I know I'm gonna catch some flak for this, but I'm 18 hrs shy of the multi requirement (25hrs) that all the regionals seem to be asking for as a minimum.
Yes, that time is low, but it is what it is and I earned my CMEL in 6hrs.

I'm going to 121 in the winter when I hit 1500, but with the moving expenses, loans and other financial obligations , I'm very hard pressed to come up with another 2k-4.5k to buy that time.

RAH is offering to cover the time, and deduct it from the signing bonus. It's a great idea and may be the factor that pushes me over the line. I'm wondering if you guys have ever heard of any other regional outfits willing to work with a recruit to finance that time. I'd really rather go to PDT or 9E; Like I said I have the rating. Is it worth a shot to negotiate with the recruiters you think ?

you need to be 21 yo or am I missing something?

18 shy as in multi time

Fixed it for clarification

I was like you. I had to beg and borrow flight time to get the multi engine time I needed. I would recommend trying to find which regional you want to work for above all else and pursue that. Personally, I took out a 0% credit card to buy my last few hours of flight time in the twin since I didn't have the time to pursue the MEI that I wasn't going to use. Nearly any regional airline you go to right now will give you a signing bonus that will easily cover $2,000. You need to be looking at things like reserve time, domicile (QOL), cost of living, and upgrade time in this environment. Commutair, Piedmont, Endeavor, Envoy, and Skywest were most of the airlines that I took a good look at. Ultimately I chose Commutair for the domicile and quick upgrade. Do not underestimate being able to have a domicile near friends and family. It really makes a huge difference. I commute two legs to see my girlfriend and it would be really dumpy to do that commute regularly without having my family to fall back on in my domicile. I can't impress upon you how much better my QOL is knowing that I have a bedroom at my parents house any time I want it.

Ever considered flying for the Navy? My private pilot student who was finishing up a degree in a non related field got a flight slot after applying. He had his private , and I wrote him a letter of recommendation. I served myself but on the enlisted side. Best time of my life and I would do it again. Just a thought, I would encourage my daughter to serve her country.

Though I'm grateful for the protection and sacrifice of the armed service, I'm not cut out for the military., I'm also 29 yrs old and three months from my long time goal of getting to the airlines. It'd be a 12yr detour I have little interest in. But I appreciate the idea.

Oh how I wish the days of 2500tt and 500 multi just to get and interview were back. Are you seriously complaining about 25 hours of multi time?

Yes because it's expensive for him. Boohoo it was harder for you back then. Those are no longer the standards and it can be argued there were more time building opportunities back in the day. Its a big deal for some, especially multi.

How would you argue that? Just curious.