Dr O,
it's all relative. I've been 'watching' situation across many countries aroudn the world, both rotary and fixed wing, probably way too much, compared to ordinary pilot with limited scope, ratings and plans to live/settle.
Yes, and NO. Your friend isn't right in the sense that self-sponsored flight training, especially fixed wing, the cost of it etc, would make it easier to make it. Past two decades saw many changes and hardly ever for better.
I'm getting the feeling that Australian job market is getting generally crap because of the sponsored ab-inition schemes and even regional twin turboprop operations outfits want certain amount of MEL time, so som GA progerssion folks get stuck, now that the 'feeder' airlines train more own and the career ladder is broken.
Regarding availability of training/funding. Well, maybe less unsecured loans, but then, in Australia you have the VET-FEE Help nowadays for structured courses with diploma/degree. New Zealand has few colleges that draw FULL funding from Uni style loan, making it easy for young lads with passion or desire, but not real commitment to such career and not easy starts, for helicopter training and similar for airplane training. Yes, more skydiving and charter ops etc in NZ or Australia, than some other countries, but still..
America/USA has the ex-military/veteran career change funding from govt. It varies, but generally, people only pay PPL and rest is paid for or at high percentage. Again, no need for funding. USA has large GA, training etc, so with their relatively low cost of flying/timebuilding, it's more doable than elsewhere.
Canada has some funding system in place for courses with diplomas, although not sure about percentage of pilots/trainees using it. Again, to detriment of 'mom and pop' schools that don't have structured syllabus affiliated with college/Uni.
Some European countries and handful of Asian, still have fully sponsored cadet schemes. Which gives jobs to US and Australia based flight schools, as well as some NZ ones. Rest of European nationals or those too old to qualify etc, spend GAZILLIONS of cash on training, normally. Then paying own TR for 737/320 often to just compete for jobs and nowadays the recruiters or airlines want time on type, which gave business those leeches aka 'line training' pay to fly schemes.
So yeah, if your friend has backup career/job and won't endanger his current family life by training, is strongly motivated and 'noting else will do' for life, then yes, he should go vor it, but not expect beds of roses. I still think that most English sspeaking countries, well, except |Canada, have doable career progression regarding GA and airline flying.
Helicopter jobs are more difficult because of flight time/experience after training, as most jobs are single pilot/PIC only, so if there arent' multicrew SIC jobs to go to after training, it's more difficult. Some countries have it easy, where there's little to no pilots (and ordinary people can't aofford to self-sponsor) and thus cadet schemes are used out of necessity.