Paying FTOs all up front.....terrible idea?

[magnificent_man]

Hi guys,

I'm about to undertake an integrated course, and wanted to ask if any of you had an opinion about paying an FTO all up front? It definitely saves money and hassle, however in these tough times is it a risk just not worth taking?

IF someone like Oxford, Cabair, or FTE were to go under, (unlikely I know) would there be any protection for the students?

I know there are previous threads on this, just wanted a more up to date opinion.

Thank you all for any replies,

All the best

M.M

[av624]

If you want to risk losing 60k+ be our guest! :ugh:

No where is secure, especially at the moment. Is the saving worth the risk?

[BoeingMEL]

If you can afford to lose that huge sum of money, go ahead!

What makes you think that your chosen FTO is protected against insolvency?

Have you read none of the hundreds of threads on this very subject?

Protect your cash at every stage...pay as you go and use your plastic!

(Doh! This is a wind-up...right?)

Jeez :ugh: Good luck anyway bm

[OneIn60rule]

Up front is daft in general.

In this sort of economy especially suicidal.

No, you'd never be protected if they went under.

Pay as you go is safer.

Anyone wanting everything up front is wanting to stay afloat to pay their debts etc.

[Whirlygig]

Oxford, Cabair, or FTE were to go under, (unlikely I know)
What, like Pan Am? :}

Even the biggest and ostensibly most successful businesses can go bust. Personally, it wouldn't surprise me if one of those three mentioned went belly-up in the next 12 months.

Cheers

Whirls

[v6g]

Even the biggest and ostensibly most successful businesses can go bust. Personally, it wouldn't surprise me if one of those three mentioned went belly-up in the next 12 months.

Agreed. (in fact almost expected in my opinion)

[Halfbaked_Boy]

Whirlygig and v6g,

Oh God, don't say things like that, can you imagine the swamp of threads that would start shooting out of the ground here! It'd be like War Of The Worlds all over again! :eek:

[Homesick-Angel]

Dont pay upfront.Maybe and just maybe for small sections of the training if you can get a discount.Apart from some of the possibilities already mentioned there are more than enough horror stories on just this subject and the world doesn't need another one...

The FTO is providing you with a service which you are paying for with your hard earned(borrowed/stolen/begged) dollar.You are employing them, and you should suck them dry for every bit of info, experience, expertise and anything else you can get from them to improve your knowledge, and never let them forget(politely of course) that it is their sole duty to provide you with that service.If they've already got all your money they may not be as nice as they might be if they think you might go elsewhere if they're not coming to the party.Treat em mean and keep em keen..

And a note-If you are a lazy bugger who does no work and expects them to drag you through then forget everything I just wrote and wack all you have on their front desk..:}

[Alex Whittingham]

The two reasons an FTO would ask for cash up front are (1) because they're short of cash and (2) to guard against students legging it before they've paid their bills. The second seems reasonable to me and I can't disagree with an FTO requiring you to keep a balance in your account roughly equivalent to a day's flying. This could easily be a grand, though, if you're doing IR training. If you're offered a discount for cash walk away, it's category one.

Edited to add: Integrated FTOs should have a stage payment plan in place.

[x933]

Never pay up front more than you can afford to loose / write off. Simple.

And one of Cabair / Oxford / FTE will go pop within the next 12 months. Fancy your chances, do you?

[moggiee]

We certainly don't ask students to pay up front - we just ask them to clear their account at the end of the day. We also only ever ask for a £200 deposit - just enough to show good faith on both sides when booking a course.

[Halfwayback]

Magnificent Man

As you state, this is a subject that has been very well discussed. I know you say you were looking for an update and I think you have got your answers above.

So before the thread is hijacked with the banal comments that usually accompany this topic, I am closing the thread.

HWB