Thank you, waffles - helped a lot!
I was also thinking about going home on my off days as often as possible. Based at LGW or LTN, I imagined this not to be too stressful.
Since Thomsonfly and LCCs won't get me to a major airport in Germany, it would not only be stressful, but way too expensive...
Well - I have to pass the tests first, anyway - but it is good to know what to expect in advance.
Thanks again!