Questions to Ask Before Paying a Deposit

A deposit commits money before you have flown a single lesson. It also tends to be the point at which a school's terms become real. This checklist helps you ask for the right information first. It is general information, not legal advice; for a large contract, consider independent advice in the relevant country.

1. Approval and status

• Which authority approves this organisation, or receives its declaration?
• In the EASA system, is it an Approved Training Organisation (ATO) or a Declared Training Organisation (DTO)? These are different statuses, and the national authority, not EASA, approves ATOs and receives DTO declarations. Authority pages such as the Greece and Germany pages show where lists are found.
• In the United States, does the school operate under Part 141 or Part 61? See the United States page.
• Can I look up the status in a public authority record?
• Is the approval for the exact course I am buying?

Approval is not a safety ranking and not an employment guarantee. It is one of several things to check. On this site the labels are Verified in authority record, Stated by the school, Not verified and Sources conflict; see Verification explained.

2. What exactly am I buying?

• What licence or rating will the course prepare me for, issued by which authority?
• What is in the price and what is outside it? Use What Training Prices Include.
• How many hours are assumed, and what is the rate beyond them?
• What happens if I need more time, or the school cannot supply an aircraft or instructor?

3. What is the deposit for?

• Is it a reservation fee, a part-payment, or prepayment for flying?
• Is it refundable, partly refundable or non-refundable? Under what conditions?
• Does it expire?
• Is it credited fully against the final price?

4. Where does the money go?

• Is it held in a separate client account, or paid into the school's operating account?
• Who is the legal entity receiving payment, and in which country?
• Is there insurance, a bond or another protection for prepaid funds? If the school says yes, ask for the document.
• What happens to unspent balances if the school closes, changes owner or loses its approval?

Do not assume protection exists. Ask for it in writing.

5. If something changes for you

• Refund position if you fail the medical, are refused a visa, or cannot start by the agreed date.
• Can you pause, and for how long, without losing money?
• Can you transfer the balance to someone else or to another course?

6. If something changes for the school

• What if the school moves location, changes aircraft type or changes instructors?
• What if the school's approval is suspended or withdrawn?
• What are your rights to complete elsewhere, and how would hours already flown be recognised?

7. Outcome claims

• Is any completion time, pass rate or job outcome stated? Is it in the contract?
• Is any airline link described? An advertised partnership is not guaranteed recruitment, and training completion, licence issuance, conversion, employment eligibility and recruitment are separate matters.
• Is there any statement about licence conversion for your home country? Check that directly with the receiving authority; see Investigating Licence Conversion.

8. Practical points

• Who will be my instructor, and how many students share them?
• Where will I train, and where will I live? See Choosing a Training Airport.
• What is the cancellation policy for weather and for my absence?

Red flags worth a second look

• Pressure to pay quickly because of a "limited offer".
• Reluctance to provide a written contract or itemised quote.
• Requests to pay into a personal account or by an untraceable method.
• Approval claims that cannot be found in any authority record.
• Promises of guaranteed results.

A red flag is a reason to ask more questions, not proof of wrongdoing.

Checklist before paying

• [ ] Approval checked in a public record, or noted as unverified
• [ ] Written contract and itemised quote received
• [ ] Refund terms understood in all the cases above
• [ ] Payment method traceable, and recipient matches the contract
• [ ] Outcome promises either removed from my expectations or written into the contract
• [ ] Copy of everything saved

See also How to Choose a Flight School and Comparing Training Packages. Our methodology page describes how we research schools; our listings show sources where we have them.