Paying FTOs all up front.....terrible idea?
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 22
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From: ****
Paying FTOs all up front.....terrible idea?
Hi guys,
I'm about to undertake an integrated course, and wanted to ask if any of you had an opinion about paying an FTO all up front? It definitely saves money and hassle, however in these tough times is it a risk just not worth taking?
IF someone like Oxford, Cabair, or FTE were to go under, (unlikely I know) would there be any protection for the students?
I know there are previous threads on this, just wanted a more up to date opinion.
Thank you all for any replies,
All the best
M.M
I'm about to undertake an integrated course, and wanted to ask if any of you had an opinion about paying an FTO all up front? It definitely saves money and hassle, however in these tough times is it a risk just not worth taking?
IF someone like Oxford, Cabair, or FTE were to go under, (unlikely I know) would there be any protection for the students?
I know there are previous threads on this, just wanted a more up to date opinion.
Thank you all for any replies,
All the best
M.M
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 545
Likes: 0
From: Herefordshire
Do you have money to burn...or are you mad?
If you can afford to lose that huge sum of money, go ahead!
What makes you think that your chosen FTO is protected against insolvency?
Have you read none of the hundreds of threads on this very subject?
Protect your cash at every stage...pay as you go and use your plastic!
(Doh! This is a wind-up...right?)
Jeez
Good luck anyway bm
What makes you think that your chosen FTO is protected against insolvency?
Have you read none of the hundreds of threads on this very subject?
Protect your cash at every stage...pay as you go and use your plastic!
(Doh! This is a wind-up...right?)
Jeez
Good luck anyway bm
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 339
Likes: 0
From: Derby
Paying everything
Up front is daft in general.
In this sort of economy especially suicidal.
No, you'd never be protected if they went under.
Pay as you go is safer.
Anyone wanting everything up front is wanting to stay afloat to pay their debts etc.
In this sort of economy especially suicidal.
No, you'd never be protected if they went under.
Pay as you go is safer.
Anyone wanting everything up front is wanting to stay afloat to pay their debts etc.
Hovering AND talking

Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 5,711
Likes: 1
From: Propping up bars in the Lands of D H Lawrence and Bishop Bonner
Oxford, Cabair, or FTE were to go under, (unlikely I know)
Even the biggest and ostensibly most successful businesses can go bust. Personally, it wouldn't surprise me if one of those three mentioned went belly-up in the next 12 months.
Cheers
Whirls
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 252
Likes: 0
From: Canada
Originally Posted by whirlygig
Even the biggest and ostensibly most successful businesses can go bust. Personally, it wouldn't surprise me if one of those three mentioned went belly-up in the next 12 months.
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 497
Likes: 2
From: In the doghouse
Dont pay upfront.Maybe and just maybe for small sections of the training if you can get a discount.Apart from some of the possibilities already mentioned there are more than enough horror stories on just this subject and the world doesn't need another one...
The FTO is providing you with a service which you are paying for with your hard earned(borrowed/stolen/begged) dollar.You are employing them, and you should suck them dry for every bit of info, experience, expertise and anything else you can get from them to improve your knowledge, and never let them forget(politely of course) that it is their sole duty to provide you with that service.If they've already got all your money they may not be as nice as they might be if they think you might go elsewhere if they're not coming to the party.Treat em mean and keep em keen..
And a note-If you are a lazy bugger who does no work and expects them to drag you through then forget everything I just wrote and wack all you have on their front desk..
The FTO is providing you with a service which you are paying for with your hard earned(borrowed/stolen/begged) dollar.You are employing them, and you should suck them dry for every bit of info, experience, expertise and anything else you can get from them to improve your knowledge, and never let them forget(politely of course) that it is their sole duty to provide you with that service.If they've already got all your money they may not be as nice as they might be if they think you might go elsewhere if they're not coming to the party.Treat em mean and keep em keen..
And a note-If you are a lazy bugger who does no work and expects them to drag you through then forget everything I just wrote and wack all you have on their front desk..

Joined: May 1999
Posts: 1,846
Likes: 4
From: Bristol, England
The two reasons an FTO would ask for cash up front are (1) because they're short of cash and (2) to guard against students legging it before they've paid their bills. The second seems reasonable to me and I can't disagree with an FTO requiring you to keep a balance in your account roughly equivalent to a day's flying. This could easily be a grand, though, if you're doing IR training. If you're offered a discount for cash walk away, it's category one.
Edited to add: Integrated FTOs should have a stage payment plan in place.
Edited to add: Integrated FTOs should have a stage payment plan in place.
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,199
Likes: 3
From: Hunched over a keyboard
We certainly don't ask students to pay up front - we just ask them to clear their account at the end of the day. We also only ever ask for a £200 deposit - just enough to show good faith on both sides when booking a course.
Magnificent Man
As you state, this is a subject that has been very well discussed. I know you say you were looking for an update and I think you have got your answers above.
So before the thread is hijacked with the banal comments that usually accompany this topic, I am closing the thread.
HWB
As you state, this is a subject that has been very well discussed. I know you say you were looking for an update and I think you have got your answers above.
So before the thread is hijacked with the banal comments that usually accompany this topic, I am closing the thread.
HWB





