The problem is that the few jobs that are out , available to newbies, where you don't have to pay for everything are more than likely on a turboprop. So why are people paying to fly a jet?
I think that the simple answer is that it is now the only way in. Those of us who took what was well meaning and sage advice some years ago and got a job flying turboprop aircraft, now find that our peers who ignored the advice and paid for the rating with eg Ryanair, now earn four times our salaries as captains at Ryanair, or have moved on to the Middle East and enjoy excellent terms and conditions there. Meanwhile we are locked into our turboprops (and low salaries - with few smaller operators offering a favourable lifestyle and roster) and jet operators simply are not interested in our experience and hours.
Next time I'll go with my gut rather than take too much advice in future. Basing my decisions on purely financial analysis, I was wrong wrong wrong. What would have been, some nine years ago or so, a £20,000 investment for a rating with FR would have paid off many times over by now. I watched my training colleagues invest this and their salaries quickly became in the order of £40,000 pa whereas I struggled to earn £12,000 flying piston engined aircraft. When I finally got a turboprop job my salary was under £20,000 (I was more than happy at the time of course!) whilst my former training colleagues were earning towards £50,000. As captain one of them now earns over £90,000, whereas I get £25,000 with no sign of captaincy on the horizon. Now I know money isn't everything, far from it, but who thinks I made the right decision now? I don't.