I can see how returning to full-time education may be challenging for someone who has got significant work experience, though I imagine the modular route may be easier than integrated in this context. From what I have seen to get onto any CTC course is a considerable achievement because they are more restrictive than other non-tagged integrated schemes (if one could consider CTC to be non-tagged).
The PPL could be good, though sadly won't be affordable for me for a couple of years I imagine (current salary is fairly low but climbs very quickly), so I'll likely go for gliding if I'm to fly straight away.
In some ways, I'm surprised that what I would call "slower modular" isn't discussed more on these forums (Edit, thinking about things the UK simply doesn't have the GA volume of Oz or the 1500 hour rule of the US).
If one cannot make it onto a tagged scheme for any reason, go for initial PPL + Night and potentially Aerobatics. A year or so later CPL + Instructor Rating part-time then teach part-time. When hours are at the point where regional airlines would reasonably be interested go for MEP/IR, being done later it will be more current and renewals will cost less. Spending a longer time over the training will likely enable a greater network to be built. Plus, one keeps working full-time outside of aviation until a decent aviation job appears. I've read of one or two cases but not many. If I can't get into a tagged scheme I'd be tempted to do things that way.
Last edited by Chris the Robot; 9th December 2013 at 19:52.