Unfortunately, that's GA in this country & no doubt most others that have a GA wing (pardon the pun...) in their country.
Also unfortunately, if you have a bad mentor - which may not be easy to identify whilst you're trying to learn/gain some experience/knowledge/judgement/wisdom, you are certainly set up for trouble with a capital "T".
Not saying there was a bad mentor in this tragic case as I don't have any knowledge of those involved in the front two seats or who their mentors might have been... Personally, I have always felt that the bulk of GA pilots receive far too little supervision/training for their roles...
Just my 2 lire worth...