Trust me, I am in exactly the same position. I completely understand the lack of consideration given to perspectives outside his own experience, bear in mind he qualified some time ago and with a TC straight from university. I don't think it's fair to assume everyone is able to self-fund, but if you can, it appears to be the way to go. My advice previously was based on the idea that this candidate had already undergone the very expensive process of GDL and multiple post graduate degrees on top of his undergrad.
As for everyone who isn't necessarily as fortunate. Please go and have a look at the LLM SQE process. As far as I know, not only does it qualify for a postgraduate loan, but it goes up to nearly 13 grand that is inclusive of the booking fee for the exams. On top of that you are able to do it outside of London, allowing for a lower cost of living if you were to house share in Leeds like some people I know. This combined with the potential scholarship options from BPP might allow you to bridge the gap.