Airsteve,

Not a direct answer but for what it is worth. I am not a 'professional" instructor. I am a CFII but rarely instruct at all. From my years as a pilot and student and with the added insight of some limited time as an instructor, this is my best answer. No student should submit himself to the pilot instructional process passively. At any level of instruction, the first thing the student should do is buy a very complete syllabus for the rating he seeks. He should also review the FAA Practical Test Standards so he will know first hand what is expected of him to achieve the desired rating. With that knowledge, when he approaches a flight school or individual instructor, he should ask for a copy of the syllabus that will be followed during the course and ask that it be reviewed with him. If the instructor says he doesn't follow a prescribed syllabus, find another school/instructor immediately. You can figure the rest of it out for yourself. If you don't know what you are supposed to do, and the instructor doesn't know, you are going to waste a lot of time and money, probably get frustrated and quit. Anyone who says you should do otherwise is trying to whodoo you. I can tell you from personal experience that there are some really bad flight schools and some really incompetent instructors. Hope this helps. johnggreen