Thanks for all your replies and thoughts guys. Very useful.
If I had no job and 200 hours TT then I may be tempted but i have over 2500 TT and am currently in a TP job that pays better than EA! However, EA basings, job stability and personal circumstances would certainly make EA a strong contender for me. Unfortunetly if you then throw "give us 15k upfront" into the mix...EA then become a hell of a lot less desirable for me personally. If Im gonna pay upfront, then i would rather pay 20k for a useful/jet rating where I can earn 30k+ from the outset