Smith, many "freelance" FI's have got registered facility status themselves. It's difficut to do now, but a few years ago it was a lot easier to get, so there is no problem if they have it. They are the "schools" themselves.
I don't want to get involved with any slagging of CFS, but ideally a student should have one instructor.
I can however say that Leading Edge don't have a problem with retaining FI's. The setup is completely different from CFS. It's a non-profit making club for a start, rather than a flying school. Not having hour building instructors is a good thing. You may find that there is a "little" more experience in the FI ranks as well......
Unfortunately we have lost one FI from the books recently, but that's me as I've lost my medical for a while.
There shouldn't be any trouble getting records. Ted has never been any trouble when I've asked for records from CFS before. He wants a written request, but that is no problem and is a sensible request anyway.