When it was decreed that FO's would have to do their P1 u/s flying from the right, there was a colossal hugh and cry about it. We FO's wanted that left seat experience, though swapping headsets with a captain that smoked 60 a day was a tad off-putting. I recall French pilots saying in a UK national paper that they wouldn't get the skills they needed. About this time someone suggested I got the Viscount on my PPL. I looked recently, not being sure, but it's on my PPL and there were a few hours logged as P1. Empty sectors, I assume.
Any time spent TREing would soon dispel any concerns about swapping seats, but the concept of relying on an autopilot is horrifying. An awkward movement - stabbing one's head on the overhead buttons and ewwwww. Doesn't bear thinking about.