Don't get me wrong; I well appreciate that in a buyer's market (as it has been for the past three years or so) a paid-for type rating may have been the factor that put you ahead of the queue when it came to getting a job. The same was true in '89-'90 when Air Europe and Dan Air went down and the whole employment market was on its knees. Arguably, the situation recently has been worse than that time.
However, the cost of a type rating has risen exponentially with increasing legislation and the expansion of the numbers of investors expecting to reap a return out of the unfortunates who buy the training. The job market declined so far and so quickly that many people espoused the notion of gaining experience 'for free' (i.e. working without being paid), and it's now becoming the norm.
Well, surprise! The market is now getting much healthier for newbies. The airlines would love to convince you that they can't possibly afford to train you and pay you at the same time, but, as more and more of you realise that they're talking complete bollocks, they will find that they have to stump up.
The argument between Ryanair and its pilots about union representation is probably the most important event in British - even European - aviation right now. It is about the principle of a fair payment for fair work, and the protection that European employment legislation is supposed to give you, without employer intimidation. The pilots (with BALPA and IALPA help) will win, though some may be hurt in the process. The outcome will fundamentally change the way ab-initio recruitment works in UK, and rid it of Ryanair's Dickensian approach. The least you can do is support this process and refuse to pay out for interviews, assessments and training that airlines should accept as reasonable costs. It's a big ask, but it must be done if things are to improve for all of you.
Scroggs