Yes unfortunately in the UK with Police ops and on the North Sea bonding appears to be the norm. It usually works that at the end of your training you owe them a sum, which varies on the cost of your training between 5 and 10 thousand pounds. This sum will decrease to zero over a period between one and 3 years. If you leave before the bond expires you have to pay back what you owe them if they sack you or go bust you don't normally have to pay anything back.
It seems to be the way companies buy loyalty as inevitably the terms and conditions are not enough to keep people and by the time the bond expires, people are less inclined to throw away what seniority they have aquired with perhaps the lure of captaincy not to far off.
I don't like it but I think bonding is here to stay.