IMC or Aerobatic rating during hour building

[Straighten Up]

The answer to this may well be "both" or indeed "neither" but I'm interested to gauge opinion on getting either an IMC or an aerobatic rating as part of hour building, the cost being approximately the same. I should mention I hope to do CPL and FI this year but not IR for a couple of years.

Thanks

[portsharbourflyer]

When I instructed full time my SPA ME IR was current and it was at times useful to do certain lesson VFR on top when the cloud cover was low.

However in recent years I have only kept an MPA IR current so have had no SPA IR privileges and for the part time instructing I had been doing, it wasn't too much of a problem.
However on the whole with PPL level instructing you are really limited to weather conditions that are suitable for the student, also a lot of the time you may will be instructing from airfields with out any instrument facilities so you can cope as an FI without an IMC.

On the other hand an aeros rating and then subsequent practice during your hour building does mean you could get then do the add to get the "no aerobatics limitation" removed from your FI rating (once you obtain it). It is quite hard to find FI work so having the ability to teach aerobatics would certainly enhance your employability as an instructor. The IMC would be good prep for the IR, but as PPL level instructor you wont use it that often, also with the four to one rule gone you will be unlikely to obtain the experience to get the no applied instruments restriction lifted to teach IMC. So it really is your choice.

So for your eventual aim of getting FI work I think the aeros rating would be more useful.