The name says it all - ok, I'm an Oxford instructor - I won't lie to you. But I've never seen so many half-truths and innuendos contained in a thread. I hope most of the readers of this site have got enough common sense to tell the wheat from the chaff.
Captain Moth - are you a wind-up? Let's analyse some of the things you just said:
"Well, its 2002 now, not 2000" - in response to Formation Flyer saying he was there 2 years ago. The instruction hasn't got worse in the last 2 years - if anything, it's got better. Don't take my word for it - as greengage says, take the word of those who have BEEN there, not just passed on half-baked gossip. Try <a href="http://www.pprune.org/cgibin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=2&t=012250" target="_blank">this link</a> for the truth.
"the Berlin Bunker of 1945" - so, if Oxford do nothing = crap management (on this site). If they do something = "Bunker mentality"(on this site). You just can't win.
"when they get rid of ex 747 captains" - is this a joke? They got rid of AFIs who couldn't do IFR instruction.
"and keeps on magnet movers" - greengage made it clear that 18 management, admin and support staff went 2 months ago, well before (a few) flying instructors went. I agree, it's still tough on those pilots ( and the others, for that matter) who lost their jobs - but with the new Texas facility, the truth is - those pilots were just surplus to requirements. If they'd been kept on, it would have had to be passed on in increased fees to students - and you wouldn't want that - would you?
Now let's look at Magcheck:
"Where does that leave the current students/customers who have coughed up, in advance almost £50-55K?"
Actually, nobody has to cough up the full fees in advance. Oxford has a phased payment system. You pay a quarter of your fees in advance, as you pass through each quarter of the course. The most you could lose, if the company went bankrupt overnight without warning, is about £12,000. OK, not peanuts, but not fifty thousand quid either. And are you telling me that if such a reputable company as Oxford had the skids under it, the word wouldn't be out on the streets?
As for your point on the first-time IR pass-rate - to quote greengage again: The national average includes ex-military and also experienced pilots with established foreign licences who simply need a conversion and those who are experienced, but have let their licences lapse.
There is a heck of a difference between an ex-Tornado pilot with 2000 hours doing a civil rating at another college and an ab initio with 150 hours on Warriors and Senecas doing it at Oxford.
Oxford only deal with ab initios. You're not comparing like with like.. . . .I don't need to answer your poInt on the sim instructors. Malcolm Payne has done it better than I could - and he's personally affected!!!!
[ 20 February 2002: Message edited by: oxford blue ]</p>