The problem with integrated courses at this time is that they have hard time in the last few years with customer numbers well below their budgeted levels - I often hear numbers like a third of capacity - and as a consequence many are financially stretched and are using the up front payments of arriving courses to fund the training of the courses in front of them. You can see how this could go wrong as we enter recesssion, numbers fall off even more, costs go up, school goes bust, and you lose all your money having not had any training. I cast no aspersions on the two ATOs you mention but a smart move would be to negotiate a payment schedule that does not leave the school holding all your money in advance. Absent this, there are schools that will take £100K off you before you have even seen an aeroplane and then you are a complete hostage to fortune. Up to you, of course, and you may well be OK. FTE in particular have a stellar reputation but I don't think they can offer dual licences, whereas modular ATOs like Stapleford can and, as you know, the costs are much less as well and they don't take enormous amounts up front. It might be worth raising these points with your funders.