Waspie - Do you mind me asking what the background is of the commercial pilots that have recommended an integrated route.
Like you, i've met many experienced pilots who have all advised the integrated route yet on this board all the employed pilots suggest the opposite.
Admittedly all the pilots I've met are from the same background: Old-school BA pilots so perhaps their's is a dated view or at least a view that is not relevent to the industry as a whole.
I'm just trying to work out why there is such a discrepancy between the advice of the "real" pilots i meet and those on this board... it makes decisions very difficult!