The cost to the right hand seat is most definately NOT the same. I did my training from start to MEIR for about £20k-£25k (which was all my own money, not debt - as I saved up for many years), whilst still in my old career and I didn't walk away from that career until I had a job offer. (a job, not some micky mouse zero hour contract). Yes I had to pay for my rating, as unfortunately most do these days but that was another £15k and it was based on a real job with a real salary, which I had a contract for, in writing.
People need to get a bit of self respect and actually plan ahead. Someone in a previous post mentioned 'finding yourself 100k in debt'. Unbelievable, nobody FINDS THEMSELVES 100k in debt. This isn't like someone who lost a job in a recession due to no fault of their own. This is people who made a concious decision to do all the training without thinking through the consequences. If you can't afford to service the debt then you shouldn't have taken it on!
I agree that then having had a dawning reallisation (which people should have had BEFORE committing to all the debt) then maybe the ryanair thing looks better than nothing - however I still can't see that. A further 30k of debt for what? certainly this brookfield contract thing isn't a job, theres no guaranteed income, and even more cost as most people (juding by this thread) are incurring living costs way way away from home.
Unlike some I don't take solace in others misfortune, but really, if you are up to ears in debt and not earning anything whilst paying for accomodation in the butt end of europe and want to blame someone for the situation, then look in a mirror. You knew what you were signing when you paid the money.
I suspect at some point the irish government will grow some plums (or be given some by its new european paymasters) and put a stop to all this anyway. Certainly in the UK IR35 would kill all this, and I'm pretty sure that brookfield would be borderline at best under UK employment and contract law. Minimum wage would also be a consideration in the UK too.