I will spell this out as best I can, again.
The thing any wannabe trainee has got to get over first is... themselves. It is your own notion of what you are walking into that is the first and biggest weakness.
In hindsight, my knowledge was majorly lacking. It is through pure luck that I did not go bankrupt (although now I wish I had, at the right time, before the law tightened up), and it is through relative luck of timing that I got off the contracting and got other options in flying, other than Flexicrew. It was also my hardline choice to not trust my airline's vague promise of what might happen tomorrow and instead simply take what was on the table that has given me a better position than Flexicrew. Plenty of others have gone the other way and they are really paying the price.
You simply cannot believe whatever CTC tell you about the future, if you are a trainee.
Firstly, they are in a 5 year deal with eJ to supply pilots on Flexicrew. They make a massive amount of money out of you being on Flexicrew, in addition to the profit they make from your training. That is a total vested interested, making them the absolute opposite of an impartial party. Your debt slavery is a direct financial benefit to their bottom line. Their bottom line keeps them in jobs, cash, cars and houses.
Second, CTC will negotiate with anyone to take their cadets. They tried it with Ryanair, who were never really interested, probably because they weren't willing to pay another supplier for TRs. Ryanair have nicely stitched up their own supply of 73 drivers, why let some other chisellers in on the action? "Partner" airlines are just airlines, willing to take cadets on whatever terms suit, primarily, the airline.
Understand the power and money relationship: CTC Cadets, provided they are trained inside the profit envelope, should generate some profit and a lot of cash flow into CTC. Sitting in the holdpool should not lose CTC money. Going to an airline on non-Flexi terms will bag CTC at least a headhunt fee = more profit. Going to eJ on Flexicrew will generate a 3 year revenue stream per cadet for CTC, which rapidly goes into the black well inside the first 8 months of your line operations, and stays black at your expense for the duration of your three years of uncertain exploitation.
CTC has no real power when it comes to calling shots in a negotiation with an airline. On what basis would it?
It's not good enough to say "Oh, the ME will always provide a get out clause." No it won't. What will happen in that region over the next five years? No one knows. Who knew Iran would threaten to close Hormuz? You're an idiot if you make statements like that. Anyway, the ME carriers are mainly not used to taking cadets. Qatar is just trying it now. Admittedly on actually good terms, but how long till their supply contract is changed and they wise up to the possibilities of Flexicrew. Think the ME has employment and labour laws even approaching Western Europe? These places are not democracies, for goodness sake. And how many years in total will it take you to be in a position to apply for a job with a big ME carrier who wants about 2500 hours P2? Enough for you to need to get out of the UK and away from your own ****ty credit rating, possibly.
To PaulWeller84: If you are content, why risk all that good stuff in your life to live a life of uncertainty, huge debt, and when you finally make it, working hours uncertainty and major exposure to recession, which is what Western Europe is basically in. Make your own choice, but once CTC have got your money you aren't getting it back, not from them. And the only way to get that money back is to work it back in a plane. There's a lot between you and that seat. It could ultimately cost you your relationship and your house, and your old career. Never mind 120k, for you the total cost picture is far, far higher. It was for me.