I have to respectfully disagree with some of your comments WBV.
This has always been about calculated risk for us CTC pilots. Sometimes Lady Luck smiles, sometimes she frowns.
I've established a means to continue fiinancing my loans whilst things are quiet and I'd like to think most other people in the hold pool have too.
If all aspiring pilots followed your advice and held off training for at least 2 (a couple you said?) of years, where would the training industry be? We need the constancy and numbers are tapering off anyway from what I can tell (speaking to friends who are instructing etc.). To simply say STOP! is financial suicide to companies never mind the consequent issues it would generate as and when things do pick up.
Valued contributors to this fourm kept reiterating - it's about perserverance, dedication and making the best of what's available. Train slow, train cheap, think carefully, find and sieze whatever opportunities you can et al.
Also, there's nothing unexpected or untoward if someone from within the CTC hold pool finds an opportunity elsewhere of their own accord - good for them, I say. I've never thought of CTC as a creche, instead a working partner who will help me whilst I help myself.
Starting a course with CTC now isn't a bad thing - you just need to plan and prepare properly. They're still a high quality trainer and modernising/keeping abreast of change as best as possible I would say.
Besides, being qualified and keeping oneself current in terms of study and stick and rudder skills on the likes of single engine AC isn't exhorbitantly expensive considering the tens of thousands of £'s we've spent already. Hey, I know that even if (or as) and when I get a job flying commercially, I'll still want to go flying on a recreational basis to keep my hand in with the old puddle jumpers anyway (they're too much fun I think)!
It's the expectancy of some people that they will finish a modular or integrated course... and then simply step into a big shiny jet is what I think causes many of the current issues.