This is an interesting thread for someone like myself. I will (touch wood) have passed all ATPL exams by Jan 04 having DL'd. Then CPL/IR and MCC course, hope to have it all done by the summer. The job search begins soon.
By the time I have completed my IR etc, I will have spent somewhere around £30,000 on flying training and associated costs since starting my PPL. That is a huge investment in my chosen career. Yes it is my choice and its a risk I take of my own chosing. But I feel at this point I have laid out enough money on my own training.
The airlines have had it good for the last few years. Huge numbers of type rated pilots available due to many airlines going bust. But from what I hear at work (as a Dispatcher at a major London airport) from pilots and from my training provider, the tables are turning. The supply of type rated pilots is running out fast. The jobs section of FI gets bigger each week. I know of companies who are recruiting who are not advertising in FI.
From the threads on here it seems that quite a lot of people are not willing to keep spending endless amounts of cash in the hope of "possibly", "if suited to our customer airline (who you are not allowed for contractual reasons to know who they are)", "maybe offered a permanent postion on satisfactory completion of line training (for which you might not be paid), subject to market demand".
It may seem harsh and you might not like my approach CH4, thats fair enough, I respect your knowledge and experience in the industry. But they is more then one way to skin a cat. Just because things are balanced in your favour at the moment, doesnt mean it will always be so.
£20k for a type rating is a lot of money. Given that the market place is picking up, I for one am willing to take the chance that in 12 months time there will be airlines out there willing to pay to train me on their aircraft. There are some already doing that, admittedly bonding people for a period of time which is entirely justified.
But I also have the common sense to realise that Bond/GAS/Astreaus etc are a business and as such they are out there to make money. They have done their research and determined there is a market place to provide TR's to pilots who are willing to pay for them, and then place those people with airlines who are not willing to pay to train their own pilots, and that this can be done profitably.
As I said before, more then one way to skin a cat. Good luck to everyone, whichever route to take the RHS of the shiny jet.