Am I correct in saying that Flybe were also sending their new pilots to cabin crew duties for a while?
Not quite. They offered graduates from the mentored scheme a job as cabin crew whilst they waited for a pilot position to become available. The guys in question worked as cabin crew for about 3-4 months and have since started their type rating training. A much better option than being unemployed and at least shows some loyalty from the airline to the person.
This scheme is slightly different as the company are investing money in the training themselves and hence will not be planning to spend their cash on someone they will not employ.
As far as job prospects go - the market is pretty dire at the moment as we all know. There are very limited jobs and prospects available. For those that aspire to become pilots I would say there is not a better scheme out there at this time. CTC is now nothing more than a route to slavery with easyjet and their 'pay to fly' cadets. This sponsorship is as guaranteed as a job is at the moment. Yes the basic pay is about £25K (probably just over £30K by the time you add on flight/disruption pay) however it is with an airline that will not make you pay for your type rating, that pays for your HOTAC, that will provide you with LOL cover, private medical insurance etc etc. The basic also rises pretty quickly and I would expect it to have been improved by the time these guys start with the company.
All that for £25k a year... no thanks!
Right, well thanks for your input and how unfortunate I will clearly never have the pleasure of flying with you.