Deck Jockey, unfortunately the inertia of the BA training machine means that all DEP's have to do the course even if they are already rated, but it may be that selecting people current on type will speed things up.
The reason BA are being so polite is that they are no longer the leader in terms and conditions, DEP's are lagging behind market rates and if they are not nice to you, they'd have a shortage of applicants! Look long and hard at the new terms, and don't make any decisions until the "size and shape" document has been published.
Good luck.