I have very limited first hand info about schools. If you're Adelaide based and FTA is easiest in terms of saving on housing and other living costs, why spend more than plenty? I try to keep track of various sides of aviation, training, jobs, but I give ideas/pointers at best, don't take me as gospel.
Just wanting to help to see things from other angles. There are many graduates with C152/172/pa28/PA34/44 time and that's about it. Yet C172 isn't of much use for bigger SE Cessnas and having MECIR on Seneca or Seminole is highly unlikely to get newbie a twin job as things are. So what can you do differently, to stand out from crowd and show motivation, independent thinking/planning?
Bruce Hartwig do mention VET FEE Help.
http://hartwigair.com.au/career-courses/
I do get what you mean regarding recency of training/continuity and finances. Same story for many of us and worse.
Do visit both schools if not more and see what fits more. Do look behind shiny marketing. What I mentioned about C206/182 etc rings true for early scenic/charter jobs in Oz. You'd not find that at FTA and if paying/borrowing heaps, why not get it ticked off/met while training?
The 'integrated course' structure in Oz due to the training and solo times do not leave much space for instrument training, but having the NVFR done as part of visual training and making most of the instrument time logged, even on navex later on when it's more useful putting foggles on to practice instrument scan rather than admiring view. It will help towards future training, especially if you don't add to massive debt with the packaged twin IR, but rather 'proficiency based' meeting at least the rating issue. Any night, instrument or both same time, time is good for later on for ATPL and training later on.
If I were to move/stay in Adelaide and train from own pocket, I'd not use FTA. I once asked about shorter 'as needed' conversion and was told sorry no interest. They're busy enough with all the cadets to bother with someone doing some bits here and there. Needless to say I wasn't impressed. Business that turns down business on early enquiry, does not deserve my business. I am Brisbane based unless fiddling with heli or gliding stuff someplace else, OZ, Europe, wherever, so won't have time to be in Adelaide anyway, other than some short specific training/holidays.
btw, reason I specifically asked FTA was the use of Grob 115, also used by CSWAFC in Jandakot and Merredin, for FI job there in theory if not elsewhere, would make life easier in theory.