Just for the record - and mainly for those thinking of joining Ryanair - I absolutely stand by what I said above, which is that there are a substantial number of pilots, both highly experienced and inexperienced, who are "employed" by Ryanair (at THIS moment) but not being paid. In many cases they have remained without pay for many many months, even though they paid "up front" for a type rating.
The fact that two contributors above have made statements to the contrary (both written in general "everybody" terms) does not mean that they are right. It only means that, as usual with Ryanair, there are no generally true statements that can be made. Some people do better than others, depending upon circumstances.
It also tells us that Ryanair increasingly has to make some concessions to market conditions.
Wise applicants to Ryanair would do well to take the warnings seriously and make sure that Ryanair provides them with all promises and undertakings IN WRITING BEFORE they sign anything. This was always good advice and will always be good advice when dealing with Ryanair.