Be careful doing your ATPL exams straight away and quickly. The reason is simple, you have 3 years after completion to do your Instrument Rating. If you haven’t got the money, or a definitive plan to have the money to finish your training within those 3 years then you really are asking for trouble. Personally I would slightly disagree with Steve about flying during your ATPLs. The reason is when it comes to doing your CPL you will need to be as current as possible. The best way to be current is to do all your hour building leading up to the start of your CPL. If you are going modular then make sure this hour building is structured.
You are in a bit of a difficult position because you will have student debts to pay off on top of any flight training. EGTC has it about right. The best way is to save up the money. If you are young enough then you will have alot of time on your side. If you want it badly enough then you will (have to) make sacrafices along the way to obtain the money. Of course you don’t have to have all the money to start your training. Just ensure you know how you are going to get the money to finish it should you start.
Another bit of advice I can give too is use your Uni Degree wisely. Obtain a job you would like out of flying and start building yourself a successful career, the reasons are twofold (& obvious). If you don’t make it with the flying (and 10’s of hundreds don’t) then you have a career to fall back on, also if you are building a career and stepping up the ladder you will be financially better off to be able to afford flight training.
Something else you can do if you are living with your parents is talk it over with them about your plans and what a long road you have ahead of you (it is a very long road) and explain the sacrafices you are willing to make, and how dedicated you are etc. They may agree to waver your rent or house keep whilst you are saving up to do it.

As for the ol’ integrated vs modular debate, yes there is a fair few posts on PPRuNe about it. But if you are going to go modular then I would avise this. Be smart, be very smart with your training. Target an airline or 3 that you want to work for (forget BA/Thomas Cook, Monarch etc if you’re modular), and then target your training accordingly. I did this and it worked perfectly. If you want details then send me a PM and you can have my phone number for a chat.
It does seem however, that the only way into this industry at the moment is to be a 150hr CTC SkyGod who is willing to pay inflated prices for his type rating. This will have to change as the industry picks up.

Good luck.

Yes, if it’s N registered and the pilots have an FAA license then they can be flown single pilot.

Well, they could take either or, but;

All candidates, whether Type rated or not will have to go through the Ryanair Type rating scheme. This means if you are type rated, you have to go through it again.

Are you serious, as in this stuff really happens (:eek:), its a wonder how they have any pilots that actually want to work for them?!:mad:

Deadly serious

Now whether the pricing has changed I don’t know, but a couple of years ago this is what it was

Submit your CV – £50
Interview – £50
Sim check – £100
Type rating – EU35,000 (it still is this), you can get a 738 Type rating on the free market for £21,000
All hotels paid for by crew whilst training
All expenses paid for by crew whilst training
All meals paid for by crew whilst training
All LPCs/OPCs paid for by crew
Uniforms paid for by crew
Car Park at home base airport paid for by crew
Can’t even plug mobile phone in whilst in the crew room
Have to bring own tea bags to work, can’t use onboard teabags
Supply own crew food
Pay EU8 to have your wages transferred into your account
Crew get paid hourly rate, if they don’t fly, they don’t get paid.

They are making a mint out of flight crew – fact.

The reason why cadets take on this offer? Because they are so blinkered and desperate to sit in the right hand seat, they’ll even go as far as to rape their grandparents life savings to do it. The job isn’t worth that, it just isn’t. Most of them get themselves into debt of around £135,000 by the end of training, alot of them sleep in their cars in the crew car park because they can’t afford accommodation on the pittance they get paid initially by Ryanair. But hey they’re living the dream hey?

This is another reason I will never fly Ryainair, their First Officers hold no credibility with me whatsoever, absolutely none.