Scroggs, from where you are now in your Airbus/Boeing, if you didn't get your training paid for you, would you still be prepared to go back and splash out £50-£70k on licences for your current lifestyle??
No, I wouldn't. I never had any intention of being an airline pilot; I wanted to be a military pilot - and, if I had my life again, that's where I'd go now. It was only later events in life that persuaded me, after 22 years in the RAF, that using the skills I'd gained (through wars and peace) to obtain a position in the airline world would be a sensible thing to do.
If I didn't have a family that will need financial support until I'm around 65, I would have stayed in the military - and continued to
really enjoy my flying!
Scroggs