AVV,
If you are not in aisle 3 in ML (and it sounds like you may not be), I would suggest that you may not be in the best position to talk about the goings-on in our part of the world. If you go back 10 trainees in our aisle, you would be going back 2 years at least - in that time, there have been less than a handful fail, including one who 'self-scrubbed' the morning of his check. Those who passed include two ab-initios who passed on what is still one of the hardest groups in the centre (if not the entire country!) and is now only taking an ab-initito again because they can't get people from other groups on transfer and are desperately short, ie really should be for experienced controllers only! All indications are he will get through fine, so just where is this mis-placed aversion to aisle 3 coming from?
I also take issue with your comment on fear - no checkie or line manager that I have come across (and I have had some doozies!) has ever torn anyone apart because they smelt fear. Everyone is intimidated by checks and the checkies know this - it's the nature of the job but I have never seen anyone torn apart because they were nervous about the check or doing the job by themselves afterwards. When I got my first aisle 3 rating, I found the checkie paid a bit more attention to me than normal but my confidence needed it and it was in no way a bad or intimidating thing - it was reassuring that help was there if I needed it. Anyone looking at coming to AsA does NOT need to worry about checkies or line managers smelling fear and using it against you (Line managers will try and screw for all you are worth but that's just the way with AsA these days!)
Finally to suggest that aisle 3 is not supportive, accepting or encouraging of trainees is flat out ridiculous. Just what are you basing that on? Anyone sent to West P, West R or Bight, can expect training as good as anywhere else in either centre. When I was training, I got chucked back in the sim just before my check because all I had seen was Runway 21 at PH - Runway 03 had entirely different air routes and conflicts and I needed some refreshing before my check. To make an assertion like that belittles the great work that those of us who train in that aisle do so please provide some sort of justification for that remark.
To those coming, please don't be put off by AVV's comments; they are just not the case at all! The training will be tough but your training officers and line managers will do everything they can to help you. The checkies (especially in aisle 3!) are brilliant and are always available to provide advice to help you through. There are other things which may put you off of joining but don't let AVV's comments be the reason.