Shyhawk my advise would be to get trained, do your 5 years to pay off your training and then get the hell out of there. Everybody needs staff and most of europe is opening up to direct entries. You'll get treated better and paid better. These opportunies did not exist formally and because the IAA have a policy of not taking controllers back after they leave very few took the risk before and the IAA figured they could just continue to treat their staff like **** because where else could they work if not for the IAA.
Hopefully the IAA may finally realise the mistakes they have made...continually...and take responsibily for the situation that has now arisen. I very much doubt it however and as their press releases have shown they are just a bunch of overpaid idiots who just keep making the situation worse. Absolutely no thought at all was put into those releases but then again no thought at all is put into anything within the IAA unless it involves saving money...or trying to screw employees