mm
In my opinion, and I freely admit I can't answer for how a standard small flying school would teach...
As far as I am concerned, an airline-like way is the extra level of planning and prep that has to be done that, in my experience of private flying, usually goes amiss...in the US, for example, even on singles, OAA students have to file a flight plan, fill out a plog, complete manual m&b sheets for all flights, get them checked out by the duty instructor, and especially turn up early or lose their flight, or fly and get a b*llocking, the logic being that for the job that you want it shouldn't make a difference to your approach what you're flying that day, be it a Warrior or a 737.
While I fully appreciate that there are small schools that will enforce these sort of things, the whole thing seems to be carried out on a more formal basis than most of the mod guys have experienced - as they say themselves. Most of the mod guys reckon that their experience of hours building has been more along the lines of 'hopping in and getting off'. Not that it makes integrated guys better pilots, of course, and of course, not all mod students are the same.
That's my thoughts, once you reach CPL and IR then of course all providers should be as professional as the other, but I still feel that the extra anality gets you into the swing of things.
As for ex-airline, not sure of the numbers, the MCC and JOC instructors are all ex airline, as would be expected, the IR instructors are a good mix of ex airline, ex RAF transport, fast jet, not very fast jet and one raspberry ripple jet, civvy senior instructors and examiners, including a few CFIs who've swapped sides. In short, they all have extensive experience of regimented flying routines (which having waffled on is probably what my ultimate definition of an 'airline-like way' would be). The US has a mix of mainly non-airline guys - some career instructors, a few who have and spend time in bizjets, some have flown for airlines and some who have worked for small operators.
A pretty eclectic mix!