Interested. .some good points here, but I think you play Devil's advocate somewhat. I don't have a problem with that - I do it myself more than a little, but I don't want the enjoyment of the argument to take away from the real, tangible benefits of the Astraeus scheme. There may well be some points of presentation that could do with a revisit, but I have no influence over that.. .Please understand that the PPrune/Astraeus scheme is the nearest that we believe can be achieved, in the real commercial world, to an ideal that we've been chasing after for some time. That is, a professional pilot training and employment scheme that disadvantages neither the employer nor the trainee. Astraeus are not a charity, and have to see real commercial returns from those that they take on. However, those lucky 5 - each year - will be effectively be paid to train and get a 737 rating, in return for a contribution to the Pprune fund - which will be reinvested in further Wannabe training.. .I hope that Ryanair's system will not gain ground in Europe, and I suspect it won't in the medium and long term. It is an opportunistic (for the airline) scheme that relys on the short-term aims of 737-qualified potential employees. By nature, it suggests that the employer regards the employee as a necessary evil, rather than a team member. That'll work while times are tough, but it won't otherwise - and people will remember.. .Anyway, time will tell. My crystal ball's no better than yours, but I hope it's obvious which scheme I'd recommend you aim for!