Buying a CJ Rating - Is it worth it?

Short answer: No.
Long answer:
Why on earth would a company hire a non rated pilot on a CJ in these days?
"You may get a job after completion" is what folks are always being told.
The way it goes is unfortunately not what you believe: You do the t/r on the jet, they get some utilization on it (I don't expect a TR on the aircraft without sim worth the money), you pay them good money, finnish and then get calls (if any) like: "We're so sorry, as you can see there is a crysis out there so we don't have any work for you."
Good deal for the company, sold you a TR, got some hours on the jet.
The result for you is somehow different.
Wait for better times and look for serious companies, not semi serious "establishments".
Don't destroy salaries by buying yourself into a job.

This is the 'big question' for all low hours pilots. Especially at this time of financial instability. All airlines are, rightly, being very cautious and as a result any that feel they can will try to defer any costs onto other. One brilliant way for them to do this is asking pilots to pay for their own type ratings. I have heard a lot of good and bad stories about this approach and I suppose it depends slightly on your relationship with the school/airline.

The other thing i think is that times are sure to improve and historically the airlines have been slow to react with recruitment. If this happens again we will see another period of significant recruitment from many different airlines. This may open the door to flying jobs where you don't have to pay for you TR. It might be a case of being patient and waiting for the times to improve.

It is a problem and I don't want pay but is everyone else is I'm going to left behind. What can I do, not get a flying job or pay a few thousand and get my career underway? It's easy for you with your thousands of hours but so hard for me.

I still don't know what I should do?

Got to agree with Flintstone on this one.

Here in Canada the thought of buying your job is about as insulting as you can get (the notion of flying for free runs a close second). Unsuspecting newbies casually raise the idea of buying a type rating on the Canadian forums and are met with a fierce barrage of abuse from the community. Many of the arguments used are justified but hark back to the era where the profession was well respected and paid accordingly. Sadly times have changed. With the industry going through, arguably, it's worst ever period, with hit after hit, the operators are going to cut any cost they can. There is already an established market for new pilots to 'fast-track' their careers and buy their way into the right hand seat which operators are understandably keen to exploit.

The bottom line is that, in my opinion, the damage has already been done. A precedent has been set and will soon become the norm. I just hope it doesn't migrate to Canada anytime soon. In the meantime I'll carry on fuelling and washing aircraft, cleaning toilets and other fun stuff that comes with "doing my time". ;)

There are opportunities to pay for a TR at the moment all around the world, some come with jobs apparently (Ryanair) other schools just offer the TR, which on their own are a huge risk to purchase.

Have you asked them if they would be interested in paying the TR for you, then you work for them and be bonded for 1,2 or 3 years etc? Then you might see what the chances of a job are. 

I paid a fortune for my license and I will pay whatever it takes to get my investment back. Pay for a type rating will not make any problems for me. I will pay and laugh at the pilots who wait and don't do buying of type ratings. In Spain lots of pilots make payment just to get interviews and I will do the same.

I think alot of people are forgetting that low houred pilots are stuck in a Catch 22 situation i.e need experience for the job but cant get experience because you need a job to get it!! Thats why these TRTO and line training packages are making a fortne because they found a gap in the market.
Fact is its easier to say to go and do a FI rating or turbo prop or air taxi than it really is because theres no jobs even doing that. There are no jobs as an FI because every mother and their son is doing it or the turbo prop scene is just as dry unless you have time on type. The fact is a pilots job is getting easier and easier by the day with technology getting better, and now every one can fly for around a pound or so we are merley seen as glorified bus drivers!! Back in the day when flying was for people who had money and pilots actually flew the plane you was getting everything paid for and the pilots were seen as professionals that had alot of skill that the average joe bloggs didnt have.
ITC used to be the same, hardly anyone had a computer and when they broke the Technician fixed it and made £40/hr now everyone pretty much owns a pc and does ICT courses so know the rate of pay will go down because alot of people have the same skill.

I want to become an instructor but I want to do it for the right reasons, not to just hour build and do it because there is no other jobs out there, I personally think its wrong on the student! As you know already Richard you know where I stand from when we spoke on the phone but im not going to mention it on here because all hell would break loose and it will become another Prune site. I think alot of people "Tar with the same brush" because sometimes sitting around doing nothing is not an option or worst option especially if you just decided to do a career change and hit by the recession. PTF and SSTR are here to stay till a big crash( s ) happens thats a fact and apparently low cost carriers cause alot of these problems so why cant they limit the amount of low cost carriers? Or even better stop making the requirements sky high make them more realistic. If the requirements are simply fATPL 300-500 hours then wouldnt need this pay for line flying hours to get a job.