I totally understand your post! I'm from a very normal background and my parents can't afford to pay for my flight training either. I'm not going to lie it makes things very difficult when you are actively competing against another social class which you will probably never be part of no matter how hard you try. I would be much happier if first officers were paid around the same as a bus driver and captains paid somewhere in the 35-40k region but in the same way as bus drivers the training was provided free of charge, I mean everything from the first flight onwards. I don't need to be paid 80-100k to maintain my standard of living because I have never had that standard of living in the first case. I would be quite happy to maintain council estate life whilst working as a Pilot its really not that bad. But I'm being screwed in a different way. If the above was true we would not have a bunch of hooray henrys paying 80K to go to Oxford, do you see any posh bus drivers?
I have done whats been suggested by many on here, work whilst training and avoid debt at all costs. Its been extremley hard, doing so has involved shift work including nights in order to release more days to train. I will graduate with little more than 10K of debt, I can probably pay this back quite quickly now since my Enthusiasm for Aviation has resulted in gaining a job in the industry which pays quite well and is relativley secure despite the recession, I have been lucky. I am however faced with a dilemma, when I started my training most of the Airlines were recruiting, there was plenty of instructors jobs and sponsored type ratings around. Now its a different world, after grinding my way to an fATPL what do I do? I probably can't afford a Ryanair or a Wizz Air type rating, once again the hooray henrys of this world win.
So heres my advice:
1.) Train in the best value way possible, modular flight training with 50% of the hour building in the states and a good value CPL/IR course in the uk from stapleford, flying time, bonus etc
2.) AVOID DEBT LIKE THE PLAGUE
3.) Put anyone who you know who is posh off flight training at any possible cost, use phrases like industrial industry, shift work and compare it to coal mining!
4.) look after your family and your friends they are more important than your licence.
5.) Be modest about your Aviation achievements around your non-aviation friends, they are unlikely to understand it and will see it as a sign of Vanity which is unwelcome by most.