Is the bond amount that big a deal? Are you all planing on leaving before 5 yrs? As long as they don't up to it 10 or 15 yrs I don't see a problem with a larger figure.
Do you
really want someone doing the job who doesn't want to be there (for whatever reason), but are locked into a huge debt if they leave?
Yes, that means they've written off a large training cost but that already occurs when they release to the field trainees who shouldn't have passed. And yes,
that does happen.