You are right ChooseLife and that's why I applied in the first place.

But courses from Offensive Security like "Penetration Testing with Backtrack" ($750),  "Cracking the Perimeter" ($1200) and Wireless Attacks ($450) combined equals $2400. About cost vs value, this is unbeatable to my humble opinion.

elearnsecurity and the hackingdojo also offer high quality courses for less than $1000.

And when I factor the fact I can study for all these courses at home (no travel expenses) and that I don't have to take time away from work, the choice becomes easy.

So yes, in the SANS world, this is a pretty good deal, but compared to their competitors, I am not so sure about it.

I just decline this offer. Maybe next time when they will come closer to my place...

And you get the same discount?  What exactly are your obligations?

To the best of my knowledge - I haven't done it yet but am considering:

- it is the same discount and benefits as in the main work-study program

- duties include providing support to students, uploading class materials into the webinar system, resolving technical issues should they arise, recording the sessions, etc

hope this helps someone