Completely agree AMEX - Its about attitude, personality, intelligence, ability, the willingness to learn, to be able to recognise the good from the bad and be able to listen and learn from those with experience.
Sorry to say MVE but just because a guy is CPL/IR its no reason to right him off - it's a little arrogant in my opinion and hopefully in time this will fade away. In many ways, a guy that has done distance learning ATPL theory whilst holding a job, hour building in remote locations such as Africa (doing cross border flights cheaply) and IR/CPL courses in cheap places such as Spain and the USA, has gained a very wide level of experience. In addition it shows a huge amount of dedication, commitment and potential to do it this way - Integrated Courses are easier in some aspects, administration is sorted out for you, you are used to the same school, system and aircraft amongst other things, the whole way through your course - With Modular you learn to adapt early on in your career and this is useful. And of course you end up with more hours.
Nevertheless I havn't a problem with certain companies turning their noses up at CPL/IR - Im comfortable with my training and ability - with the money I saved going modular I was able to pay for a Turbine Rating - I have a few hundred Twin Turbine hours dropping parachutes in Europe - I feel this is more value than blowing it on an Integrated Course paying for expensive epaulettes on my shirts.
Someone will hire us - it might not be the well paid top job right hand seat in an Airbus - frankly this shouldn't be the case for a young newly graduated pilot straight out of school probably still a teenager - he needs to see the world, live, learn and grow - he will be sick of jets by the time he's 30! - secretly Im hoping for some adventurous contract work for my first job (a bush flying course in Africa as part of my 'modular course' gave me some preparation) and Im confident that Im ready for it. Hopefully this kind of start to my flying career will form me into a safe and respectable airline pilot one day in the future.
Good luck to all you guys