There is no such thing as a free type rating.
You end up paying in the end by lower salaries, sometimes only reaching full F/O salary in year 5.
Some other companies offset their training risk by asking for the new pilot to put up a bond for training ahead of the course the onus is then on the new hire to achieve the required grade or lose the cost of training.
Selection is not 100% accurate and some do fall at the training hurdle.
There are no charities out there these days, so risk should be shared if not carried by the pilot undertaking the training. Its also motivating.
In answer to how much I paid in 1970/72 I did not miss off any zero's either in costs or salary, in those days a jet captain's salary averaged £12K to £15K. per annum.
You cant blame Ryanair for driving down salaries, it the current economics that drive down salaries, each bean counter wants to save money, so after fuel and aircraft leases how can they do that, simple hit salaries.
Share holders want dividends, increased overheads cant do that so your salary decays in real terms.
But Ryanair pay by results, i.e. you work you get paid
My terms and conditions were eroded long before Ryanair came on the scene in the strength they are today. And after 3 redundancies I would have worked for free to get back into the air, to keep my skills alive.
T & C's they are worse today than in the early 80's.
Bring back employers like Sir Freddie, he knew what the travelling public wanted and looked after his crews. A lesson to todays managers who think they have been there and got the T shirt.
There will always be those who exploit and those like Ryanair, who tell it like it is and say "Take It or Leave It" those are our terms.
Can we please stop slagging off Ryanair or any other Low Cost for their practices.