I couldn't agree more with Whirlybird regarding 'X' I too have had the 'pleasure' of meeting this guy, plus some of his students, (thankfully, I declined his offer of becoming one!).
At 'X's establishment, (with the 'tuition' of 2 instructors), I just could not progress beyond the circuit, and simply could NOT land the aeroplane; WHY? - I simply did not know HOW, having never been taught the basics. The instructor would always take over to do the landing, telling me to "follow through on the controls".
After parting with an obscene amount of cash, (for a school that boasts low rates), plus due to some personal reasons, I gave up for nearly a year.
On deciding to restart training, there was no way I was going back to this place, and started looking elsewhere.
To cut a long story short, I restarted my training with an extremely experienced professional instructor, (not an hours builder), who has been teaching for years. Even though he is not the cheapest, and the location of his school meant me undertaking a four hour drive, and paying for digs, pound for pound it has worked out a lot cheaper.
The reason is simple:- this guy knows how to teach PROPERLY. After only two hours instruction, my landing problems were obliterated. After 3 days, I went solo for the first time. I'm now on the verge of completing, and, time and work permitting, will be going down shortly to do just this.
Also, (and this is just my personal opinion), he's not frightened of possibly getting a 'blip' on his shiny ATPL should a student of his scratch the aeroplane.
The moral of my story is the same as that given by most participants to this thread: If you are unhappy, and/or are being demoralised by an instructor, for Gods sake, CHANGE him/her. At the end of the day, it's your money that is being wasted, and perhaps, more importantly, your self esteem that is being destroyed by these people
There ARE good instructors around, who genuinely want you to succeed, and who take a pride in your achievements, don't give up until you find one!
ariel