£35,000? I wish!
£35K is certainly theoretical. By the time I'd budgeted for accommodation, living expenses, travel, travel insurance, life and health insurance to cover the loans, exam fees, flight test fees, landing fees, a little contingency pot to cover the extras if I don't sail through everything first time (not that I'll need that of course) and a few quid for a bottle of bubbly when I get to the other end, I estimate I'll need quite a lot more than £35K.
Many of the people I've spoken to have spent between £55 and £60K when they account for everything. When they start talking about loss of earnings on top it’s a whole lot more than that. People who have gone integrated have spent a bit more. If it's BAe, not a heap more (the 3 I know well recon on £65,000 to £70,000), if it is WMU or Oxford, quite a lot more (another £5K at least).
Although it seems a long way off at the moment, I have to say that the CTC scheme at £6,000 with a £2,000 refund if you pass sounds like a bargain. If it includes MCC, presumably you don't need to do that first?
If the alternative is paying over £20K for your own type rating I don't see how the two can be compared.