WWW,. .. .Thanks for a very interesting and informative post which I have to say leaves me (and I suspect others) with a difficult dilemma. I have as mentioned on an ealier thread put my hand up in the hope of securing a redundancy package which would amount to around half the cost of an integrated at Oxford. If I don't leave my desk job this side of the Summer the opportunity for severance will diminish (it is by no means guaranteed now).. .. .It seems to me that whilst airline flights are very full yield is down. Capacity is being added back on the line - the upside of this being it will require more pilots and crews but increasing capacity will further exacerbate the industry's problems.. .. .I was banking on the effects of the retirement bubble and the cessation of airline sponsored cadets meaning an improved situation for self-sponsored wannabees by the later part of 2003 - after reading your post I wonder if I'm being optimistic.. .. .I do feel (IMHO) that you are most likely to be recruited by a major within the first 6 months of Graduation - much more than that and any airline would be concerned about your currency. The absence of instructing jobs is a worrying sign. I am being taught PPL by an ATPL with 3000 hours and so am worried that if he can't get an airline job what hope does a 250hr OATS Graduate have?. .. .What we all need is a register of the percentage of unemployed pilots 6 months after Graduation from flying school. Not only would this reveal whether this really is a stupid/risky thing to do because only a very few make it or whether a majority of Graduates get jobs. It would also encourage the flying schools to work harder at helping their Graduates with employment. I for one would like to know if the extra £ OATS charge is reflected in higher pass marks or employment rates. We've got league tables for schools and Universities - why should Flying schools be able to take £50 000 off people and not have any published metrics?? It's that lack of transparency which worries me.. .. .All this however doesn't really help people decide what to do. The airline market is clearly expanding in trend terms but timing is everything. I know I want to fly - I just don't want to lose everything I've spent ten years working for in pursuit of a dream which could be scuppered entirely by reasons beyond my control such as conflict in the middle East. . .. .I'm in the position that I have a nice house and can afford to fly at weekends in a Warrior for fun - should I content myself with that? My head says I should but my heart is an entirely different matter.... .. .Desk-pilot