How many times does it have to be said? Never, ever, pay large sums of money upfront for flying training. Ever.
There is no genuine reason for any flight school to demand pre-payment for flying courses, and it should ring alarm bells loudly and clearly if they do. It is fair and reasonable to keep your account in credit, but even at IR prices, that should require no more than £600-700 per day. Ideally by credit card.
For what it’s worth, I also trained at Professional AIR Training (PAT). First time IR pass in close to minimum hours, at the quoted price and within the expected timescale. Recommended by the school for 2 airline interviews (in happier times, alas), now flying Dash 8s. If I had one criticism of the operation, it’s that if anything, some students felt we were being overtrained – which is an expensive luxury in a Duchess. No doubt the school would immediately point to their first time pass rates as justification.
I say again, never pay more than you need to to keep your account in credit.