DF1;
I think you hit the nail right on the head with your comments, I have not yet paid for a type rating, but I must admit that I would not hesitate to pay up front if it meant the difference between getting a job or not.
It is interesting to note that Southwest Airlines has, for as long as I have known, required it's new hires to get a 737 type as a pre-condition of employment. We all know that Southwest has never had a problem finding enough pilots.
It's a somewhat sad state of affairs, but it merely reflects the fact that there are more pilots out there than there are jobs, we simply have to do whatever is neccesary to make ourselves more marketable than our competition.