B2N2 - there speaks a US based flight instructor!
OP - B2N2 was correct in that you should never, ever pay large sums up front. Why not do a PPL and study a correspondence course with someone like Bristol or Oxford? You will save money and it needn't be longer than an 'approved' course. They call it 'modular' training. If you feel the need to do a full residential course, I'd look at a more established school. Do a search on here for that.
Off the top of my head there are:
Atlantic
Oxford
FTE
Egnatia
And modular:
Bristol
Oxford
CATS
Plenty more if you do a search!
30 is not too late by any means.