Superfly, I was lucky and had two weeks after each consolidation course however I believe this has now changed and you go straight into the exams the week after.
Foghorn, I agree with you 100% The workload is heavy and balancing work friends family was very stressful. but as you say well worth it.
EggBeta I understand the family and time zone problems, but I am not single and if I tried working 9.30-4.30 I'd be sacked, I (for the next few weeks only) hold a senior management position in a large Retail Company which trades 24hrs I work 50-60 hours a week including shifts and nights. I have had to replan my timescales several times and finished two months later than originally planned, the beauty of distance learning is the flexibility.
Good luck happy flying.