As an ex-cabair student myself I can tell you that most of the students, and staff were openly vocal about the dislike of the school, especially about the way it was run from the top. We were told lies from day one, I am quite happy to share a few of the issues we all came across;
- Fuel surcharges were slapped on from the early days of the economic doom and continued despite the price of fuel dropping. (up to £12 an hour extra income)
- Countless arguments (some quite public) amongst CFIs and FIs regarding standards which was supposed to be standardised but seldom were.
- When you finished the course, depending on how many hours you over flew, the amount you paid was 'negotiable' with the Manager. Some paid a lot more than others did, so where that money went for a 1 hour flight you did a year ago no one knows.
- A certain member of staff who dealt with interviews and course deposits was sacked for some alleged money movements
- We were assured we would be taught the ground school element of our course in the new university business park. Never happened to this day and all of the classes were told in decripid cold damn porta-cabins.
- And the bit that always makes me laugh, I knew quite a few students who didn't pass the entrance exams, namely the science and maths tests, and were given the papers to take home and post back....
IMO - the one side of things that the students certainly felt uncertain of was the non-flying management. They were either unavailable to talk to you, or when they did, spouted a load of BS.
In regards to the uniform element, I think perhaps that is the only element of doing an integrated course that is beneficial. You are living in the environment together, doing your training etc, and it gets you into the mindset of what you are trying to achieve. The benefit ends there though, because when you are flushed out the other end, without the after course support they lie about, the non-existant recommendations, and the absence of useful airline contacts, you are back down on planet earth with a bang. We all saw it coming. I feel sorry for some of the staff who were a good bunch in a bad outfit. I'm not looking for any sympathy, I've realised my mistakes and I paid for them heavily, it looks like many others have done the same too.