I think the consensus is settling around self sponsored type ratings are a bad thing - don't do them. Which has always been my personal line.
For the current crop of Ryanair pilots taking this chance it has worked very well. This chance arises during recessionary times in the UK aviation market and dissapears as things pick up.
There are many happy and many unhappy pilots in FRA - like every airline you care to mention.
The sector has changed since the early 90's. There are fewer TP operators outs there and a heck of a lot more 737 operators. Hence a jet type rating course is not the esoteric gamble it once was for the self sponserer.
The advice remains though - unless you have a pretty definite IN to the company, don't pay for a very expensive jet type rating on the off chance.
Cheers
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ps a very important thread this one.