Actually 152queenoftheskies, Laugh away but I never applied to BA nor indeed do I have any interest in applying. I do have a job, but as it's a flying job, the pay is rubbish.
What has drawn my ire is not really the fact that BA or any airline have hiring preferences but the apparent attitude of some posters that the reason for it is something to do with the fact that pilots who come down the modular route are somehow substandard, poorly trained and 'starry eyed' gamblers.
The reality is that BA's recruitment policy is as much for historical reasons as anything else. That's simply their traditional method of hiring low timers. Either their own cadets or people using a similar route. Aer Lingus is similar. As sevenmilesup pointed out there are admin reasons too.
As it happens, if I was starting again. My preference would be to do an integrated course. I mean who wouldn't? It's the most convenient way of training. Full time and nothing else to do but fly and study. Failing that or more likely failing to obtain the ridiculous money to pay for it my second preference would be a full time modular course at a school with a good reputation. I fail to see how that could be considered lesser training than integrated. Yet apparently some people consider pilots coming down that route as second raters. Apparently, according to them so does BA.
That is ridiculous no matter which way you look at it.