Firstly, a word of caution to those of you having a pop at WWW...
BACK OFF! Whilst you may be frustrated at the style of the commentary I do not see anything that is insulting. Just because you have interpreted it that way, having a go at WWW for his style of post is not part of the debate. Additionally, I personally resent the insinuation that we have somehow changed our editorial stance here just because someone advertises on here. By all means debate the rights and wrongs of paying for a type rating but consider the fact that if it wasn't for the advertisers on here yo wouldn't be having this debate in the first place!
Secondly, it would appear that some of you haven't been listening very carefully to the advice that is and always has been offered to you on this forum and at the bashes. I distinctly remember being criticised after one of my talks for being too negative about what happens after you get your shiny new fATPL. Well, if those of you who have been using this forum for the last five or six years haven't figured out that it is VERY hard to survive until you get a few rungs up the ladder then you have obviously not been paying much attention.
I would first of all advise those of you looking for that first job to remember the old adage about not burning any bridges. This is an inceredibly small industry and once you have been in it a few years you will realise how important it is to use ALL the contacts you make over time. I would also add that if you want to seriously screw any chances that may suddenly appear out of the blue of a job, just continue to make enemies of those who are already on the inside. It's not rocket science!
More people get the tip off about a serious job possibility from 'friends and aquaintances' already in employment than from any advert you may see in Flight International.
I cannot give you any better advice than that already provided so eloquently by Robin or Tim. You may not like what you hear all the time but forewarned is forarmed. The few, bright, newly licenced pilots who are fortunate enough to get jet jobs within a short time of finishing their exams are the exception not the rule. Anyone who has gone into this without weighing up all the odds only has themselves to blame.
There will always be some people who will pay for a type rating in the chance of enhancing their prospects. There is NO utopia and there will never be one. As long as there are more pilots than jobs for them this will be the case. Those of you slagging off Ryanair are predictable. I also know many pilots who fly for Ryanair and the majority of them are perfectly happy with their lot. They knew what they were getting into and they are probably some of the best rewarded pilots out there. There are a few who are not happy with the workload but show me an airline where that is not the case.
As Robin mentioned, you have to talk to the people who have been in the company for more than a few years, the ones where the honeymoon period wore off years ago to get a real understanding of what the job is about and what the company is like to work for. There are real problems for some with the management style of O'Leary but the majority of Ryanair pilots I am aquainted with are more than happy for him to keep the company profitable as long as he doesn't get involved directly with them, and he doesn't.
I have always said that if you are going to go into this job and you are not one of the few who are lucky enough to be selected for full sponsorship then you'd better have the personality and stamina to get through the rough time and depression when the novelty of having passed all the exams wears off. It is far better to aim low and be pleasantly suprised if you get something better than you expected than to give yourself an ulcer by being bitter at your misfortune when it dawns on you that your primary goal is not likely to be achievable.
There are always going to be people who decieve themselves becuase they they believe that with their high pass marks in the writtens and first time passes at the flying stages that they are somehow just a step away from a good job in the RHS of a jet. What they don't realise is that no matter how good your CV looks, if you don't have the personality and maturity together with the confidence and experience of real life when you go for your interview you may still not be considered for anything. If you are having a bad day when you go for your interview and if you cannot impress on the people interviewing you that you are REALLY someone who they want to spend time with then it doesn't matter how good your passes were in the exams.
FYI, I paid for type rating!
There, I said it! What I haven't seen in this thread is someone mention a type rating on anything but a jet. I have never advocated that you pay for a rating on a jet, especially if you have no or very little experience. As has been pointed out by others, it is more likely to be a hinderance and a waste of money. If, a very rare and big if, you were guaranteed a job by whoever did your type rating then there is nothing to debate really except to figure out how to raise the money. At the end of the day as long as there are people who are willing to pay for the rating there will be companies exploiting it and I have no reason to balme them. Most of them exist to provide ratings for experienced pilots but there will always be a few who think it is an advantage and will spend the money.
Before I am drawn and quartered about having paid for a type rating I had better explain. In the days before JAA I had attained my fATPL after a couple of years of correspondence courses and a stint flying skydivers in a C182 to build my hours up to the requisite 700 necessary at the time. After I had my shiny new licence I worked several odd jobs whilst going through the pains of sending out CV's and collecting the rejection letters they spawned. After more than a year of looking for work I met someone who flew a bandeirante and he suggested I try and get a type rating on that as it would be relatively cheap and there were quite a few operators of them around the country. I did a bit of research, got hold of the manual and some sample ARB questions and booked the written exam. After passing the exam I applied for a grant that was available to the long term unemployed and was given £500 towards the cost of a course that would enhance my prospects of as job. I made a few more enquiries amongst all the operators to find someone who could sell me some training on type and do the 1179 for me. It cost me another £3,500 and the promise that I 'MIGHT' be offered some work as an F/O on the bandit with the company. It took another few frustrating months but I eventually had a bandit type rating.
I was offered some freelance work as an F/O with the company but it was in fact costing me money to travel and stay near the airport for the few flights they were throwing my way. At least I had made some useful contacts in the industry whilst I was looking for someone to do my type rating and I used to stay in touch with them. One day I rang one of the companies to see what the state of play was and by chance an F?O had resigned the day before to go to Air UK on the F27. The food chain was working. As one F/O moved up to bigger equipment I was offered a full time salaried position as an F/O and they even paid for my uniform. I was another step up the ladder.
There is some luck involved but mostly it is a determination and a get up and do it attitude that makes the difference. Not everyone can do it and I would be interested to know the numbers of those who have given up at the various stages in their quest to become airline pilots. Even when you are on the ladder there are no guarantees but with time comes experience and with experience come opportunities. For the vast majority of airline pilots out there they have all fought their way up the food chain and it is not a bad apprenticeship. The few lucky ones who went straight from new licence to RHS jet have missed out on a large part of what makes the job enjoyable... the experience.
So, don't damn everyone who pays for a type rating. Some of them will be shooting themselves in the foot and may actually give you an advantage. Those of us who went for something less glamorous can pass on the experience and encouragement. Consider the fact that if none of you paid for your initial training and licence then the arlines would also have to pay for it.
Finally, make as many contacts as you can with those who are 'inside' the job and try not to fall out with them as they may just be the one who can answer the Chief Pilot when he asks them if they know you and what are you like. Burn bridges at your own risk!