Be very, very careful!
I will be as objective as possible here.
1) EPST is a profit making organisation.
2) EPST market themselves as a recruiter for the airlines. On the website they used to have the BA logo. BAs head of pilot recruitment had to phone the head of EPST to ask them to remove it as there is not a relationship between BA and EPST, and never has been.
3) The EPST cadets which were sent to michigan were under the impression they had been "preselected" for British airways. This was the impression that they had been given. There was never ANY relationship or agreement between BA and EPST.
4) They ( the cadets) were told that if they were good enough for EPST there was " no reason BA or any other airline shouldnt take them. the fact that each airline looks for different things in its pilots seems to have been overlooked.
Regarding payment, depending who you talk to, the word differs but the last i heard was -the EPST cadet pays the course up front. EPST then through their "extensive " contacts place their students in the airlines. The aim is within 2 yrs as after that time the cadet has to start paying the loan off, independent of if its a flying job or not. EPST aim to place them but cannot obviously guarantee a job. They are not an airline and airlines have their own recruitment processes.
points 2 and 3 imply a certain amount of dishonesty on EPSTs part. Be VERY, VERY careful of anything they tell you.
The boss of EPST also had the cheek to suggest to the cadets they pay for his dinner when he was out to visit them in michigan. Note theyre students and will have huge debts at the end. I guess you dont get to become a successful businessman by declining free lunches.
Speak to EPST but read the small print and ask for evidence of successful placement in the past, i bet he doesnt have any figures on time and location of positioning. Also i bet you dont get a lot of notice before the courses start"or else you might miss this oppurtunity"
The EPST cadets ive met are good guys, academically very good anyway, but are slightly niave to have bought all the b******* thats been sold to them to get them to buy into the course. Its easy to mislead teenagers and then lumber them with a mortgage which theyll be paying off forever.
I do wish you all the best whatever you decide to do.