WWW,
I know you've been through the mill of all of this a million times before - look at my profile I've been kicking around for 4 years - not as long as you I admit, but enough to know your history for sure.
You missed my point, of course a pissy little flying school in the arse end of nowhere is going to listen to what the Balshy students say more than a multi level corporate like OATs or even BAE in Jerez. All I am saying is at OATs for people who whinge saying you can't get stuff sorted because there are too many layers of middle man around just simply haven't got to know the place and how to pull the strings. I admit I have even seen it at OATs that a course who get arsey get no favours done for them. What ever school/airline/anything you end up in, find out how they like their strings pulled - and you will get any problem sorted. Trust me, there is a way at OATs currently.
Its like the people who complain blue murder at the slightest thing wrong in a restaurant - they get god knows what in their food, If you keep your cool and are nice to the staff - stuff gets sorted... Or maybe not, maybe I just have a way of dealing with people to get things done to a satisfactory conclusion, called leadership/initiative or something isnt it, might be useful as a pilot???
As regards the JOT course, well it ain't a full 737 sim but I am sure it is close enough to give you a good idea. Also, I seem to remember BA always gave their cadets a JOT course before sending them to Cranebank - I am sure they had a reason for that other than to waste a few more pounds? + an extra 15-20 hours in that kind of sim will only be a benefit for any potential sim check you get at an interview. As I understand SOPs are being used straight from a specific company so will be very representative - especially if you end up working for that company...
Moiving onto your point about being taught by the same bloke all the way through - I am of a different opinion on this, I think going into an airline environment you fly with different people everyday, your instructors are different if you move fleets/companies etc. It is good to have a variety as different people do do things in slightly different ways. I am not saying i would want 2 different instructors in the run up to my IR, but in the modular context 1 to PPL, 1 to CPL and a different 1 to Multi IR would in my book be better than 1 mediocre person all the way through, a kind of Synergistic Instructoring if you like.
BigAir
PS A nova liked you described definitely isn't a sports car, you forgot the 12" wide exhaust pipe, now that would be a sports car