Are u a pilot spaceman1000?
If not, than you have problems of your own for coming to a pilots forum.. for I could not see myself logging onto a forum invloving another profession/industry.
If, indeed, you are a pilot
then you must clearly be aware of the financial sacrifices that we have all made.. including sponsored pilots who either partially pay for their licence or get employed on a reduced salary.
These type rating schemes you talk of are quite commonly frequented by OUR European friends, I have seen many Spanish, Italian, French etc at these schemes... giving money to British companies as you say. Go to Oxford and Cabair and you will see a cosmopolitan European mix of self-sponsored wannabes, its just like Piccadilly Circus. Job in Asia, not Air Asia by any chance.. there are Irish, Continental Europeans and Antipodeans on that particular exodus. Appears to be a somewhat global madness in aviation.. "British madness"? Well, least we have jobs coming up which brings hope to British wannabes, so the Europeans must be even more naive than us given their current job market for pilots
But of course, Spaceman, we are just optimistic and keen to succeed, attributable to the desire to fly. I personally see nothing wrong in that regardless of where they are in the world.