Thank you for some of the replies. As was pointed out by Redsnail, at the lower end of the food chain there are indeed some pilots earning a pittance. It has always been so and probably always will remain so. Unfortunately, for many of you with shiny new fATPL's and few hours that is where you are going to have to start off.
Just remember the adagae that it is far better to be looking for work from within the job than from without. At least those pilots struggling to make ends meet whilst paying off debts who are in a job are getting valuable experience and they probably won't have to wait too long for a command on their type and then eventually move on up the food chain to the shinier stuff.
Flypuppy, your scenario could equally apply to a very successful pilot with lots of experience who just hasn't planned his life very well. There are plenty of pilots who, either through their own lack of planning or through scenarios out of their own control, are in financial straits. I know of a few who have large alimony payments to ex-wives and children and have not been fortunate to work for the same employer since starting out. Many pilots have been made redundant over the years and have become migratory, working wherever thay can find a job and they have many if not more of the problems you highlighted. It is not the responsibility of the airlines to change their criteria just to suit an individuals circumstances.
The scheme I was referring to with a Type Rating and six months line experiece earning only £2 an hour flight duty pay was offered with no guarantee of a permanent contract at the end. If no contract was offered then the pilot was free to hawk his or her wares to the highest bidder. They would be low houred B737 rated pilots with six months experience on type and maybe 300-400 hours. Fortunately all the pilots we recruited were offered permanent contracts at the end and are now very experienced but there were no guarantees at the time. Also, they all had to make sacrifices as we all do when starting out. Some were married with a young family and some had to move from another EU country! So, you have to be prepared to be flexible and you have to know your own limits. No one owes you a job, no matter how much you sacrificed to get your licence.
My main point is that there will always be people who are prepared to do anything to get that coveted jet job. Very few will be lucky enough to go straight into it. Many would be prepared to sacrifice their grandmothers. There will always be some who are prepared and able to raise the money for a type rating and there will always be companies who are prepared and able to offer them. It is market forces that dictate how we go about getting our jobs as pilots.
To those that feel angry about it, I can understand your frustration. I have been there and remember the year and a half it took me to get my first job. I did something about it and went for a reasonably cheap bandit type rating and I have never looked back. I'm not rich and had to wait until I was older and had enough equity in my home before I could raise enough money to get my licence. All I could afford by the end was the cheapo bandit rating.
Don't try to use the excuse that it is only the rich kids with wealthy parents who pay for type ratings either. As msot of you will know from when you started your PPL's, the pilots you met down at the flying club were mostly ordinary people from varied backgrounds. The same applies to the pilots you will meet as you progress up the ladder as a professional pilot. Anyone venting their anger on here at those who have decided to pay for a rating had better look at themselves before taking their frustrations out on others.
I'll repeat it again, no one is forcing anyone to pay for a type rating. No one forced anyone to try and become a professional pilot. Just get used to the idea that you have to be extremely flexible and adaptive if you want to get anywhere in this job. Those that just wait and hope that their CV will catch the eye of a benevolent Chief Pilot somewhere and something will come along in the end may just be lucky one day but I wouldn't be holding my breath if I were them. I'd suggest being proactive and getting involved. If it means that some are prepared to pay for a jet type rating then so be it. At least take some aptitude testing first though. If you can't afford a jet type rating then do a bit of research about smaller types and who operates them.
It's a cruel world out there but hopefully one day you'll be able to look back and remember how hard it was as you settle down to your first sector as a new F/O. Caveat Emptor.