I cant say I agre with your statement Whirly.
You could absolutely love a job but if the equipment you are been given to do your job is a crock of sh1t then no matter how much you try and convince yourself you arent doing yourself - or more improtantly your students - any favours! Think how they feel when they climb in an aircraft with you with inop stickers all over it....
As for the money side, if teaching is your main game and source of income then sometimes you cant stay in it no matter how much you want to. Two cases I know of personally
1) Friend who closed his shop fitting company to take his dream job of being a diving instructor - after just over a year was back to shop fitting again. It worked along same lines of flying, when he wasnt working he wasnt paid! He now instructs weekends only as full time just didnt pay.
2) Another friend been teaching at his local airfield. Is looking to take IT contracts again to give him some money to enable him to go teaching again later in the year.
Its a wider picture at the end of the day.