This has been one of the most interesting threads I've seen for a very long time.
I agree - it is very important not to get into training without your eyes very wide open. In my case, that means holding on to my IT job during training, and until I get offered my first flying (most likely non-airline) job. Others may not have that option - but it is vital to have a backup plan of some kind.
The schools are not to blame for this at all. Everyone has the right to have a go at becoming a commercial pilot, and as long as we are willing to take the plunge, the schools will continue to provide us with the service we ask for.
Interesting point about self-sponsered students being left on the pile while airline-sponsored students get the jobs. This is not just an airline thing. When I graduated from university, I applied for an IT job at GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters). I was invited for a full-day interview, and was put up in a hotel, together with 5 other candidates, the night before. Whilst chatting in the bar that evening, we discovered that one of our fellow candidates had been sponsered through university by GCHQ.
The morning of the interview, we all came out of our hotel rooms in our best interview clothes. The sponsored guy was carrying a folder. "What's in the folder?" "Oh, just some notes about my final year project at university, in case we get asked about it." It wasn't a huge surprise when, mid-morning, we were asked to give a presentation on our final year projects. Guess who got the job?
So no, nothing special about airlines in this respect - it goes on in IT, too, and even in government jobs. It's just that we have an even higher number of potential candidates battling for an even lower number of jobs - so we'd better make sure we've got something on our CV which is going to make us stand out from the crowd.
Good luck!
FFF
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