I am a citizen of the US. I am completing a masters degree at the moment, so this PPL is purely for fun and to kill off some boredom during the week.
As for the hands on the column. I am the only one holding it all the way to the runway. Same goes for the rudder pedals. The only time he's ever taken over was when ATC told us to go-around. He wanted to expedite the maneveur.
But regardless, this "not being able to solo" is just one of multiple problems I am having with this instructor. He's late, he's always texting his girlfriend on the phone, he rarely gives me full attention unless we're doing ground, and he sometimes makes me go wait in the aircraft while he chats it up with other FIs or another potential customer. I am beyond upset with this FI and the school in general.
I'll reveal the school name in a few days, to spare other people in Florida from falling into this trap.