It is possible to become a pilot without saddling yourself with loads of debt Kyle, whether that be a government loan or any other kind of loan. eg I couldn't afford to even have my first lesson until I was 27 and had got the wherewithal.
The Fee Help system is a huge burden on the taxpayer and creates elite academies that still don't seem to be able to use that advantage over other operators to provide a stable business for whatever reason.
It is fair enough to pay towards tuition fees but we are talking about massive sums of money here for a career that didn't have a shortage before these types of loans were set up and still doesn't. If you look for example at the health system which I'm told by many doctors could collapse without 457 visa holders then why not invest that kind of money training for a career that benefits society (seeing as society are paying for it) and has a genuine shortage? Do the taxpayers really owe anyone a living to follow a dream?
Of course if I'd been in your shoes I would have jumped at the chance if it had been available then. In my time there were cadetships that I turned down because I saw so many others get stung by them. I just feel that these things cause a big imbalance in the industry and when you have lost students to a school that provides "free flying" and then collapses anyway it's hard to stomach. It's also hard to see good colleagues have the rug pulled out from under them like this and for what?