BigEndBob:
surely the instructor seminars are a good place for standardisation to take place
I think that's what the CAA believe they should be for, but my experience (I've been to one only) is that they do the opposite.
The one I went to was an AOPA-run event in London. The lecturers were all fully paid-up members of the RAF-trained AOPA old boys club and spent a large part of the time arguing with other Large Egos in the audience about their pet instructing techniques. It was really frustrating to have to sit through it. I also found that they had little or no knowledge of upcoming regulatory changes affecting instructors, yet this is supposed to be another of the seminar's functions.
NS