The reason they are not recruiting is because people like you are jumping the line.
Guys used to leave the regionals for an airline gig. Why would they leave now to take a pay cut and pay 40k for an A320 rating?
The only ones interested in these schemes are cadets and DEC who are coming home after making their money in the sandpit.
Because we have no other options currently. Are you suggesting we just sit around for a few years on an unemployment benefit just so that we can hope that it will open some jobs in the regionals?
Everything was paid for. In Qantas' case, the cadet paid for their CPL/MECIR and were looked after from there (regional placement, seniority number, mainline slot after 2-3 years of regional placement).
Which sounds very very similar to how the cadet schemes will now work (in Aus at least) with the new contract. The main difference being that they are going directly to mainline rather than doing the regionals.
Now think about how you're going to pay that loan off (circa 100k) on 48k and buy a house, while supporting the wife and kids. You can't.....Hell I struggle on twice that.
Then your doing something wrong? I'm sorry but anyone who cant manage on $48k has some serious budgetting issues going on. Also I have no intention of staying on 48k for my entire career. I'm just happy to accept it right now while I build the hours and experience I need to move onto something better. Most likely that will be in the sandpit but that doesn't cause me any great concern. Like most jobs you have to balance money with lifestyle.
You will never become a great Pilot. You may become a great systems manager. You cannot become a great Pilot flying an airbus all day on autopilot while the Captain takes the tricky sectors and you never make a decision.
And thats different to the current drivers who have spent the last 10 years doing the same thing how? Experience is only relevant if you keep it updated. Just because 10 years ago you were able to do a glide approach in your broken down plane doesn't mean you can do the same today if you haven't had to keep doing the same thing over the years to keep the skills active.