I'd have to agree, this paying for your own TR business really is disgusting, but since there are people out there willing to do it, and bearing in mind the current economical climate etc, it's going to be something we will have to contend with for a while longer I would have thought.
And as someone said previously, having shelled out ££,£££'s already for your training, an extra wedge to get your self started probably seems like the logical thing to do for someone in that situation, and I don't blame them for it.
We just have to wait for things to pick up a bit, and keep our heads screwed on in the meantime. No one can be blamed for doing their best in their given situation.