Flintstone,
An excellent post and one I [generally] agree on. For what it's worth, I've been busy telling as many newbies as I can that every penny they can pay towards their training from their own cash, is probably worth 2 pennies in borrowed cash.
It also perplexes me how many people are prepared to jump into what until not so very long ago was mortgage levels of debt without consideration of the consequence, either on lifestyle while it's paid back, or on what happens if they can't get the job.
Like you, I didn't start my training until I knew I could pay for it all, but whilst that does give me some freedom, I'm also tied to the fact I HAVE to get a decent income, or the cost I've paid just isnt' worth it. This is one of the key points - to get ANY of the kind of jobs you mention, you're talking significant expenditure now and I just don't think that - noble as the serving of an "apprenticeship" is - the salaries afforded by air taxi, instructing etc just don't cut it - and certainly won't pay any loans back.
And so anyone finishing now, is faced either with a choice of trying to find a non existent instructing/air taxi jobs that won't pay their bills or the RYR route, which will cost them more, but at least edge them closer to the end goal. As MikeHotel alludes to, right now - you don't HAVE any choice....it's RYR or nothing...
Of course, you are right, in that they'll get there and then !!!! on the next bunch coming through. The conclusion of several generations of which leads us to where we are right now....sad but true. And it's this attitude which has allowed the likes of MO'L to divide and conquer so simply....