It is ever thus and ever will be. The daughter of a friend graduated top of class at a national flight school, shiny CPL & IR. After 4 years can't even get an interview, yet I know of cadets from overseas, even outside EU (but with EU residency rights via family members) who have started TR courses with an airline only a few months out of a foreign flight school, but with a JAA licence. Makes one wonder. It makes the wildebeest migration look like a vicar's tea-party in the cadet scramble for vacancies.