m based in a different part of the UK to Bose-x and I would say there is a shortage of instructors in my part of the woods and I dread to think what it would be like if the airlines start hiring.
Now I’m not saying there are full time 80 hours month positions. More more like Saturday and or Sundays so you want become a millionaire. But its flying, its some money, and it still leaves you free to earn a crust doing the week.
However one thing I would agree with Bose-x is that the caliber of the applicants is poor.
They appear to have little GA knowledge or interest. Have flown a limited rage of aircraft (and I mean only pa28 and to me utterly useless MEP time) and none of them ever have any tailwheel experience.
I can live with the fact that they have low hours and are restricted but they are going to need a fair few hours before they can be let them loose on the paying public and frankly not many schools can afford such expenditure.
I also wonder what an earth some of these integrated courses teach their students. I was recently chatting to one of their ex students with a freshly minted FI rating who had never even heard of the IMC rating.
Shocking state of affairs really.