Bealzebub: First of all, I think you win the award for longest reply I've ever seen on a forum - so thanks for all the effort!
It's nice to see that there's a positive opinion out there, and I realise that it's definitely not going to get me straight into a job, and that there's a hell of a lot of competition.
Question though: When you mention the "considerable extra expense" that I may face, are you talking about the type rating, or is there something else that I haven't heard of yet? I've come to terms with the fact that I will probably have to pay for my own type rating, unless by some amazing luck I end up with someone like BA who tend to pay for the type rating (or so I hear?).
Some sort of cadetship is still what I want, and I when I've left college I will be looking into the likes of BA Future Flyer and other schemes.
Private jet: Electrocuted if you don't mind.
Rex: So far, your answer is the one that has got me the most worried. I accept that by my mid forties I probably won't enjoy my job as much as I would now, but I think that's the case with all jobs. I've met pilots who love the job, have been doing it for years and have moved onto training other pilots, so I'm not quite sure how their experiences in the industry are different to yours.
Baracus: That's the backup plan (as it stands)
MightyDuck: The aim of the NPPL was more to determine whether I actually like flying (turns out I do!), and to show future employers (or CTC/OAA/whoever) that I actually have an interest in flying, and I'm not just in it for the money. When I spoke to GAPAN at Heathrow a while ago one of the first things they asked me was whether I had funded any of the flying myself (I have) - obviously this is to gauge how interested I am in flying.