...have concluded that the normal route is to pay £80k or so, then
apply for jobs; would you largely agree with this?
Disagree. I would imagine most people do everything the modular way. If you plan everything carefully, you should have the fATPL + MCC done within £35-£40k max.
And no, apart from BA's FPP, there are no other schemes that are even remotely similar at the moment. At least not in the UK.
You could always use the "career that you may regret" to save up 80K over the course of a few years and then you could try your luck with all the other mentored schemes like FlyBe, Cityjet or whatever else pops up. just an idea!
Good luck.