Larki, I was in a similar situation and the one thing I can say is that a instructor rating was not worth the investment. I did that and struggled like hell to find any flying. The problem was I was now a low hour pilot with a instructor rating and no experience. The experienced pilots who held instructor ratings flooded the market again and there were very very few opportunities if any. Just another x thousand pounds spent.
What worked for me was keeping myself current. I flew SEP to keep my hand in but more so to keep contacts. I had my type rating so I kept that valid. The people I knew kept me informed what was going on and I was slipped a few contacts. I say I got lucky but actually I was fortunate, I made my own luck. When I got offered a interview it was not even under the guise of an interview. The recruiter had no jobs but had a sim slot so offered to renew my rating. At this point we had been in contact for 15 months. When I arrived I was offered a base and told not to screw the sim up. The feedback I received when I asked why me was “I did not need pilots on Wednesday and on Thursday at 9am I was told we needed 30 ASAP, I though of you straight away and knew you were current and ready to go”. Keep current and believe that all these 1000’s of aircraft will not fly themselves.
Sorry that you received some of the comments you did. We are all feeling at risk and all pilots are the same, we are great to each other in the good times, but in the bad times it brings out the worst in us. I sit in what would probably be a “safe seat” but given the size of the crisis I do not believe I will have a job come October. Right now it’s more about protecting my career rather than worrying about my job right now.
As a father you need to help keep your sons chin up. Depression can easily set in and that just destroys your chances. He needs hope and he needs to know how much you are behind him. This is not his fault but he will feel he is failing and angry. He will get there with support of his friends and family.